Turmeric

[KDR]

I've heard of the great benefits of turmeric. How do you take it daily? Suggestions, please.
Thanks
Karen

[ElaineM]

Tumeric is anti inflamatory. It is often the ingredient in mustard that gives mustard its yellow color.
You can use the spice tumeric in cooking. You can buy it in the spice section of your local supermarket or fresh in the produce department of most health food stores. It looks like fresh ginger, but it is orange or yellow inside.
Indian food usually has tumeric. There must be alot of tumeric recipes online. I use it in stir fried vegetables, soups and sauces.
You can also get supplements at health food stores or online. Curcumin is the active ingredient in tumeric that is anti inflamatory. I take one or two curcumin capsules a day. It seems to be helping my carpal tunnel syndrome and my osteoarthritis.
Happy Eating !!!!!!!!

[KDR]

We live in an Indian nabe, and I've been cooking West Indian food for 20 years or more. Anyway, I don't think I can take capsules. My onco is rigid and won't allow me to take Milk Thistle either. I'm calling my nutritionist about the caps. Will let you know.
Thanks for writing all.
Karen

[sdstarfish]

Hi, Karen:
Congrats on being NED!
Here is a turmeric recipe to get you started:
Potatoes & Peas in Coconut Curry Sauce
(http://pinkkitchen.info/) (http://pinkkitchen.info/)
I also wanted to add that I'd be cautious seeing an oncologist who refuses to allow you to take supplements. These are health decisions that you have a right to make, especially now that you are done treatment.

While most ONC's are pharmaceutically-based in their beliefs (as fits their training), they should at least be willing to be open to educating themselves on the nutritional benefits of various herbs. I hope you don't mind that I said this, it just concerns me when doctors are completely close-minded to herbs....especially milk thistle, which has frequently been scientifically studied and has proven to have a positive effect on liver function - and turmeric, which has also been scientifically studied on a frequent basis and shows anti-cancer and anti-tumor effects.

Wishing you health and happiness,
Lisa

[ElaineM]

I totally agree Lisa !!!!!!!!!
I didn't "ask" my oncologist about herbs. I "told" him what I am taking and gave him my licensed naturopathic physician's business card !!!!!!!
I expect all my M. D.s to accept my naturopathic physican as a medical professional. I expect all my
M. D.s to accept my decisions about food, herbs and supplements. That said I always do research on every herb and supplement I am considering to make sure there is no negative interaction with whatever conventional medicine I am taking.
I have taken milk thistle every day since my diagnosis more than 12 years ago, never had problems with liver enzymes and I never had liver mets. My blood test results including my white blood counts and red blood counts have always been good. I never needed shots to help them and I never needed blood transfusions thanks to my licensed naturopathic physician and my own research about food, supplements and herbs.

[sdstarfish]

Thanks, Elaine. I love hearing that! That is a great idea, taking the N.D.'s business card to the ONC. So simple, but I'd never thought of that :)

Lisa
http://www.pinkkitchen.info (http://www.pinkkitchen.info/)

[KDR]

Heard back from the nutritionist and she o.k. to turmeric, just not capsule form. There is an integrative doctor she referred me to, she I'll call him. Meantime, I am NED (for now...I've had slight increases each week in my CEA) but I am still on chemo. So I have a manual to refer to from my nutritionist as to what natural stuff works with my chemo and which stuff might impede...
Thanks, you, ladies
Karen

[ElaineM]

It sounds like you have a nice nutritionist. The integrative doctor is a good idea. Go for it !!

[pibikay]

Turmeric is used in our south indian cooking.But now that she is on treatment Hema has pickled turmeric.But fresh turmeric peel it and cut it into small round pieces.Add a little rock solt and soak in vinegar and lime juice medium.It continues to be crisp and is good

[KDR]

Pibikay
Thanks. I will go to Patel and get the turmeric that can be peeled. Then you say to add rock salt (is that like sea salt?)...how long do you marinate it for? Does she top her food with it, or just take from jar. Wishing Hema well,
Karen

[ElaineM]

Oh. The pickled tumeric sounds interesting. I think I can use Hawaiian salt if I can't find rock salt. KDR you should be able to find rock salt in New York. I remember eating it when I was a child in Queens. We used to get small packages of it at some smaller corner stores. I don't remember the brand name. We might even be able to find it online if we do a search.

[pibikay]

Dear KDR
Rock salt is not same as sea salt.
I think I have not made it clear. The turmeric is not marinated. It is pickled in a mixture of lime juice and vinegar
She takes it with her bread or as pickle with rice.
It is very efficacious and she uses only half a teaspoonfull of pickle for a meal
She switched to this as I read somewhere that turmeic powder has some side effets.
All the best

[ElaineM]

Yes. Rock salt comes from the land. Sea salt comes from the sea. The rock salt I remember in the U. S. actually looks like small rocks or pebbles. Was it rock salt that M. Gandhi worked with?

