Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; Tumeric / Curcumin

It is said that this root has antiinflammatory effects, and it seems some here are using it as a supplement. But at the same time it is very starchy. It turns black when I test it, and you can read it on these pages too.

Could anyone explain? Do you first feed the Klebsiella/bad bacterias, and then something reduces the effect of these fed bacterias?

I use a Turmeric/curcumen supplement by Terry Naturally called CuraMed. It is equivalent of 7,500 mg of curcumen 95%. It did not test positive for starch when I tested it.

I take GNC's- no starch.

Yup all spices are starchy. My hubby Jon can't tolerate them in cooking except in very small doses - half a teaspoon here and there occasionally. Some others are not so sensitive to starch and manage to consume spices more regularly.

I think to get any benefit you would need to take a concentrated supplement form rather than a small amount in cooking. I'm not sure if they would be effective for AS as the research done of them so far has been for rheumatoid arthritis. I don't think I've read here on KA of anyone noticing an improvement while taking them. Someone please jump in and say if you definitely have! As I don't won't to put people off something if it really does help.

Jon and I went through a stage in the first year of the diet of trying all kinds of supplements in the hope of finding a magic pill that would do something for his AS quicker than the diet. We spent a lot of money and in the end the conclusion was always one of these: the supplement either had no effect or it would cause a flare. So in the end we ditched all the pill popping and just stuck with the diet and waited for it to take effect on it's own.

Today Jon only takes a B vitamin complex.

All the best

Eight months ago I began taking the circumen supplement I mentioned above, and did notice benefit. A little less discomfort. I've stuck with it.

Benefits aren't limited to anti-inflammatory effects. This is from Dr. Mercola's most recent newsletter...

Curcumin: The pigment that gives spicy turmeric its yellow-orange color, curcumin may help inhibit the accumulation of destructive beta amyloids in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, as well as break up existing plaques.

Researchers determined:


Curcumin is more effective in inhibiting the formation of the protein fragments than many other potential Alzheimer's treatments
The low molecular weight and polar structure of curcumin allows it to penetrate the blood-brain barrier effectively and bind to beta amyloid
Alzheimer's symptoms caused by inflammation and oxidation are eased by curcumin's powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
Interestingly, it appears that curcumin may be even more effective when used with vitamin D. This can also be used preventively.

My doctor recommended curcumin to me before I learned about NSD, and I tried it for probably a month without any noticeable affect. Same with ginger, whether large amounts of the natural form or concentrated in supplements. Reading about their anti-inflammatory effects, it doesn't sound like they address the primary inflammation mechanism in AS which involves TNF-alpha (hence the focus on TNF blockers for high-power AS meds).

If you're looking for anti-inflammatory supplements likely to work with AS, give boswellia a try. It has been shown to have an effect on TNF-alpha, which is probably why I noticed some benefit. It was not quick or huge relief, but rather mild improvement within a couple weeks of starting. I still take boswellia, having dropped NSAIDs in favor of diet (got concerned about long-term NSAID usage after even "small" doses started causing heartburn).

I thought I read that Cat's Claw (certain concentrations) has anti TNF effect as well. I have both suppliments and have not tried them yet.

SJLC, how much boswellia do you take?