The most powerful compound in botanical medicine.
The worlds most important herbal extract.

500 milligrams per capsule
Other brands may claim "1500 mg per serving" and hide the fact that the serving size is 5 capsules. Some even claim to have a "500 mg capsule" but the "super complex" is only 300 mg Curcumin and 200 mg Turmeric, which only has about 4% Curcumin. Unfortunately these deceptions are not uncommon in the supplement industry even by the largest vitamin shops; when comparing always check the contents (Curcumin), the concentration (95%) and the amount (500mg) for each capsule, not per serving. Our product contains 500 milligrams per capsule of 95% standardized Curcumin. The suggested serving size is one (1) to four (4) capsules daily with meals, potentially offsetting the inflammatory response process that occurs during ingestion and digestion. There is absolutely no filler or claimed "enhancing" material to fill the capsule up and lower the Curcumin percentage."The use of the chemical piperine from pepper, trade-named Bioperine, was a poor attempt at increasing bioavailability at the expense of the epithelial lining of the stomach, small intestine and bowels... If you want to use capsules, make certain they DO NOT contain a pepper extract that is advertised to improve bioavailability." Our product is confirmed non-toxic and contains no pesticides, no sugars or other sweeteners, no starch, no sodium or salt, no yeast, no preservatives, no black pepper extract aka "bioperine" (actually a trademark of Piper nigrum by the Sabinsa corporation), no silicon dioxide, no GMO, no artificial colors or flavors, no dyes, no rice powder, no dairy, no fillers, no gums, and no stearates or any other unnecessary compounds. 

200 capsules per bottle
We do not waste the environments resources or your funds by requiring two or more bottles to obtain 200 capsules. Each bottle contains the full 200 capsules.

Are there any side effects or interactions? 
"Curcumin is not toxic to humans up to 8,000 mg/day."
"Patients received 8 g curcumin by mouth daily...No toxicities were observed."
"Curcumin, even in large quantities, does not produce any known side effects in humans."
Turmeric has been used in large quantities as a condiment for thousands of years with no adverse reactions.  The FDA classifies Turmeric as GRAS (General Recognition And Safety). Pregnant women, individuals with gallstones or bleeding disorders, or using chemotherapy or blood thinners should speak with a health care provider before using herbs or dietary supplements in amounts greater than usually found in foods. 

 
Why do Curcumin and Turmeric provide health benefits?
Certain plants manufacture chemicals that repel predators, parasites and diseases. Like most pharmacologically-active secondary metabolite of plants, Curcumin is involved in self-defense. Over time, plants with higher levels of organic compounds that deter attackers become more successful, because of their advanced protection. In nature's never-ending interaction between predator and prey, insects eventually learn to digest most plant toxins, so plants are constantly evolving stronger chemicals to deter their enemies. Monitoring these war games between plants and insects represents an important field of ecological research. Scientists have discovered that many chemicals manufactured in plants and roots not only prevent insect attack but also provide health benefits. Many cultures create their own botanical pharmacies as the lore of medicinal plants and remedies is handed down through generations of healers. Ethnobotany is the study of local uses of plants.  With the advent of sophisticated laboratory testing, biologists are finding that the many indigenous plants and roots from around the world provide excellent medicinal value, and their secondary metabolites may be likely candidates for development. Curcumin has been shown to exhibit anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities and thus has a potential against various malignant diseases, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer disease, and other chronic illnesses. These effects are mediated through the regulation of various transcription factors, growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, protein kinases, and other enzymes. Curcumin exhibits activities similar to recently discovered TNF blockers (humira, remicade and enbrel), vascular endothelial cell growth factor blocker (avastin), human epidermal growth factor receptor blockers (erbitux, erlotinib, and geftinib), and HER2 blocker (herceptin). Considering the recent scientific bandwagon that multi-targeted therapy is better than mono-targeted therapy for most diseases, curcumin can be considered an ideal "Spice for Life". More than 5000 papers published within the past two decades have revealed that curcumin has extraordinary potential in promoting health through modulation of numerous molecular targets.

 
What is the history of Curcumin and Turmeric?
Turmeric is an ancient spice and a traditional remedy. Its health benefits have been described for over 5000 years. Since 1900 BC numerous therapeutic activities have been assigned to turmeric for a wide variety of diseases and conditions, including those of the skin, pulmonary, and gastro-intestinal systems, aches, pains, wounds  and disorders. Marco Polo, writing of his travels in China, described Turmeric in the 13th century: "There is also a vegetable which has all the properties of the true saffron, as well as the color, and yet it is not really saffron. (Turmeric) is held in great estimation, and being an ingredient in all their dishes, it bears, on that account, a high price."  The high degree of reverence for Turmeric is established by the fact that it is used in many cultures, each having its own name for the spice: Burmese:fa nwin.  Chinese:wong geung fun, yü chiu.  Danish:gurkemeje.  Dutch:geelwortel.  Finnish:keltajuuri.   French: curcuma, saffron des Indes.  German:gelbwurz, kurkuma.   Icelandic:turmerik.  Italian: curcuma.   Indian:haldee, haridra, haldi, huldee, huldie. Indonesian:kunjit, kunyit.   Japanese:ukon   Malay:kunjit.  Norwegian:gurkemeie,  Polish:klacze kurkumy.  Portuguese:açafrão-da-Índia.   Russian:zholty imbir.  Spanish:azafrán de la India, azafran arabe.   Sinhalese:kaha. Swedish:gurkmeja.  Tamil:munjal.   Thai:ka min.  Vietnamese:bot nghe

