Anyone here take Curcumin from Turmeric? Opinions pro or con?

Bionic-Badger said:

If you get serious about these bulk powder supplements and don't want to choke down the poweder, you can save quite a bit by buying a capsule-making machine and capping your own pills with bulk powder...

I eventually hunkered down and bought a 100x capsule making machine from CapsulCN, as well as 10,000 capsules divided into two sacks of separated halves. I got the size 0 capsules, but larger ones can be had for the more bulky powders. Though it all costs more up front, the capsules cost far less than buying them empty from Amazon (CapsulCN sells stuff there too). The capsules are also higher quality and look nice...

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Thanks for adding more helpful information. I love the way these threads can grow and open up more possibilities for us do-it-yourselfers. I've filled capsules one at a time before by hand but never thought to look for such a machine.

Ed

I suppose tumeric is best used as a spice really. It's pretty common in asian cuisine for both flavour and color.

I'm not sure it is effective against any disease, but ingesting large amounts could upset your digestive system quite a bit with effects comparable to eating large amounts of ginger.

If you are in good health this shouldn't be a big risk, it's one of the reasons western tourists get the shits when travelling asia. The other is the different kind of fats used to prepare food, not poor hygiene and resulting bacterial infection that too many people suspect.

Well, my 2 cents, as a student in psychology, is that the placebo effect is a huge factor in taking supplements, nootropics, and everything in between. The brain is a very powerful organ that can single-handedly control every part of the body, and if it "thinks" something is happening, it just might occur physically.
Just the other day we were watching a short documentary on opiate addicts whom were in the mid-stages of withdrawal, 20 long-term opiate users were tested, one half took their opioid medication, the second half took a placebo that looked identical that only consisted of sugar, all except three documented that their withdrawal symptoms had nearly vanished, and two of the three said they felt "a bit" better, one of the two whom felt "a bit" better were actually given the real opioid.
I personally always look into the science and evidence in things which kind of hurts me in the placebo aspect. All I can say is if you believe something is manifesting a result (helping), then it just might happen (help).

Before Tumeric became medicine, the cultures which used this plant as a spice had much lower incidents of cancer, they weren't specifically eating it to prevent cancer, more as a spice yet it was working for them without knowing it.

http://truthisscary.com/2013/03/curcumin-vs-cancer-the-scientific-evidence-continues

"Extensive research over the past five decades has indicated that curcumin reduces blood cholesterol levels, prevents low-density lipoprotein oxidation, inhibits platelet aggregation, suppresses thrombosis and myocardial infarction, suppresses symptoms associated with Type II diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease; inhibits HIV replication, suppresses tumor formation, enhances wound healing, protects against liver injury, increases bile secretion, protects against cataract formation, and protects against pulmonary toxicity and fibrosis,” explain the researchers about their incredible findings.

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Ricker said:

Well, my 2 cents, as a student in psychology, is that the placebo effect is a huge factor in taking supplements, nootropics, and everything in between. The brain is a very powerful organ that can single-handedly control every part of the body, and if it "thinks" something is happening, it just might occur physically.
Just the other day we were watching a short documentary on opiate addicts whom were in the mid-stages of withdrawal, 20 long-term opiate users were tested, one half took their opioid medication, the second half took a placebo that looked identical that only consisted of sugar, all except three documented that their withdrawal symptoms had nearly vanished, and two of the three said they felt "a bit" better, one of the two whom felt "a bit" better were actually given the real opioid.
I personally always look into the science and evidence in things which kind of hurts me in the placebo aspect. All I can say is if you believe something is manifesting a result (helping), then it just might happen (help).

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What you're saying regarding placebos and supplements/nootropics is entirely true. More studies - double blind studies with control groups - need to be done on these substances.

That said - I personally feel I get a benefit from the nootropics I've tried (Some of them may be considered drugs instead of just nootropics, Phenibut for example). It *could* be a placebo - but at the same time, it works for me, placebo or not.

