Introduction To Curcucmin
John Appleton
Curcumin first popped up on my radar when I was researching a safe non toxic alternative to non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs which have long been known to have potentially life threatening side effects such as gastric bleeding, and heart disease. The many deaths associated with Vioxx which resulted in its withdrawal from the market illustrate why we need to find safer options.
So what is curcumin? Most of us will be familiar with turmeric (but pronounced as tumeric), the yellow powder that gives curry its distinctive colour. Curcumin is the most active component in turmeric making up nearly 5% of the total spice. Turmeric (curcuma longa) is a tropical plant native to southern and southeastern tropical asia. It's a perennial herb belonging to the ginger family. It has a short stem (up to 1 metre) and tufted leaves. As with ginger it is the rhizomes that are used. India produces nearly all of the world's turmeric and it's been used for thousands of years as a food additive and a very important tool in Ayurvedic medicine. Hundreds of millions of Asian Indians consume turmeric daily.
As I delved more and more into the research on turmeric/curcumin I realized that the Curcumin story has to be told.
Much of the scientific data on my website has been kindly made available to me by Prof Bharat Aggarwal at the MD Anderson Cancer Centre - University of Texas Houston. Prof Aggarwal and colleagues are conducting ongoing research into this amazing non toxic substance and I would like to acknowledge their dedication and commitment. The research section of my website features many examples of Dr Aggarwal's work and other scientific papers that highlight the need to take a closer look at Curcumin. Should you have any questions please email or ring me
I trust you will find my website helpful,
John Appleton
