TUCSON, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Turmeric, the spice that gives yellow color to many curries, may help in the prevention of both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, says a U.S. study.
Turmeric has been used for centuries by practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine to treat inflammatory disorders, and the extract containing the ingredient curcumin is marketed widely as a dietary supplement for the treatment and prevention of a variety of disorders, including arthritis.
Janet L. Funk of the University of Arizona College of Medicine and Barbara N. Timmermann of the Arizona Center for Phytomedicine Research at the University of Arizona set out to determine whether (and how) turmeric works as an anti-arthritic.
Funk and her colleagues tested in animal models a whole extract of turmeric root, only the essential oils, and an oil-depleted extract containing the three major curcuminoids found in the rhizome. Of the three extracts, the one containing the major curcuminoids was most similar in chemical composition to commercially available turmeric dietary supplements. It also was the most effective, completely inhibiting the onset of rheumatoid arthritis, according to the study published Monday in the online issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism.
