Liver damage and disease is a more common condition than most people realize and there are many risk factors for it, including alcohol abuse, contracting the hepatitis virus, even long-term use of certain over-the-counter or prescription medications like acetaminophen or statin drugs. And it is also a condition that can prove difficult to treat. That’s why if you or someone you know has liver problems, read on to find out more about how turmeric can help.
New Research Gives Hope
A new study recently published in the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal has piqued the interest of those both clinicians and patients, as it demonstrates the therapeutic properties that turmeric can have for those suffering from liver disease. This research is coming from the Clinical Trial Center at the Chonbuk University Hospital, a top teaching hospital in South Korea. The clinical researchers there wanted to test the effects of turmeric on those with mildly to moderately elevated liver enzymes, a marker for hepatic disease or damage.
In this study, the sixty participants were selected to receive either 3g of fermented turmeric in capsule form or a placebo; this was given at the frequency of two tablets, three times a day after meals and the study lasted for a course of 12 weeks.
At the end of the 12 weeks, it was shown that the participants who had received the turmeric treatment has decreased liver enzyme levels and that this continued to be the case for as long as they were compliant with the turmeric treatment; the patients who received this reported no side effects and the turmeric capsules were well-tolerated.
What is even more exciting is that this study is part of a growing body of medical evidence which supports the therapeutic effects of turmeric on the liver specifically, offering hope to those who suffer from liver disease or damage.
Turmeric and Liver Cancer
That is even more exciting is that, to date, there have been some 26 separate studies from various institutions across the world that show that turmeric cannot just help with liver damage and dysfunction – it can help with liver cancer as well. What has clinicians so excited is that there is such a high margin of safety with turmeric treatment. In one study, cancer patients received up to 8g of turmeric in capsule form daily; the patients showed no ill effect and test showed marked improvement in their disease process. Patients are now even using turmeric therapeutically as an alternative to chemotherapy.
So, if you or someone you know is suffering from liver damage or disease, talk to your naturopath or other herbalist or practitioner to see if treatment involving turmeric would be right for you and your condition. There is certainly a large (and growing) body of evidence to suggest that this pungent Indian spice can actively help heal a compromised liver and bring down the enzymes that indicate liver disease.
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