[pibikay]

This is away from the original thread.Gandhi's agitation was for the tax levied by the Britisg on the common sea salt
Rock salt has some medicinal value also
Best of luck

[tfabre]

We buy boxes of rock salt to make home-made ice cream. It's in grocery store isle with the other salts. In the south, it's usually sold in a 1lb box, I think.

[ElaineM]

Today's discussion on Dr. Oz was about cancer. One of the guests a dietician who specializes in oncology said that if we add tumeric, black pepper and garlic to crucifious vegetables when we cook them it will increase the anti cancer benefits of those vegetables. I am trying it tonight to see how it tastes. Do you have an opinion Tanya?

[sdstarfish]

I've read mixed results in the research on black pepper. (By the way, black, white, and green peppercorns all come from the same plant.) Some research states that the black pepper has protective effects, while others say it may create carcinogens, particularly when heated.

I use black pepper lightly, just a few black peppercorns in my pepper mill. The rest, I've replaced with pink peppercorns, which are unrelated to the above. They have a nice taste which is not overly spicy. I've seen them in more and more supermarkets.

Lisa
http://www.pinkkitchen.info

[ElaineM]

Thanks Lisa !! I am going to experiment with peppercorns or white pepper and if I add the black pepper at the end of the cooking just to flavor things it might be better nutritionally.

[SarahFoodforBC]

There is some evidence that black pepper can enhance the anti-cancer effects of turmeric. One study found that curcumin (found in turmeric) may decrease breast cancer risk by reducing breast stem cell self-renewal. In addition, it was demonstrated that piperine (found in black pepper) enhances breast stem cell sensitivity to curcumin. See:

Curcumin and piperine may prevent breast cancer by modulating stem cell fate

[TanyaRD]

I have not found any significant studies looking at tumeric, black pepper, garlic and cruciferous vegetables together. However, each individually are high in antioxidants and have studies demonstrating anti-cancer benefit. Using them in combination would likely provide benefit by boosting overall nutrient composition of the meal/dish.

[harrie]

I am thinking of taking tumeric. Any side effects I might want to be aware of? I read that it may possibly cause slow clotting or bleeding. I had that problem with the baby aspirin so now I take it every other day instead of daily. (problems with bruising) For that reason I want to take tumeric, but am a bit hesitant.

Elaine, you had mentioned milk thistle in an earlier post on this thread. I had read that milk thistle can mimic estrogen and therefore should be possibly avoided if the breast cancer tumor was hormone sensitive. Comments?

[TanyaRD]

Harrie,
There are a few things to be aware of with Tumeric. You are right that Tumeric acts as a mild blood thinner so if you happen to take Coumadin you should speak with your physician. Here is a great resource complete with studies.

http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/herb/turmeric

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Turmeric

Healthcare ProfessionalConsumer

Scientific Name
Common Name
Clinical Summary
Food Sources
Purported Uses
Constituents
Mechanism of Action
Pharmacokinetics
Warnings
Contraindications
Adverse Reactions
Herb-Drug Interactions
Herb Lab Interactions
Literature Summary and Critique
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Scientific Name
Curcuma longa, Curcuma domestica
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Common Name
Indian saffron, curcumin, jiang huang

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Clinical Summary
Turmeric is a plant that is native to South Asia but is cultivated in tropical areas around the world. The rhizome is used as a spice in regional cuisines, and as coloring agent in food and cosmetics for its yellow-orange color. It is also used in traditional medicine for circulation and digestion. The extract is marketed as a dietary supplement to improve memory, for arthritis, and for cancer prevention. The active constituents are turmerone oil and water-soluble curcuminoids, mainly curcumin which is the focus of most research. In vitro studies suggest that curcumin, the principal bioactive ingredient of turmeric, acts as a weak phytoestrogen (1), and exhibits neuroprotective (2), choleretic (3), anti-inflammatory (4), immunomodulatory (5), anti-proliferative (3), and chemopreventive effects (6) (7) (8). Curcumin, its analogs, and liposomal formulations have also produced chemosensitizing (9) (10) (11) and radiosensitizing effects (12) (13).

[evergreen]

I have a list of foods that I try to eat on a regular basis, including the cabbage family, as mentioned, bright veggies, berries, legumes, fish with omega 3, cooked tomatoes, garlic, turmeric, etc. On days where I do not have certain foods as part of meals, I do the following, e.g., 1/4 cup of cooked strained tomatoes, a spoonful turmeric, some pepper and a tsp of garlic, minced or strained. I mix it all together, and eat it like I would a cold soup. Tastes not bad, and makes me feel I am helping. I prefer getting the "good stuff" from foods, not supplements, with only several exceptions, eg Vit. D.

[pibikay]

Hema takes her turmeric in two different ways.The most used is to add turmeric powder to milk (a little effort is needed to get used to the taste) or seperated buttermilk/curd.She takes turmeric powder on alternate days with her seperated butter milk.
The other method is to pickle fresh turmeric in lime juice.We have some pickle also.
So far there has been no side effects.In our part of India turmeric is a household remedy for anti septic and burns.