The Many Benefits of Curcumin and How It Helps Depression

By Brandon Kamins  |   Submitted On October 29, 2014

It might surprise you to learn that Western medicine is far more dependent on alternative medicine than vice versa. Though it is often dismissed by doctors and scientists as a pseudoscience, herbology (herbal medicine) has made countless contributions to conventional medicine. Aspirin, quinine, and throat lozenges are just a few of the mainstream medications that were derived from plants. In fact, about 40 percent of all prescription medicines come from plant extracts or plant compounds!

The case for these so-called folk remedies has grown increasingly strong, as many have been subjected to rigorous scientific testing in recent years. Plants that have been used in traditional Chinese and Indian medicines for centuries are now available to Western users. Many of these medicinals are familiar to us; even if we knew them by another name. Hailed by some as an herbal wonder drug, curcumin is the principal chemical compound of the popular South Asian spice turmeric.

The Science

One of the key ingredients in many Asian dishes, turmeric is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows wild in the forests of South and Southeast Asia. The most important chemical components of the plant, curcuminoids are natural phenols that are responsible for the distinct yellow color of the spice. According to biochemists, curcumin is the principal curcuminoid in turmeric, as it constitutes about 3.14 percent of turmeric in powdered form. Previously used as an indicator for boron, many now believe that curcumin has numerous medicinal properties.

Why People Take Curcumin

The reason curcumin is the most studied compound of turmeric is that research has identified it as the agent responsible for almost all of the biological activity of the plant. As a medicinal, the plant was has been used in traditional Hindu medicine for thousands of years to treat minor injuries such as ankle sprains. This makes perfect sense, since testing has revealed that curcumin has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. As a result, the dietary supplement has become popular with patients that suffer from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other chronic conditions that cause painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints.

Curcumin and/or turmeric extracts have also been used to treat more serious diseases like cancer. Although more testing is needed, one laboratory test found that curcumin appears to inhibit the growth of certain kinds of tumors. In that case, the patient was suffering from colorectal cancer that wasn't helped by conventional treatments. But after taking curcumin supplements, growth of the tumor appeared to stabilize.

There is also some evidence that curcumin or turmeric may help alleviate the symptoms of certain skin diseases, viral infections, diabetes, colitis, stomach ulcers, and high cholesterol. Once again, the ancient herbal remedy is being celebrated as a modern wonder drug. But perhaps the most promising results have been seen in the use of curcumin to treat depression.

The Antidepressant Industry

Many critics charge Big Pharma with selling sickness, and judging by the numbers, they might be onto something. With an annual haul of nearly 10 billion dollars on antidepressants alone, the treatment of this increasingly common disease has become a goldmine for pharmaceutical companies everywhere. In the meantime, the doctors that dispense these powerful medications are getting writer's cramps dashing off 270 million prescriptions each year! But that is not the most alarming number Big Pharma doesn't want you to know. That figure would 3,888, which is the number of people who died from drug overdoses involving antidepressants in 2010. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the problem is only getting worse as more and more patients use these potentially deadly prescription drugs.

Curcumin vs. Prozac

If there's one thing Big Pharma fears more than anything else it's competition from the outside. Because herbal medicines have far fewer and less serious side effects than prescription pills, they would be the logical choice - if only they worked as well. Well, there is now irrefutable, ironclad scientific evidence that an herbal remedy is every bit as effective at treating depression as one of the most popular prescription antidepressants.

When researchers with the Department of Pharmacology of Government Medical College in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India conducted a controlled clinical study comparing the effects of curcumin and Prozac, they didn't expect to make national, even global news. Although the popular herbal remedy is widely used in India, curcumin had never been subjected to rigorous scientific testing for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). The most serious and chronic form of the disease, major or clinical depression affects about 3 percent of population at any given time. The idea that a chemical compound from a popular native spice could compete with Prozac seemed far- fetched to those conducting the study. But after 60 patients diagnosed with MDD were randomly administered curcumin, fluoxetine (Prozac), and a combination of the two, the results spoke for themselves.

With the help of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, 17-item version (HAM-D17), researchers determined that curcumin was just as effective as Prozac at treating serious depression. Because the study utilized the latest research tools and followed strict testing guidelines, it became the first published report that indicated the efficacy of turmeric or curcumin in the treatment of depression. What the report did not take into account, however, were the serious side effects those who take Prozac endure; the most serious of which include anxiety, seizures, racing heartbeat, trouble sleeping, and suicidal ideation.

How Curcumin Treats Depression

Shortly after the results of the aforementioned study made news, researchers started looking for answers. It was not enough for Western scientists to know that curcumin is effective in the treatment depression, they also had to know how. As you might imagine, the how has proved more challenging than the if. This is not at all surprising, since curcumin has diverse biological properties that are difficult to study separately. So, while the mechanism of action is poorly understood, the effects of curcumin intake are well documented, particularly with regard to neurotransmitters.

As their name implies, neurotransmitters send messages to the billions of neurons in the human brain. Some of these neurotransmitters are responsible for regulating brain functions such as mood, memory, appetite, and sleep. Known as "feel-good" neurotransmitters because they help maintain mood balance, dopamine and serotonin play a role in depression. How do we know? For starters, studies have confirmed that people who suffer from clinical depression have consistently low levels of both neurotransmitters.

Once again, we aren't sure how curcumin extract works its magic, but testing has shown that those who take it have higher serotonin and dopamine levels. That fact alone might account for the improved mood those that take the dietary supplement have consistently reported. Although researchers will undoubtedly get to the bottom of this ancient mystery, it enough for most patients to know that curcumin is a safe and effective treatment option.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8787320