Curcumin {Botanical name: Curcuma longa; Family: Zingiberaceae, the ginger family}
is the source of the spice Turmeric and is used in curries and other spicy dishes from India, Asia and the Middle East. Similar to many other herbal remedies, people first used curcumin as a food and later discovered that it also had impressive medicinal qualities.Turmeric has been used historically as a component of Indian Ayurvedic medicine. It is an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory. The rhizome is cooked and ground to produce the spice.
Researchers at the Jackson Lab in Bar Harbor observed that systemic treatment of mice with curcumin significantly reduces amyloid-ß plaques and actually reversed structural changes within the brain. Curcumin offers a promising new approach for clinical research into treating and perhaps ultimately preventing Alzheimer’s disease in humans.
Alzheimer’s disease is one of many diseases that are called neurodegenerative diseases—they involve dysfunction or death of brain tissue. A diet rich in turmeric may help prevent or reverse brain damage in Alzheimer's. Seems worth a try.
More recent studies showed that combining curcumin with vitamin D3 enhaces it's efficacy.
Citation :
Mishra S, Palanivelu K. The effect of curcumin (turmeric) on Alzheimer's disease: An overview. Annals Indian Academy Neurology . Read more - - -
