Turmeric(Curcumin: India's 'Holy Powder' Finally Reveals Its Centuries-old Secre

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(Note: we previously have seen research on Curcumim and peripheral neuropathy in

Sept. 2007 - G)

Turmeric: India's 'Holy Powder' Finally Reveals Its Centuries-old Secret

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090420123051.htm

Scientists in Michigan are reporting discovery of the secret behind the fabled

healing power of the main ingredient in turmeric — a spice revered in India as

" holy powder. "

In the study, Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy and colleagues point out that turmeric has

been used for centuries in folk medicine to treat wounds, infections, and other

health problems. Although modern scientific research on the spice has burgeoned

in recent years, scientists until now did not know exactly how curcumin works

inside the body.

Using a high-tech instrument termed solid-state NMR spectroscopy, the scientists

discovered that molecules of curcumin act like a biochemical disciplinarian.

They insert themselves into cell membranes and make the membranes more stable

and orderly in a way that increases cells' resistance to infection by

disease-causing microbes.

Journal reference:

Barry et al. Determining the Effects of Lipophilic Drugs on Membrane Structure

by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy: The Case of the Antioxidant Curcumin. Journal

of the American Chemical Society, 2009; 131 (12): 4490 DOI: 10.1021/ja809217u