Current list of my substance experiments for the curious:

Adrafinil
Piracetam
Phenylpiracetam
Noopept
Phenibut
-----------------
Not considered nootropics below but thought to have some benefit.
-----------------
L-Theanine
Curcumin
Fish Oil
Vitamin B12

And of course frequent daily doses of caffeine and nicotine ...

Part of the problem too is the apparent subtlety of these substances. It's not like taking a Ritalin and an hour later you're bouncing off the walls - some of these substances may take days to realize the full effects, and even then, the effects are often very subtle.

OK - All anecdotal evidence from me, with a sample size of 1! May all be a placebo - but OK.

diachi said:

What you're saying regarding placebos and supplements/nootropics is entirely true. More studies - double blind studies with control groups - need to be done on these substances.

That said - I personally feel I get a benefit from the nootropics I've tried (Some of them may be considered drugs instead of just nootropics, Phenibut for example). It *could* be a placebo - but at the same time, it works for me, placebo or not.

Current list of my substance experiments for the curious:

Adrafinil
Piracetam
Phenylpiracetam
Noopept
Phenibut
-----------------
Not considered nootropics below but thought to have some benefit.
-----------------
L-Theanine
Curcumin
Fish Oil
Vitamin B12

And of course frequent daily doses of caffeine and nicotine ...

Part of the problem too is the apparent subtlety of these substances. It's not like taking a Ritalin and an hour later you're bouncing off the walls - some of these substances may take days to realize the full effects, and even then, the effects are often very subtle.

OK - All anecdotal evidence from me, with a sample size of 1! May all be a placebo - but OK.

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I am not saying none of these things work whatsoever, I have no evidence to support that they do or don't do what they are intended to do. I'm just saying while taking such chemicals, if you tell yourself it's going to help then that affirmation may cause more of a positive result than saying it does nothing at all. The placebo effect can normally only occur when the individual doesn't consciously think a placebo effect is occurring.

EDIT: ..I just re-read your first sentence, I thought you were being condescending at first lol sorry and thanks!

Ricker said:

I am not saying none of these things work whatsoever, I have no evidence to support that they do or don't do what they are intended to do. I'm just saying while taking such chemicals, if you tell yourself it's going to help then that affirmation may cause more of a positive result than saying it does nothing at all. The placebo effect can normally only occur when the individual doesn't consciously think a placebo effect is occurring.

EDIT: ..I just re-read your first sentence, I thought you were being condescending at first lol sorry and thanks!

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Haha no worries Totally agree with what you're saying!

I can only go with my own experience and as I said some of the effects may well be placebo! I did return to what would be considered baseline for a while there when my last order of noots ran out and definitely didn't feel as energetic, sociable and fluent during that time. Again, only a subtle difference but definitely noticeable.

More anecdotal evidence. Since starting experimenting with nootropics I've been actively seeking out social interactions far more often than I ever used to - and I've been enjoying them too. Socializing used to make me nervous as hell. Even if it's just talking to random folk while having a smoke break - I never used to be the one to strike up conversation. *However*, I've also lost a lot of weight and have gotten in decent shape over the last year an a half so my confidence and health have improved drastically - as such the increased sociability may just be a coincidence. Could also be a combination of the two...

Anyway - kinda derailing the thread here. Just thought I'd weigh in! Maybe worth starting another thread about Nootropics, although I'm not sure if anyone else here has experimented with any.

Some things are easier to placebo test than others.

Cafeine taken as brewed coffee is a good example of something you can test. Have a friend transfer the coffee into two storage jars, one real and one decaf, and see if you notice a difference in effect when drinking either. Later ask you friend to reveal which jar was which. It could be interesting to see if you get this wrong (and you can try this several times).

I took part in a test once where they did this, but presented the coffee brewed. The brewed it all from decaf and re-added the correct amount of caffeine as to make sure you cold not tell the difference by other means.

Experiment consists of 3 tests on 3 different days a week apart. I noticed which tests had caffeine, but not everyone could and few people were absolutely sure.


