Curcumin — A Novel Treatment Alternative for Depression

By Dr. Mercola Curcumin, the active ingredient in the Indian spice turmeric, is a polyphenol with over 160 potentially therapeutic activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects.1 Importantly, it has the ability to cross your blood-brain barrier and exhibits potent neuroprotective properties, suggesting it may be useful for neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Recent research also suggests it may be helpful against depression. Remember, though, that curcumin is very poorly absorbed, so if you want to use it therapeutically, make sure you use a supplement that is optimized for maximum absorption; otherwise you won’t get the results described below. Curcumin Helps Relieve Depressive Symptoms According to a meta-analysis2 of six short-term, placebo-controlled clinical trials, curcumin “appears to be safe, well-tolerated and efficacious among depressed patients,” and could serve as a “novel antidepressant.” Three of the trials a
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/05/18/curcumin-depression-treatment.aspx