Why hasn't the pharmaceutical industry patented Curcumin?
The global pharmaceutical corporations are very interested in owning patents for Curcumin and Turmeric because of the much heralded scientific evidence and the long history of its healing properties. However, that same evidence and history of Turmeric and Curcumin being used medicinally for centuries was the reason the United States Patent and Trademark Office rejected and revoked the patenting rights (Patent No. 5401504) of Turmeric on the grounds that the claims were not new: "USPTO unequivocally rejected all six claims made on August 13, 2001 ruling that Turmeric's medicinal properties were not patentable." As Dr. Bharat B. Aggarwal of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston explains: "in the case of Curcumin, a natural compound, no company can reap the benefits if Turmeric shows itself to be an effective anti-cancer drug..." This is unfortunate for pharmaceutical manufacturers who pass promotional and advertising fees to their customers, but good news if you're an educated consumer who doesn't want to pay $20.00 per prescribed pill. Other companies such as "Protandim", "Curamin" and "Juvenon" sell a "patented formula" which contains an undisclosed amount of Turmeric and can cost more than $2.00 per pill.

How does Curcumin work against cancer?
Independent research studies on the anti-cancer properties of turmeric suggests that Curcumin has the potential for treatment of five top cancers in the U.S. -- colon, breast, prostate, lung and skin. Numerous mechanisms have been described for the anticancer activity of Curcumin. Inhibition of proliferation of tumor cells, induction of apoptosis (a mode of cell death), inhibition of transformation of cells from normal to tumor, inhibition of invasion and metastasis and suppression of inflammation have been linked with the anticancer activity of Curcumin. Down-regulation of COX2, 5-LOX, adhesion molecules, inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, growth factor receptors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transcription factors by Curcumin have been linked to its antitumor activity. Similar studies have also found that when the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) (a powerful protein that promotes the inflammatory response necessary to cause breast cancer to spread) is shut down, cancer strains are unable to grow and cells are pushed to commit suicide. The mechanism in this curcumin study works the same way. Taxol activated the NF-kB in breast cancer cells, while curcumin stopped this activation by blocking the protein known as "IKK" that switched on the NF-kB, demonstrating how curcumin and Taxol work against one another. Taxol produced the inflammatory response, triggering metastasis, and curcumin suppressed it, causing cell death. Curcumin is intriguing to researchers because of its low toxicity. While most forms of chemotherapy cause serious adverse reactions in cancer patients, studies have shown that people can tolerate large amounts of curcumin with no ill effects, use in animals tests have shown that Curcumin inhibits the spread of breast cancer and improves the effectiveness of current remedies. Researchers believe that it could lead to a new way of treating people in the advanced stages of the disease. A study, published in the Oct. 15, 2007 issue of the Journal: Clinical Cancer Research, reports that “curcumin appears to shut down a protein active in the spread of breast cancer.” The non-toxic, natural curcumin repelled progression of the disease to the lungs and also appeared to reverse a "side-effect" of a commonly prescribed chemotherapy whose prolonged use may actually help to spread the disease.

How does Curcumin work against arthritis?
Arthritis is also a proinflammatory disease. All current drugs approved for arthritis have anti-inflammatory activity. Anti-TNF (tumor necrosis factor) therapy has been approved for this disease. Curcumin research has been shown to both suppress the TNF production, block the action of TNF, and have activity against arthritis.

How does Curcumin work against Crohn’s disease (inflammatory bowl disease)?
Crohn’s disease is also a pro-inflammatory disease. All current drugs approved for this disease have anti-inflammatory activity. Anti-TNF therapy has been approved for this disease. Curcumin research has been shown to both suppress the TNF production and the TNF action. Curcumin taken orally has been shown to have activity against Crohn’s disease.

How does Curcumin work against Cystic Fibrosis?
Dr. Christopher Goss of the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle has reported that Curcumin corrects the cystic fibrosis defect in mice. The defect, which suppresses a mutant protein essential to cell health, results in thick mucous that fatally clogs the lungs and pancreas. Researchers from Yale University and the University of Toronto found that Curcumin treatment released the protein and enabled cells and membranes to function normally.

How does Curcumin accelerate wound-healing?
There is numerous experimental data from Turmeric research that suggest that Curcumin can accelerate wound healing. This has led Johnson & Johnson to supply a Curcumin-containing Band-Aid.

How does Curcumin work against psoriasis?
Psoriasis is another proinflammatory disease. Considerable evidence, both in animals and humans, indicates that Curcumin is quite effective against psoriasis.

How does Curcumin work against Alzheimer's disease?
Researchers found that Curcumin, a chemical found in curry and turmeric, may help the immune system clear the brain of amyloid beta, which forms the plaques found in Alzheimer's disease. Because Alzheimer's disease is caused in part by amyloid-induced inflammation, Curcumin has been shown to be effective against Alzheimer's. Clinical trials are in progress at UCLA with Curcumin and Turmeric for Alzheimer's.

Recent news and published studies on Curcumin and Turmeric
   June 2009

Spice Route