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Turmeric has anti-inflammatory effects
Only the spice turmeric showed any anti-inflammatory
effects in a study of a variety of Ayurvedic and herbal preparations, according to data
presented at the 9th Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology Congress.
Turmeric is a common ingredient in curries. Its active
ingredient is curcumin, which is thought to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
properties.
In the study, Dr. Michael W. Whitehouse of the University
of Queensland and Princess Alexandra Hospital in Woolloongabba, Australia, purchased a
variety of herbal and Ayurvedic preparations from manufacturers, pharmacies and
health-food stores in Australia, New Zealand, Britain and the United States. The
preparations included celery (Apium graveolens), frankincense/olibanum (Boswellia
serrata), ginger and turmeric (Curcuma longa).
"All these products have been widely advocated as
'herbal' aspirins or anti-inflammatory agents, implying they are the herbal equivalent of
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antipyretics or analgesics," Whitehouse said.
An antipyretic is a drug used to bring down fever.
The researchers tested the herbal medicines in rats,
giving the animals oral doses.
"In actual fact, none of these products had any
anti-pyretic effects against yeast-induced fevers...and none of the 11 ginger or 4
olibanum preparations had any effect on the development of...(arthritis)," Whitehouse
said in a poster presentation here.
Five of 23 celery-based preparations induced a
significant anti-arthritic activity, which was equivalent to a 50 mg/kg body weight of
ibuprofen. "The activity of the celery seed appears to depend on careful processing
at low temperatures," he said.
And only tumeric showed anti-inflammatory effects when
tested on irritated paws of the rats.
"Until these products are subjected to rigorous
clinical trials, we must rely on this type of objective assessments in animal studies...to
help assess (a) validity of claims for therapeutic benefits, (b) likely quality among
competing products, (c) what constituents may be the 'active' agents, and even (d) side
effects," the researchers concluded. |
