How Turmeric works on Arthritis:

Turmeric has been used widely throughout history specially in Indian ayurvedic medicine. The active ingredient in Turmeric is the naturally occuring chemical known as curcumin. The powdered  turmeric  bulb is essentially 0.3 to 5.4 % curcumin by mass. Research on turmeric suggests that Curcumin prevents the action of a protein called Nuclear Factor kappa-B ( NF-KB). This protein  would bind itself to the genes of a cell triggering the production of massive amounts of inflammatory chemicals.  Joint tissue degradation and destruction results  as a consequence of the high levels of inflammatory chemicals.  Other studies suggests that curcumin may prevent the bone resorption and osteoporosis.

Side Effects and Precautions:

No bad side effects have been reported. No associated toxicity.

Forms, Dosage and Brandnames:

Adults: Recommended dosage is 400-600mg, three times a day

Pregnant Women: It is unknown if turmeric ingestion is safe during pregnancy.

Children: There is no proven or safe medical dose of turmeric in children

References about Turmeric and Arthritis:

Turmeric for Arthritis? By Christine Gorman http://time.blogs.com/daily_rx/2006/10/turmeric.html

“Efficacy and Mechanism of Action of Turmeric Supplements in the Treatment of Experimental Arthritis,” Janet L. Funk, Jennifer B. Frye, Janice N. Oyarzo, Nesrin Kuscuoglu, Jonathan Wilson, Gwen McCaffrey, Gregory Stafford, Guanjie Chen, R. Clark Lantz, Shivanand D. Jolad, Aniko M. Sólyom, Pawel R. Kiela, Barbara N. Timmermann,

Arthritis & Rheumatism, November 2006; 54:11; pp. 3452-3464; (DOI: 10.1002/art.22180).

Page last updated: May 02, 2009