Hi Brenda, Rhonda, Jean, Sherry, Kay, Sarah,
I found some relevant info on turmeric, thank you for inspiring me to do this research!
Here I quote:
Curcumin, the main ingredient of turmeric and the compound that gives curry its mustard-yellow color, inhibits metastasis to the lungs of mice with breast cancer, report researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
From:
http://www.mdanderson.org/department...fb00508b603a14
HOW MUCH?
Super Curcumin dosage: Healthy people typically take 900 mg of curcumin each day. Cancer patients often take as much as four 900-mg capsules 3 times a day for a 6- to 12-month period, reducing the dosage thereafter. Individuals with biliary tract obstruction should avoid curcumin because it enhances biliary flow from the liver. High doses of curcumin should not be taken on an empty stomach to protect against gastric irritation.
Note: The question ultimately arises as to whether curcumin is appropriate during chemotherapy. A recent study from the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) showed that curcumin reduced the effectiveness of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients by inhibiting reactive oxygen species (Somasundaram et al. 2002). Please refer to the protocols Cancer: Should Patients Take Dietary Supplements? and Cancer Chemotherapy to read more about this study and the advisability of taking curcumin during conventional treatment.
From:
http://www.altered-states.net/barry/cancer/curcumin.htm
Now I may try to figure out which chemos does the curcumin interfere with?
Curcumin, the major component of the spice turmeric, is used as a coloring and flavoring additive in many foods and has attracted interest because of its anti-inflammatory and chemopreventive activities. However, this agent also inhibits the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway, and because many chemotherapeutic drugs generate ROS and activate JNK in the course of inducing apoptosis, we considered the possibility that curcumin might antagonize their antitumor efficacy.
From:
cancerres.aacrjournals.org/ cgi/content/abstract/62/13/3868?ck=nck -
Of course please check with your doctor!
Brenda, for us the question is does it interfere with the effectiveness of Tykerb Xeloda?
Love hope peace
Odette