--- In [email protected], Rick Archer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Maybe this applies to all cancers? >
Ayurveda definitely thinks it does: Q: You discuss the spice turmeric in the book at some length. Dr. Sharma: Turmeric is the queen of spices. It is ayurveda's top candidate for the world's best anti-cancer herb. Scientific studies have shown that turmeric protects the DNA of the cells, stimulates detoxifying enzymes, has anti-inflammatory properties, increases the anti-cancer properties of other phyto-chemicals (plant chemicals), and has a host of other beneficial properties. We discuss how to use this spice to achieve the maximum benefit in both cooking and everyday use. A recipe for 'Immunity Mix,' a potent combination of turmeric and other readily available spices, is also included in the book. http://www.mapi.com/en/newsletters/cancer_prevention.html and Westerners seem to think its likely too: http://www.turmeric-curcumin.com/ > Curry Spice Shuts Down Melanoma > By Kathleen Doheny > HealthDay Reporter > > > MONDAY, July 11 (HealthDay News) -- Curcumin, the ingredient that gives > curry its yellow hue, blocked the growth of melanoma tumor cells and even > stimulated their death in the laboratory, researchers report. > > "We could completely inhibit the growth of the tumor if we used a big enough > dose," said study co-author Bharat B. Aggarwal, chief of the Cytokine > Research Section in the Department of Experimental Therapeutics at the > University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. His report is > set to appear in the Aug. 15 issue of Cancer. > > Aggarwal and his colleagues exposed three different cell lines of melanoma > to curcumin, which is found in turmeric, a spice used in curry dishes. > Exposure to curcumin decreased the cell viability of all three cell lines, > they found. > > They zeroed in on a molecule called NF-kappa B, which is known to be > overactive in several types of tumors, including melanoma. The turmeric shut > down the molecule and that lead to inhibition of the tumor growth, Aggarwal > explained. > > In other preliminary research, including some by Aggarwal's team, turmeric > has proven useful in treating multiple myeloma, as well as breast and > pancreatic cancers. > > The new findings were praised by Costas Koumenis, an associate professor of > radiation oncology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. "I think > it's an interesting and provocative study," he said. "It shows some new > insight into how turmeric is working to inhibit the growth of melanoma > cells." > > Koumenis is studying whether curcumin can be used to enhance radiation > therapy in deadly brain tumors called gliomas and other tumors in animals. > > The Texas researchers also pinpointed exactly how the spice ingredient works > to kill tumor cells, he said. "It gives us a better understanding of the > mechanism of how it works to inhibit melanoma growth." > > But he cautioned that the study was done in the lab, and the spice must be > tested on animals, and eventually people, before it is proven to be > effective. > > For the past 20 years, Koumenis said, turmeric has been studied, mostly as > an agent to prevent cancer. For instance, some researchers have found an > association between diets rich in curcumin and reduced rates of colon > cancer. But more recently, the focus has shifted to study the spice as a > cancer treatment. > > More information > > To learn more about melanoma, visit the American Cancer Society > <http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_2_1X_What_is_melanoma _skin_ > cancer_50.asp?sitearea=CRI> . To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
