# Turmeric as a cancer cure? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 26, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939 "2012-10-26T14:59:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/1 "2012-10-26T14:59:38Z")
Seen on a friend’s fb page: "While cancer drugs have repeatedly been found to make tumors worse and kill the patient more quickly… "A multitude of studies have shown that turmeric reduces tumor size by a whopping 81% on average. "Why do we run from the ANSWER? “[naturalsociety.com](http://naturalsociety.com)” OK, is there anything to this? At all? Don’t need answer fast. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/2 "2012-10-26T15:04:54Z")
Total bullshit. Otherwise, mustard would be a cancer preventative. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/3 "2012-10-26T15:09:59Z")
I’m wondering about this multitude of studies. But yeah, you’d think that cancer ward cabinets would look like delicatessens. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/4 "2012-10-26T15:15:06Z")
Here are some of [its benefits.](http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/12266/1/Benefits-of-Turmeric.html) For now, I’d consider them “herbal.” I like turmeric and add it to my ramen, etc. I think you need more massive doses than you get from just eating curry once in awhile, so I wouldn’t expect mustard to do anything. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/5 "2012-10-26T15:20:30Z")
The Wikipedia page says there has been some [“preliminary medical research”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmeric#Preliminary_medical_research) in to therapeutic uses of turmeric, including as a prophylaxis against cancer; [the NIH is paying attention.](http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=curcumin) However, I am very doubtful that turmeric reduces tumor size by 81% on average for people who already have cancer. If that were true, it would be a standard cancer treatment by now. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/6 "2012-10-26T16:04:36Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Total bullshit. Otherwise, mustard would be a cancer preventative. Well, I’ve heard that barring abstinence, condiments are your best protection against venereal diseases, so it may help with cancer too. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/7 "2012-10-26T18:11:51Z")
From what I’ve seen, the “multitude of studies” boil down to observations that turmeric/extracts can kill or inhibit cancer cells in tissue culture. This is an interesting finding worth further study, and it certainly wouldn’t stop me from using this spice in foods. But it should be pointed out that lots and lots of things show anti-cancer activity in test tube settings but don’t translate well to complex systems like the human body where many factors influence anti-tumor effects and toxicity. You get a good idea of the website’s veracity when it makes statements like “While cancer drugs have repeatedly been found to make tumors worse and kill the patient more quickly…”. What poisonous garbage. It’s not as if researchers and drug companies are averse to using “natural” compounds to treat cancer (some chemotherapy drugs including taxol and vincristine are derived from plants). This doesn’t stop the woo worshippers from claiming that “natural” substances don’t get investigated or marketed because “they can’t be patented”. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/8 "2012-10-26T18:39:10Z")
With the gazillions of dollars that have been devoted to studying cancer, don’t you think that someone would have tripped over the fact that they have the cure right there in their spice rack? How can people be so gullible? (And by the way, did you realize that the word, _gullible_, is not even in the dictionary?!) ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/9 "2012-10-26T18:55:31Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > However, I am very doubtful that turmeric reduces tumor size by 81% on average for people who already have cancer. If that were true, it would be a standard cancer treatment by now. I’m guessing osmosis, pour enough dry turmeric on a tumor and it will reduce in size 81%, like making salt pork or jerky. ---
**Author:** ![Snerky\_Snerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Snerky\_Snerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snerky_Snerk)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/10 "2012-10-26T19:07:29Z")
I’ve had minor skin cancers treated with turmeric paste applied directly to them. This was as part of a study being conducted by a local doctor. All 4 growths shrank and peeled off after about 5 days. None have come back after 2 years. I don’t know what the final results of the study were, I just know it worked on me. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/11 "2012-10-26T19:14:53Z")
There is a fair amount of evidence that certain chemicals found in turmeric can effectively kill cancer cells. Most of the research has been performed in tissue culture, although some has been done in vivo (mostly animal models, but a few human studies). A pubmed search for “turmeric” and “cancer” comes up with almost 700 papers on the topic. All of the work I’ve come across looks at extracts or purified chemical, not the spice itself. The concentration of the active ingredient in the spice would almost certainly be too low to have an effect. Short answer: Based on more than a grain of truth, but bullshit on the claim in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/12 "2012-10-26T19:17:33Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > "While cancer drugs have repeatedly been found to make tumors worse and kill the patient more quickly… Weird how doctors keep using them! This is bullshit. Treatment of cancer is complex, and yes, some cancer drugs and radiation therapy can also increase the risk of other cancers later on. Some cancer drugs have also been found later to increase tumor growth in some people. Still, if they didn’t work at all and killed people faster, people wouldn’t use them. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/13 "2012-10-26T19:36:23Z")
