Curcumin! Spicy panacea for all—Friend or foe

Abstract

Turmeric, an “Indian gold” from Curcuma longa is a household spice in India. The essential component of the turmeric is curcumin and curcuminoids. This spice has managed to leave the household spice bottles and found its place in reputed herbal and medical outlets in beautifully packed bottles. Various pharmaceutical companies have invested in marketing curcumin as compressed tablets, capsules and powder. Various scientific research and clinical trials suggested its use in disorders ranging from Alzheimer's to cancer [1], [2]. Curcumin became panacea for all diseases. Experimental studies using various cell lines and animal models suggested the role of curcumin in possessing anti-inflammatory [3], anti-bacterial [4] and anti-cancer [5] activities. Curcumin have also been shown to lower the cholesterol by increasing the LDL-R [6]. One human clinical trial in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infected patients suggested its role in bringing down the dyspepsia caused by H. pylori. However, curcumin did not clear or decrease the H. pylori burden [7]. The way curcumin signals and modulate the immune functions of various cell types gives an impetus to think that “Can curcumin be given blindly as therapy”? The reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROI and RNI) have been always targeted as “evil molecules”, forgetting that the same phagocyte oxidants, in fact are the first line of defense against plethora of intracellular pathogens.