Turmeric compound - nat. COX2 inhibitor

[StephN]

Hi -
In answer to the post about the Newsweek article...

I just found a new compound softgel capsules of 400 mg of Turmeric - called on the box as "The world's most important herb." (!!!)

Name: Turmeric Force
Maker: New Chapter
Grown in biodynamic farm in Costa Rica (organic)
Other ingredients: olive oil, extra virgin, maltodextrin, silica & yellow beeswax
Capsule: Gelatin, vegetable glycerine, purified water & carob (capsules are prepared without any chemical solvents and are prion free - [whatever that is])

Suggested use: one softgel daily in the middle of a larger meal with an 8oz glass of water

They discuss the extraction method as one that preserves the supercritical extract, etc, etc.

Can't recall how much - but think under $20 or so for 30 capsules at my local natural whole food store.

You can find more on this at www.newchapter.info
New Chapter, Inc, Brattleboro, Vt 05301

[AlaskaAngel]

Thanks, Steph! I have been trying to add turmeric to my diet and get used to it... in the meantime I appreciate the option a more convenient form...!!! Especially a natural one.

A.A.

[Lolly]

More on tumeric, excerpted from the article I posted in Articles of Interest, titled "Cancer/Chemotherapy/Supplements; http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcls-txt/t-prtcl-024.html

"...Curcumin, an extract of the spice turmeric, is synergistic with genistein and inhibits angiogenic growth signals emitted by tumor cells. Curcumin acts via a different mechanism than genistein to inhibit the EGF receptor but is up to 90% effective in a dose-dependent manner. It is important to note that while curcumin has been shown to be up to 90% effective in inhibiting the expression of the EGF receptor on cancer cell membranes, this does not mean that it will be effective in 90% of cancer patients or reduce tumor volume by 90%. Because two-thirds of all cancers, however, over-express the EGR receptor and such overexpression frequently fuels the metastatic spread of cancer throughout the body, the suppression of this receptor is desirable.

Curcumin has a number of other antiangiogenic properties that appear to be synergistic with metronomic dosing chemotherapy. These potential synergistic and/or additive mechanisms include:

Inhibition of the induction of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). bFGF is both a potent mitogen (growth signal) for many cancers and an important signaling factor in angiogenesis (Arbiser et al. 1998).
Inhibition of the induction of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), overexpression is involved in hepatocellular (liver cell-related) carcinoma (Seol et al. 2000).
Inhibition of the expression of COX-2, the enzyme involved in the production of PGE-2, a tumor-promoting prostaglandin (Zhang et al. 1999).
Inhibition of a transcription factor in cancer cells known as nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-KB). Many cancers overexpress NF-KB and use this as a growth vehicle to escape regulatory control (Plummer et al. 1999).
Increased expression of nuclear p53 protein in human basal cell carcinomas, hepatomas, and leukemia cell lines, which increases apoptosis (Jee et al. 1998)...."

[Kaye301]

Question re. Turmeric
Turmeric can be purchased as a spice in large quantities at stores that sell foods from India. I wonder if it is as effective in this way as it would be if one purchased it in capsule/gel form? Does anyone know?