The popularity of using natural remedies to treat illness and disease is not only becoming more prevalent but more practical, as well.

The effects of Curcumin on prostate cancer and dementia shows promise as a treatment.

The lack of side effects and accessibility of natural treatments make them attractive to those who have little or no insurance and those who are extremely sensitive to pharmaceuticals.

The researchers found that curcumin blocked two genetic receptors necessary for prostate cancer advancement. These receptors have been shown is past studies to predict cancer incidence and rate of growth of existing tumors. They noted that the spice extract was “a potent inhibitor of both cell cycle and survival in prostate cancer cells.”

In a separate research body, scientists found that curcumin prolongs life and enhances activity of brain neurons, acting as a neuroprotective shield against Alzheimer’s disease advancement. The research team determined that curcumin acted to prevent the damaging accumulation of amyloid fibrils around the nerve synapse. Amyloid tangles are known to prevent normal electrical and chemical transmissions required to form memories and maintain cognition.

Curcumin/turmeric has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years as a ‘cleanser of the body’. It appears to work at a number of levels

Curcumin is the ‘active’ ingredient of the Indian/Asian curry spice Turmeric. To put this technically, curcumin is the principal curcuminoid in turmeric. Curcuminoids are polyphenols.

Turmeric powder is ground from the root of a plant called Curcuma Longa, which is a member of the ginger family and is found throughout Southern Asia, even growing wild in the Himalayas.

There are a dozen or more studies where curcumin has caused cell death in cancer cells; and even more where it prevents tumors forming a blood supply.

Not long ago, researchers at the world-renowned University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center published a groundbreaking scientific review of their favorite anti-cancer nutrient — curcumin. Curcumin, along with several other nutrients, is remarkable in that it can actually tell the difference between a healthy cell and a cancer cell.

According to Wellness Resources, here is how the researchers explained their interest in curcumin:

“’ … Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) … is one of the most powerful and promising chemopreventive and anticancer agents … How curcumin exerts its powerful anticancer activities has been thoroughly investigated, and several mechanisms of action have been discovered … curcumin exerts its biological
activities through epigenetic modulation.’”

In other words, curcumin changes the regulation of DNA to help kill cancer. In fact, curcumin not only influences epigenetic settings, it also manages the downstream consequences, helping to guide multiple steps in the way gene orders are implemented.