For tumeric this might be more difficult as it has a quite distinctive flavour and color so preparing, for example, meals with and without it probably doesnt make a good placebo test. Perhaps you could do it with capsules where you cannot see the content?

Benm said:

Some things are easier to placebo test than others.

Cafeine taken as brewed coffee is a good example of something you can test. Have a friend transfer the coffee into two storage jars, one real and one decaf, and see if you notice a difference in effect when drinking either. Later ask you friend to reveal which jar was which. It could be interesting to see if you get this wrong (and you can try this several times).

I took part in a test once where they did this, but presented the coffee brewed. The brewed it all from decaf and re-added the correct amount of caffeine as to make sure you cold not tell the difference by other means.

Experiment consists of 3 tests on 3 different days a week apart. I noticed which tests had caffeine, but not everyone could and few people were absolutely sure.


For tumeric this might be more difficult as it has a quite distinctive flavour and color so preparing, for example, meals with and without it probably doesnt make a good placebo test. Perhaps you could do it with capsules where you cannot see the content?

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Good suggestion!

Not sure how well that'd work for me - at least for caffeine - my tolerance to it is high and as such I no longer get that "buzz" from it - I do feel pretty terrible if I don't have any in ~24 hours though.

For Curcumin - capsules would probably be best - and I guess you could either dye the placebo capsules to match the orange colour or wear a blindfold.

diachi said:

What you're saying regarding placebos and supplements/nootropics is entirely true. More studies - double blind studies with control groups - need to be done on these substances.

That said - I personally feel I get a benefit from the nootropics I've tried (Some of them may be considered drugs instead of just nootropics, Phenibut for example). It *could* be a placebo - but at the same time, it works for me, placebo or not.

Click to expand...

Evidence based health and medicine is not what it should be due to the economics involved plus the demands of insurance companies and government regulators.
Doesn't mean nothing else is practiced, exists, or is effective.

I am reminded of a story—perhaps apocryphal, perhaps not—about a journalist who once called on Dr. Albert Einstein in Princeton. The journalist noticed a horseshoe nailed to the wall above the doors to Einsteins office/laboratory and remarked: You know, Dr. Einstein, in this country, a horseshoe above door is considered an omen that brings good luck. Do you believe it brings good luck? Einstein replies : Of course I don't, absolutely not!, the very idea is just supersitition based nonsense.
The journalist asks: Dr.,then why is there a horseshoe over the doors to your laboratory?
Eienstein replies: Because it works -- whether you beleive in it or not!

Encap said:

Evidence based health and medicine is not what it should be due to the economics involved plus the demands of insurance companies and government regulators.
Doesn't mean nothing else is practiced, exists, or is effective.

I am reminded of a story—perhaps apocryphal, perhaps not—about a journalist who once called on Dr. Albert Einstein in Princeton. The journalist noticed a horseshoe nailed above the doors to Einsteins office/laboratory and remarked: You know, Dr. Einstein, in this country, a horseshoe above door is considered an omen that brings good luck. Do you believe it brings good luck? Einstein replies : Of course I don’t believe in it, the very idea is unscientific and supersitition based nonsense.
The journalist asks: Dr., then why do you have a horseshoe on the wall over the doors to your laboratory?
Eienstein replies: Because it works-- whether you beleive in it or not.

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Haha great story indeed!:beer:

Alaskan said:

I've read Curcumin extract from Turmeric has huge health benefits, even some individuals with cancer being successfully treated with it to where all signs of the disease disappear after nothing else would work for them. Anyone here have pro or con opinions for this stuff?

Pure Curcumin 95 Natural Turmeric Extract Bulk Powder | eBay

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Turmeric by itself is very nutritious, lots of anti-oxidants and quote from WIKI.