> [@Snerky\_Snerk](#): > > I’ve had minor skin cancers treated with turmeric paste applied directly to them. This was as part of a study being conducted by a local doctor. All 4 growths shrank and peeled off after about 5 days. None have come back after 2 years. > > I don’t know what the final results of the study were, I just know it worked on me. That’s interesting. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/14 "2012-10-26T20:15:09Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > There is a fair amount of evidence that certain chemicals found in turmeric can effectively kill cancer cells. … > … Short answer: Based on more than a grain of truth, but bullshit on the claim in the OP. Exactly right. Curcurmin is the component most actively studied and shows a fair amount of promise as an adjunct to chemotherapy and as a cancer preventative. It is also being actively studied for it anti inflammatory properties and as a preventative against Alzheimer’s. [Here’s](http://www.cancer.ucla.edu//Index.aspx?page=644&recordid=507) one small example of the cancer usage being explored: > [@](#): > > In this study, 21 patients with head and neck cancers gave samples of their saliva before and after chewing two curcumin tablets totaling 1,000 milligrams. One hour later, another sample of saliva was taken and proteins were extracted and IKKβ kinase activity measured. Thirteen subjects with tooth decay and five healthy subjects were used as controls, Wang said. > > Eating the curcumin, Wang said, put it in contact not just with the cancer but also with the saliva, and the study found it reduced the level of cancer enhancing cytokines. An independent lab in Maryland was sent blind samples and confirmed the results—the pro-inflammatory cytokines in the saliva that help feed the cancer were reduced in the patients that had chewed the curcumin and the cell signaling pathway driving cancer growth was inhibited, Wang said. > > “The curcumin had a significant inhibitory effect, blocking two different drivers of head and neck cancer growth,” Wang said. “We believe curcumin could be combined with other treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation to treat head and neck cancer. It also could perhaps be given to patients at high risk for developing head and neck cancers—smokers, those who chew tobacco and people with the HPV virus—as well as to patients with previous oral cancers to fight recurrence.” > > The curcumin was well tolerated by the patients and resulted in no toxic effects. The biggest problem was their mouths and teeth turned bright yellow. … > > …To be effective in fighting cancer, the curcumin must be used in supplement form. Although turmeric is used in cooking, the amount of curcumin needed to produce a clinical response is much larger. Expecting a positive effect through eating foods spiced with turmeric is not realistic, Wang said. … “There’s potential here for the development of curcumin as an adjuvant treatment for cancer,” Wang said. “It’s not toxic, well tolerated, cheap and easily obtained in any health food store. While this is a promising pilot study, it’s important to expand our work to more patients to confirm our findings.” And many many studies showing that a diet high in curcurmin may reduce cancer risks. A [review of its utility in preventing Alzheimer’s](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1755-5949.2010.00147.x/full). So far good epidemiologic evidence and some good animal model evidence but the human studies using in those with early Alzheimers are so far unexciting. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/15 "2012-10-26T20:45:12Z")
> [@Snerky\_Snerk](#): > > I’ve had minor skin cancers treated with turmeric paste applied directly to them. As far as you know, was it McCormick turmeric bought at Winn Dixie and made into a paste, or was it a medical grade turmuric? Did it stain your skin? ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/16 "2012-10-26T22:15:18Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > […]It’s not as if researchers and drug companies are averse to using “natural” compounds to treat cancer (some chemotherapy drugs including taxol and vincristine are derived from plants). This doesn’t stop the woo worshippers from claiming that “natural” substances don’t get investigated or marketed because “they can’t be patented”. Exactly. And when something like this comes up that looks promising in preliminary studies, they’ll spout off about how it’s a miracle cure that’s proven to work, when in reality it’s just one of many promising compounds being studied at any given time, some of which may pan out, most of which won’t. You’ll hear things like “Evildrug Co. knows this plant can cure cancer, but they’re not pursuing it because people will just grow the plant themselves and make tea instead of paying for their drugs,” when if fact the plant was investigated and it was found that the active compound(s) didn’t work well in humans, or were found to be toxic, etc. Not to mention the fact that even if the plant DID cure some cancers, you’d still buy a formulation of the active ingredients from a drug company, not just gnaw on the plant itself. The drug company could patent that formulation and charge what they wanted for it, just like any other drug. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/17 "2012-10-27T01:31:42Z")
Drug companies definitely study and patent formulations from plants. No one thinks twice about stuff like aspirin or Lanoxin, but those are both originally from plants (willow and foxglove, respectively). A very modern example is [paclitaxel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxol) (Taxol), extracted from the Pacific yew tree. It was discovered in a government research program and was commercially developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb. And surprise, it’s a cancer treatment! If turmeric ends up being a wonder drug, someone is definitely going to purify it, find the right isomer of the particular active compound, and market the ever-living fuck out of it. As mentioned in the thread, there is some research on it. Research takes years and years, and tons of money, and lots of blind alleys and failed experiments, and hopefully at the end of it you might turn up something that works. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/18 "2012-10-27T01:38:47Z")
So I can put ketchup instead of mustard on my Chicago-style hot dogs without increasing my risk of cancer? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/19 "2012-10-27T01:48:26Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > So I can put ketchup instead of mustard on my Chicago-style hot dogs without increasing my risk of cancer? _Having_ cancer or _being_ cancer? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939/20 "2012-10-27T01:53:11Z")
Turmeric is largely the reason there’s no cancer in India. Oh, wait … [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turmeric-as-a-cancer-cure/638939.md?page=2)