6 replies to this topic

[RichardAlan]

I notice Tumeric supplements on the shelves of some of the health stores.  Are there any documented benefits from consuming this supplement and if anyone here has been taking it then do you believe it's helping you in any way?

[Turnbuckle]

Turmeric (a crude form of curcumin) isn't that useful due to low bioavailability. Curcumin phytosome is far better. It's very good for inflammation, and may have some utility in Alzheimer's. Meriva is one brand name.

[Phoebus]

Turmeric (a crude form of curcumin) isn't that useful due to low bioavailability. Curcumin phytosome is far better. It's very good for inflammation, and may have some utility in Alzheimer's. Meriva is one brand name.

 

interesting, what the difference between regular curcumin and phytosome curcumin? 

 

EDIT: well okay found this 

 

 

 

Phytosomes are made up by lecithin phospholipids from sunflower or soy sources. Curcumin phytosome is not a mixture of curcumin and the phospholipid, but rather a dispersion of curcumin into the phospholipids—like the way that mayonnaise is not a mixture of oil and egg yolk, but rather a dispersion of egg yolk into an oily phase. The significance of this is that phytosomes can optimize the delivery of curcumin and other polyphenolics through the gastrointestinal tract. The result is improved absorption.

 

Edited by Phoebus, 30 November 2018 - 04:42 PM.

[pamojja]

Turmeric (a crude form of curcumin) isn't that useful due to low bioavailability.

 

Turmeric is actually a very common spice, which contains approx. 3% curcuminoids. Curcumin supplements on the other hand contain up to 95% curcuminoids, and various additions to enhance absorption (bioperine, tumerone, phytosomes..).

 

However, turmeric itself at high enough dose might have therapeutic actions in with some anecdotal evidence:

 

 

https://forums.phoen...lements.18369/

 

I had hellish, unrelenting generalized anxiety disorder for several years, and, having tried hundreds of supplements (as well as SSRI drugs and TCA drugs) in my frantic efforts to treat it, I recently found 3 supplements that seem to pretty much eliminate my anxiety!
 

• The first and most potent anti-anxiety supplement is N-acetyl-glucosamine (NAG), taken at a dose of 700 mg twice daily on an empty stomach; the dose can be reduced once daily after a few weeks. NAG should not be confused with glucosamine sulfate, which will not work for this anti-anxiety purpose. Note that NAG may be inadvisable in Lyme disease (see here). NAG can also aggravate asthma. NAG is usually shellfish derived (however Swanson NAG is derived from fermented yeast, though Swanson say they cannot guarantee it is shellfish free). NAG should not be taken if you are on the blood thinner warfarin (see here). Glucosamine and likely NAG also may raise intraocular pressure (see here).

• The second most potent is flaxseed oil (aka linseed oil), one level tablespoon (15 ml) daily. 15 ml of flaxseed oil is 13,000 mg in weight. Flaxseed oil is best absorbed when taken with food. It is the alpha linolenic acid (ALA) in flaxseed oil that I believe has the anti-anxiety effects (flaxseed oil is 55% ALA; chia oil is 64% ALA).

• The third is the herb turmeric, at a dose of 1000 mg twice daily, best taken on an empty stomach (but if it causes irritation, take with food). This herb can be bought cheaply as turmeric powder for cooking. 1000 mg equates to just under one level teaspoon of powder. Turmeric is not to be confused with curcumin (turmeric contains curcumin, but turmeric has many other active ingredients, including: ar-turmerone, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, atlantone, and zingiberone; I suspect the ar-turmerone in turmeric may have the main anti-anxiety effect, as ar-turmerone is thought to reduce microglial activation). So don't buy curcumin thinking it is turmeric; they are not the same.​

 

 

[John250]

Turmeric (a crude form of curcumin) isn't that useful due to low bioavailability. Curcumin phytosome is far better. It's very good for inflammation, and may have some utility in Alzheimer's. Meriva is one brand name.

What benefit would Meriva have over UltraCur Curcumin?

[Nate-2004]

There is some evidence suggesting that too much can damage DNA while just a teaspoon of turmeric with healthy fats is enough to have some fairly significant effects on inflammation, it's not always good to assume that one single molecule in an herb is solely responsible for what we see in health responses. I'm going by Greger's videos though but he cites a lot of published research.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE7T5FZUgu4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teJ9QHCdN2Q

Edited by Nate-2004, 01 December 2018 - 04:54 PM.

[mono]

Check out Longvida Curcumin, it is said to have up to 65x greater absorption.

http://nootropicsdep...cumin-capsules/

 

I am trying to understand the ability of curcumin as it is supposed to help rebalance the Kynurenine pathway. And it is a cox2 inhibitor which decreases KYNA levels, and so it may be useful in schizophrenia too.

 

 

"NEUROPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF CURCUMIN IN COMBINATION WITH PIPERINE AGAINST QUINOLINIC ACID–INDUCED NEURODEGENERATION IN RATS"

https://www.alzheime...1540-0/fulltext

 

 

"activation of the kynurenine pathway can lead to dangerous QUIN levels, which are associated with numerous neurological diseases: Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, human immunodeficiency virus-associated neurocognitive disorders, and Huntington’s disease [11, 13–17]. The generation of QUIN is thought to be the major link between the kynurenine pathway and inflammatory response [18]."

https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC4482796/

Edited by mono, 09 December 2018 - 02:25 AM.