CURCUMIN: TRANSFORMING THE SPICE TO A WONDER DRUG

Turmeric is a spice obtained from the dried rhizomes of Curcuma longa, family Zingiberaceae. It has been extensively used in traditional Indian (Ayurveda) and Chinese medicine for various ailments such as anti-inflammatory, blood purifier and even as a cosmetic. Curcumin, the chief constituent in turmeric has been isolated centuries ago, has been found to have a wide range of pharmacological actions such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial and much more. Thus curcumin and its analogues have immense therapeutic potential for use in rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, HIV-I and Alzheimer's disease. Phase I clinical studies have shown that high doses of curcumin is well tolerated in man. Despite its safety, curcumin still evades clinical use due to poor bioavailability. Novel formulations of curcumin with piperine, soluble fibres of fenugreek, liposomes, micelles, nanoparticles, cyclodextrin and turmerone have shown enhanced bioavailability to some extent, each one having its own limitations. Recent formulation of curcuminoid with 45% turmerone seems to be promising. Further research in this direction is imperative to realize the clinical use of this promising molecule.