Turmeric, the Natural Gastro-Protective Functional Food

By Kyle J. Norton

Scientists may have found kitchen spice which processes a gastroprotective bioactive ingredient for the prevention of gastrointestinal disorders with no side effects, according to studies.

Gastroprotection is a process which contributes to the protection of the GI tract against damage and injury.

Gastrointestinal disorders are a class of conditions associated with the gastrointestinal tract, including injury and damage.

Functional gastrointestinal (GI) and motility disorders characterized by persistent and recurring GI symptoms are the most common GI disorders in the general population in the Western world

In order words, any damage, injury that cause improper functioning of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and rectum, and the accessory organs of digestion, the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas are considered gastrointestinal disorders.

According to the statistics provided by the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, GI disorders affect between  60 -70 million people in the US in 2010. Over 48.3 million (2010) who use ambulatory care are associated with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.

Out of many diseases associated with GI disorders, chronic constipation is one of the most prevalent conditions that affect 63 million Americans in 2000.

Most common symptoms of GI disorders included upset stomach, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea or constipation accompanied by specific symptoms depending on the infected area.

The causes of GI disorders are multiple. Bacterial and viral infection, inflammation, lactase deficiency, conditions associated with GI damage such as ruptured or perforated organs, GI muscle dysfunction, and long-term use of anti-inflammatory drugs are some prevalent risk found in patients with GI disorders.

Turmeric is a perennial plant in the genus Curcuma, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, native to tropical South Asia.

The herb has been used in traditional medicine as anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, colorant, antiseptic, wound healing agent, and for the treatment of flatulence, bloating, and appetite loss, ulcers, eczema, inflammations, etc.

On finding a natural compound with gastroprotective activity, researchers investigated the gastroprotective activity of C. purpurascens rhizome hexane extract (CPRHE) against ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in an animal model.

The study included 36 rats (18 males and 18 females) induced acute toxicity treated with a low dose of CPRHE (1 g/kg), high dose of CPRHE (2 g/kg) and vehicle (5% Tween 20). 

CPRHE acute toxicity test on rats did not reveal any signs of mortality and toxicity up to 2 g/kg. However, at doses of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg, CPRHE exerted similar protective effects as of those of omeprazole (positive control) at a dose of 20 mg/kg to rats in remarkable attenuation of gastric lesions induced by ethanol.

Furthermore, pre-treatment of rats with CPRHE significantly protected the gastro integrity by replenishing the depletion of mucus content caused by ethanol administration and decreasing the acidity of gastric walls. 

Injection of CPRHE also improved the antioxidant profiles and reduced malondialdehyde level in gastric mucosa compared to the lesion control group.

According to the Immunohistochemical staining assays, CPRHE inhibited the production of proteins associated with the production of inflammatory cytokines during stress.

Based on the findings, researchers wrote, " these findings confirmed the gastroprotective effect of Curcuma purpurascens rhizome against gastric damage".

In order to reveal more information of turmeric effect on the digestive system, researchers investigated the herbal gastroprotective effect in the rat's induced gastric ulcer by ethanol. 

The study included normal and ulcer control received carboxymethycellulose (5 mL/kg) orally, positive control administered with 20 mg/kg omeprazole (reference drug) and 2 groups received 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg of the leaf extract, respectively.

Oral administration of curcumin extract showed significant gastric protection effect observed by the decrease of ulcer areas remarkably.

Histology observation showed less edema and leucocytes infiltration as compared with the ulcer control which exhibited severe gastric mucosa injury.

Furthermore, the leaf extract also enhanced the production of antioxidant enzymes accompanied by t.he proinflammatory cytokines induced by overexpression of free radicals.

The marker of oxidative stress malondialdehyde was also reduced significantly by the extract.

Dr. the lead scientist wrote in the final report, "Results showed leaf extract of Curcuma xanthorrhiza can enhance the gastric protection and sustained the integrity of gastric mucosa structure. Acute toxicity test did not show any sign of toxicity (2 g/kg and 5 g/kg)".

Taken altogether, turmeric may be considered a gastroprotective supplement for the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with the digestive system, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of turmeric in form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Evaluation of acute toxicity and gastroprotective activity of curcumapurpurascens BI. rhizome against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in rats by Rouhollahi E1, Moghadamtousi SZ, Hamdi OA, Fadaeinasab M, Hajrezaie M, Awang K, Looi CY, Abdulla MA, Mohamed Z. (PubMed)
(2) Gastroprotective effect of ethanolic extract of Curcuma xanthorrhiza leaf against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal lesions in Sprague-Dawley rats by Rahim NA1, Hassandarvish P2, Golbabapour S3, Ismail S4, Tayyab S4, Abdulla MA. (PubMed)