Millions take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
daily for arthritis and related inflammatory conditions, but are completely
unaware that far safer, and at least as effective, natural alternatives already
exist -- and are as easily accessible and inexpensive as the spices found in
your kitchen cupboard.
Human research on the health benefits of turmeric is sparse, mainly due to
the lack of capital available to fund expensive clinical trials.[i] Despite many decades of investigation as a
lead drug compound, and the availability of thousands of preclinical studies indicating
turmeric's therapeutic value,
few yet realize that this common kitchen spice may provide a suitable drug
alternative for common health conditions.
The latest human study to clinically confirm turmeric's medicinal value was
published in the Indonesian Journal of Internal Medicine in April, 2012
and found the curcuminoid extract of turmeric was able to reduce inflammation in
patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis.
Researchers compared the effect of a curcuminoid extract to the NSAID drug
diclofenac sodium in reducing cycloxygenase -2 (COX-2) secretion by synovial
fluid's monocytes in two, randomly divided, groups suffering with knee
osteoarthritis.
The synovial fluid is an egg yolk-like liquid within the cavities of the
synovial joints, which serves to reduce friction between articular cartilage
during movement. In knee osteoarthritis, a condition that afflicts 1 in 2
people by the age of 85 years, the immune cells known as monocytes express
increased inflammatory COX-2 enzyme activity within the synovial fluid.
In the study, subjects were given either 30 mg 3 times daily of turmeric
extract (curcuminoid) or 25 mg 3 times daily of diclofenac sodium for 4 weeks.
After the treatment period, aspiration of the joint as performed and the
secretion of cycloxygenase-2 enzyme by synovial fluid's monocytes was
evaluated.
Results were reported as follows:
In curcuminoid group the average scores were 1.84±0.37 and 1.15±0.28 respectively (p<0.001). In diclofenac group the average scores were 1.79±0.38 and 1.12±0.27 respectively (p<0.001). In curcuminoid group the decreasing score of cycloxygenase-2 secretion was 0.70±0.51 while in diclofenac group was 0.67±0.45. There was no significant difference in decreasing the score of cycloxygenase enzyme secretion between both treatment groups (p=0.89).
In summary, both curcuminoid and diclofenac sodium were capable of
significantly decreasing the secretion of the inflammatory COX-2 enzyme, with
nearly identical potency.
Discussion
This is not the first human study to confirm turmeric is at least as
effective as an NSAID drug in reducing the symptoms associated with knee
osteoarthritis. A 2010 study published in the Journal of Alternative and
Complementary Medicine found 2,000 mg of turmeric extract was as effective
as 800 mg of ibuprofen in reducing symptoms
of pain and inflammation.[ii]
What is most remarkable about the more recent study is not that turmeric
curcuminoids have potent anti-inflammatory properties – there are already
hundreds of studies confirming its COX-2
reducing and otherwise anti-inflammary
effects -- but rather how much safer they are relative to NSAID
drugs like diclofenac, which like most pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory drugs
have been linked to adverse health effects such as increased cardiac mortality, miscarriage and
seizure.
One way to assess the relative toxicity of these two compounds is to compare
the primary polyphenol in turmeric, curcumin, with diclofenac sodium through
their respective Material Safety Data Sheets, which contain detailed information
on the toxicity of these substances.
Diclofenac Sodium: The LD50 for mice is 95 mg/kg,
meaning that it only takes 95 mg/kg of mouse to acutely kill 50% of an exposed
group.
Curcumin: The LD50 for mice is >2,000 mg/kg, meaning that
it would take more than 2,000 mg/kg of mouse to acutely kill 50% of an
exposed group.
In order to get perspective on how toxic an LD50 of 95 mg/kg is, let's first
calculate how much of this chemical it would take in milligrams to kill an
average sized mouse. Mice are between 15-27 grams, depending on their age,
strain and diet. If we take the average between the two, at 21 grams, our mouse
would weigh 0.021 kilograms. This means that it only takes 1.9
milligrams to acutely kill 50% of the mice given such a dose.
Extrapolating to humans, an average 150 lb adult weighs 68.03 kilograms, it
would only take 6462 milligrams, or 6.46 grams to kill 50% of the humans given
the dose. This is less than the weight of three pennies (7.5 grams). Compare
this to the LD50 of curcumin (2,000 mg/kg), where it would take more than
136,000 mgs (4.86 ounces) to kill 50% of the humans given it – and even
this estimation is doubtful, since it is likely that it would simply be vomited
up, or expelled through the gastrointestinal tract, and other organs of
elimination, before reaching lethal levels in the body. Also, remember that it
only took 90 mg a day in the aforementioned study to reduce inflammation as
effectively as diclofenac sodium. The difference between the 90 mg required to
produce an effective response, and a (theoretical) 136,000 mg threshold for
lethal toxicity, is four orders of magnitude.
In practical terms, the chance of you hurting yourself with a drug like
diclofenac sodium -- ironically, in an attempt to reduce pain -- as compared to
a simple kitchen spice like turmeric, is infinitely higher. Consider too, that
there are over 100 known adverse
health effects associated with this chemical class of drugs,
whereas turmeric (and curcumin) has been linked to over 600 beneficial ones -- not exactly a
hard choice to make, when it comes to risk-benefit analysis.
For additional research on natural alternatives to common NSAID drugs like
aspirin and ibuprofen, read the following articles:
Resources
- [i] GreenMedInfo.com, Why The Law Forbids The Medicinal Use of Natural Substances Feb. 26th, 2012
- [ii] Vilai Kuptniratsaikul, Sunee Thanakhumtorn, Pornsiri Chinswangwatanakul, Luksamee Wattanamongkonsil, Visanu Thamlikitkul. Efficacy and safety of Curcuma domestica extracts in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Int J Mol Med. 2010 May;25(5):729-34. PMID: 19678780
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Disclaimer: This
article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views
expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of GreenMedInfo or its staff.
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