NATURE'S WONDER DRUG
Promising research on turmeric, a spice known for its medicinal properties, shows its extract can reduce inflammation and blood sugar
Turmeric, or khamin chan in Thai, is an old spice that has been used as an ingredient in Thai dishes for ages. Its root is crushed and powdered and has long been regarded as a dietary supplement — a go-to for stomach and bowel problems.
Researchers from the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) have now brought khamin chan to the next level, making the best use of the herb by extracting curcuminoids — active compounds in the roots — and turning them into medicine. The GPO claims it is Thailand’s first, and so far only, medicine listed as being derived from herbal extracts. The GPO’s khamin chan extract capsules recently won the 2018 Prime Minister Herbal Awards (PMHA) organised by the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine under the Ministry of Public Health.
According to several research papers, curcuminoids are the yellow-orange active agent that contains medicinal compounds like curcumin, desmethoxycurcumin and bisdesmethoxy-curcumin — known for their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cholesterol and anti-cancer properties.
Put aside the aforesaid medicinal features, research published in 2009 by the US National Library of Medicine on the medicinal benefits of turmeric extracts carried out by Assoc Prof Dr Vilai Kuptniratsaikul confirms the compounds are effective in treating patients suffering knee osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease).
“Khamin chan can be used as a substitute for conventional anti-inflammatory drugs in alleviating the inflammation and pain caused by osteoarthritis,” said Dr Vilai, chief of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine under Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine, in last week’s public seminar titled “The Miracle Of Khamin Chan”.
Knee osteoarthritis, Dr Vilai said, is commonly found in the elderly. In Thailand, statistics show that around 35% of people above 60 are diagnosed with the degenerative joint disease. As people age, the cartilage — a rubber-like elastic tissue that covers and protects the ends of long bones — degenerates if left unattended, resulting in bone and cartilage fragments and eroded cartilage. Patients with the said conditions will develop joint pain, swollen joints, inflammation or have difficulty walking, especially up and down the stairs.
So the treatment goal for patients suffering knee osteoarthritis is to alleviate inflammation, which would in turn reduce pain. While treatment can range from a non-medication mode like physiotherapy and weight loss to drugs and knee replacement surgery, it is known among patients that conventional anti-inflammatory medicines usually come with unwanted side effects, especially stomach ulcers and discomfort.
At this point, there was a quest to find a substitute to conventional medicine for osteoarthritis. Research conducted in Thailand since 2005 on the efficacy and safety of khamin chan extract on two groups of knee osteoarthritis patients showed a reduction in pain. These patients were randomly prescribed either 2,000mg of turmeric extract per day or 800mg of a conventional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and were followed up for six weeks.
“The result was that both groups of patients had less pain,” Dr Vilai said of the research findings. Another study was conducted following criticism from medical specialists on the dosage of both khamin chan extracts and conventional medication. In this study, collaboratively carried out by researchers from eight hospitals and medical schools, the dosage of khamin chan and conventional drugs was adjusted to 1,500mg per day and 1,200mg per day respectively.
“Pain and stiffness got better in both groups. But the point worth noting here is that stomach pain, stomach discomfort and bloating was significantly less in the group that took khamin chan extracts,” said Dr Vilai.
Besides its medicinal properties for knee osteoarthritis, khamin chan also has been studied and proven effective among pre-diabetic and diabetic patients.
Seeing diabetes as a worrying issue in Thailand where one in 11 people is reported to be a sufferer, Assoc Prof Dr Somluck Chuengsamarn of the Faculty of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University developed her interest in studying curcuminoids and their medicinal benefits.
“We divided around 240 pre-diabetic Thais into two groups, giving them curcumin and a placebo and following them up for nine months. The result was that curcumin was proven able to effectively reduce fasting blood sugar,” she said, adding that people on curcumin were found to do better in the oral glucose tolerance test — a method to measure how well the body is able to process glucose. Side effects were minuscule.
For diabetic patients, according to another research finding, curcumin was proven effective in lowering the risk of developing coronary and artery conditions. It also helped reduce total body fat and visceral fat (a type of body fat stored within the abdominal cavity).
“So it can be concluded that people at risk of developing diabetes can definitely benefit from curcumin. Those who are already diagnosed as suffering the disease can opt for complementary approach where khamin chan [extracts] and conventional medication are combined.”