Curcumin

Question

I have been told by friends, that the course of the illness of CF can be influenced positively by high dosages of curcumin. Are there any interactions with the CF-specific drugs and curcumin that have to be taken into account?

Answer

Dear questioner,
Before answering your question, we like to point out, that in the past questions on the topic curcumin had been asked several times and were answered by our experts. Therefore, it would be helpful to look at the Ecorn-CF archive. You can use hereby the search function:
After having chosen the topic list, please click on the word “search” on the right side and enter the word “curcumin”. With that, you can get very well completed information on the topic curcumin. It is worth looking at it.
Now we want to come back tot he statment in the first sentence of your question; concretely that „the course of the illness of CF can be positively influenced by high dosages of curcumin“. In an answer about curcumin one of our experts, Dr. Sabine Schmitt-Grohe wrote on the 20th dec 2015:
“curcumin stimulates the salt channel, that is not functioning correctly in case of CF, the so-called Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator Protein (CFTR). However, there is not enough proven data on the effect on patients (=clinical effectiveness) until now, respectively there was also data, that showed doubt on the expected success”, so that actually a recommendation on the intakte of curcumin cannot be made from the scientific standpoint.
After these comments we come back concretely on your question, if there have interactions between curcumin and CF-specific drugs to be taken into account. On this it can be said fortunately, that interactions with CF drugs are not known. Due to its effect on the blood coagulation, it should however not be taken together with thrombolytic drugs such as acetylsalicylic or clopidrogel. This statement should however not encourage to do a therapy with curcumin.
Finally we provide additionally information from the pharaceutical view:
Curcumin is the intensive orange-yellow coloured substance from the curcuma root. The powdered and dried root is e.g. also an important substance in curry and gives it the typical colour.
Effects:
The commission E, an expert group for pharmaceutical drugs at the former German health authority, regards it to be scientifically well proven, that curcmin has an effect on digestional problems such as feeling full after meals and flatulences. The extract of the plant supports the digestion of fat via an increased production of bile. The commission sees further hints on a marked inhibition of inflammation. Curcumin is mentioned in the treatment guidelines of physicians on Colitis ulcerosa (chronic gut inflammation) as a possible addition to the medical treatment in acute phases.
In the literature, curcumin is ment to have i.a. antioxidative, viral- and bacterial- inhibitory and anti-rheumatic effects.
In studies with animals it could be shown, that curcumin can stimulate the defective chloride channel of a a certain gene defect (deltaF508). These data could however not yet be proven in studies with patients.
Side-effects:
About the possible side-effects of curcumine it can be said, that it is expected to be well-tolerable also in higher dosages. It is only reported to cause slight pain of the stomach and nausea respectively diarrhea.
Contraindications:
Curcumine should not be used in case of obstruction of the gallways and gallstones, as via the increased amount of gallfluid resp. increased contraction of the gallways stones could be stuck and then cause an obstruction of the gallfluid. Furthermore it is important to know, that investigations are only true for adults, so that for children under 12 years of age there cannot be made a recommendation due to lack of data.
We hope to have help a bit with our answer and stay with best regards,
Yours
Dr. med. Christina Smaczny
and
Dr. rer. med. Eva-Maria Miserre

12.09.2016