The most important chemical components of turmeric are a group of compounds called curcuminoids, which include curcumin (diferuloylmethane), demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin. The best-studied compound is curcumin, which constitutes 3.14% (on average) of powdered turmeric.[12] However, there are big variations in curcumin content in the different lines of the species Curcuma longa (1–3189 mg/100g). In addition, other important volatile oils include turmerone, atlantone, and zingiberene. Some general constituents are sugars, proteins, and resins.[13]

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So it is really a superfood. I don't trust extracts that much as they are over processed and missing the combination of chemical makeup of real Tumeric. :beer:

Hi Alaskan.
The raw turmeric is not assimilated by the body, it must be conveyed with pepper or oil.
For several months I'm doing the cure with the "golden milk".
The ingredients are: organic turmeric, organic rice milk, organic acacia honey, organic sweet almond oil, organic raw cinnamon (preferably from Ceylon).
I have some powerful allergies, I always have inflamed nose and throat, and this compound relieves symptoms, and has very pleasant taste. In India the Yogis uses this compound before making long meditations, since this milk is a valuable ally for all body joints.
That 's the page (in Italian) of the original formula:

La vera ricetta del latte d?oro, coccola alla curcuma | La Stella

For many years I follow with interest cures and natural remedies, so I invite you to visit my page where I expain all my research and my discoveries done in the course of my life.
Unfortunately I'm Italian, so you will need to translate the text with google translate

* Ciao a tutti. Mi presento: mi chiamo Riccardo, ho 52 an... - justpaste.it

diachi said:

Good suggestion!

Not sure how well that'd work for me - at least for caffeine - my tolerance to it is high and as such I no longer get that "buzz" from it - I do feel pretty terrible if I don't have any in ~24 hours though.

For Curcumin - capsules would probably be best - and I guess you could either dye the placebo capsules to match the orange colour or wear a blindfold.

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b

Well, feeling withdrawal symptoms from a lack of caffeine is an effect too, though probably not a desireable one. Either way it proves you coffee is not placebo really, and i can sort of attest to that since i get pretty bad headaches when skipping morning coffee for one reason or another. At some point i didn't even realize and took a decent dose of paracetamol which had little effect, but it cleared after some coffee at lunchtime.

As for the absorption of tumeric: it's probably best to ingest it with some fat since most of it not water soluble and could otherwise be passed straight out (i guess that should result in yellow excrement?).

This does not really have to be oil, something fat containing like a slice of cheese, bit of chocolate etc, would probably be okay. What you want is enough fat present to produce micelles (little droplets of fat surrounded by soap-like molecules from bile) in the gut.

When used in food there usually is enough fat present, for example in a curry or similar dish that contains tumeric.

As for using capsules and the placebo test: just don't use clear ones, there are opaque ones in various colors that copletely hide whatever is inside.

Minamoto Kobayashi said:

Hi Alaskan.
The raw turmeric is not assimilated by the body, it must be conveyed with pepper or oil.
For several months I'm doing the cure with the "golden milk".
The ingredients are: organic turmeric, organic rice milk, organic acacia honey, organic sweet almond oil, organic raw cinnamon (preferably from Ceylon).
I have some powerful allergies, I always have inflamed nose and throat, and this compound relieves symptoms, and has very pleasant taste. In India the Yogis uses this compound before making long meditations, since this milk is a valuable ally for all body joints.
That 's the page (in Italian) of the original formula:

La vera ricetta del latte d?oro, coccola alla curcuma | La Stella

For many years I follow with interest cures and natural remedies, so I invite you to visit my page where I explain all my research and my discoveries done in the course of my life.
Unfortunately I'm Italian, so you will need to translate the text with google translate

* Ciao a tutti. Mi presento: mi chiamo Riccardo, ho 52 an... - justpaste.it

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Raw Turmeric is completely bio-available whether or not it has been used in conjunction with a fat of some sort.
There's lots of pseudoscience out there regarding foods and health. Both ways you'll get the active compounds.

Interesting fruitul comments, great info. I've just started using 95% extract, but I take it with black pepper to help absorption. 2 grams per day of the extract with pepper .