More on cancer-fighting spices

We posted something about this back in July, but here's a new article about the cancer-fighting properties of a spice used in curry (turmeric). The article is in the Charlotte Observer which unfortunately requires you to login to read the article. You can get an anonymous login account here though with a single-click.

previous posts on curry: 1, 2

Excerpts from the Charlotte Observer:

"We know that it's an effective preventive at low doses," said Dr. Bharat Aggarwal, of the experimental therapeutics department at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "The question is whether larger doses can be therapeutic" for disease sufferers.

At least a dozen clinical trials on humans are under way in the United States, Israel and England to test the safety and dosages of turmeric's main ingredient, curcumin. It's a hot topic in health journals, too, cited 967 times since 2000 in articles reported on PubMed, the National Library of Medicine's research service.

The spice, which is a relative of ginger, comes from the stems of the root of a large-leafed plant widely grown in Asia, especially in the province of Maharashtra in southwest India. The stems are boiled, dried and crushed to a powder with a bitter woody taste that's widely used as a spice and in folk medicines to cure stomach ailments and skin lesions. Turmeric was in use when the first Westerner, Marco Polo, visited the region in the 13th century.

It's been demonstrated in animals to protect the liver, inhibit tumors, reduce inflammation and fight some infections. Curcumin has both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, according to researchers, and may help lower cholesterol.

The yellow spice turmeric contains the chemical curcumin, which may interfere with melanoma skin cancer cells, new studies show.• Found in turmeric root, an ingredient of curry powder.

• May stop growth of melanoma cells and make them self-destruct.

• People can consume large amounts with no adverse effects.

• Has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Source: Cancer (journal); University of Texas Anderson Cancer Center

The article also contains links to a couple sites with recipes for turmeric:

• McCormick Spice.

• Epicurious.com