How turmeric oil can help treat epilepsy seizures

OIL made from turmeric — the yellow spice used in curry — is being prescribed as a daily treatment for epilepsy in a clinical trial at New York University School of Medicine.

The 20 patients on the trial, which is due to begin this month, will keep diaries of their seizures over three months to see if the treatment reduces their frequency. This follows previous animal studies where the spice was shown to cut the number of seizures.

Turmeric’s main constituent, curcumin, reduces inflammatory compounds called cytokines, which are thought to play a key role in epilepsy.