According to a team of researchers from the Pasteur Institute in France, the turmeric compound not only inhibited the growth of zika and chikungunya viruses, but also halted the ability of these harmful viruses to infect otherwise healthy cells. The research team also noted a dose-dependent effect in inhibiting these viruses. Curcumin was found to affect the virus' ability to bind with other cells.
Another study published in the journal Gut showed that curcumin hindered the hepatitis C virus from entering the human liver cells. According to the researchers, this effect proved especially beneficial -- as exposure to the HCV virus caused severe liver disease and was known to affect more than 160 million people around the world. "Curcumin treatment had no effect on HCV RNA replication or viral assembly/release. However, co-incubation of HCV with curcumin potently inhibited entry of all major HCV genotypes. Similar antiviral activities were also exerted by other curcumin derivatives but not by tetrahydrocurcumin, suggesting the importance of α,β-unsaturated ketone groups for the antiviral activity. Expression levels of known HCV receptors were unaltered, while pretreating the virus with the compound reduced viral infectivity without viral lysis. Membrane fluidity experiments indicated that curcumin affected the fluidity of the HCV envelope resulting in impairment of viral binding and fusion. Curcumin has also been found to inhibit cell-to-cell transmission and to be effective in combination with other antiviral agents," the researchers concluded.
Turmeric compound impedes more viruses
Curcumin was also known to suppress the influenza-A virus in a number of studies. Researchers at the Graduate Institute of Microbiology and Public Health at the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan found that the turmeric compound interfered with the virus' haemagglutination activity by blocking its ability to bind with red blood cells in patients. Another study published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases showed that the turmeric compound decreased viral replication by more than 90 percent in cultured cells infected with influenza-A. The compound was also found to inhibit the virus from infecting other cells. In addition, a study published in the Italian Journal of Biochemistry revealed that curcumin prompted hemeoxygenase-1 gene stimulation in the hippocampus of the brain. In turn, this activation triggered the production of bilirubin, a potent antioxidant essential for the immune system's health. (Related: Take better care of your health by reading Prevention.news).
The turmeric compound was shown to suppress herpes virus. According to researchers at the Michigan State University, curcumin inhibited the virus from spreading by affecting its early gene expression. “Curcumin is a potent compound with various biological properties. We have shown that curcumin significantly affects HSV-1 IE gene expression which thereby diminishes the ability of the virus to launch the lytic infectious cycle," the researchers wrote. Another study by McMaster University researchers revealed that the turmeric compound stopped both simplex-1 and herpes simplex-2 viruses from spreading by preventing the replication of the viruses in infected T-cells.
"The science literature clearly shows that turmeric is a goldmine of powerful medicinal compounds with extraordinary benefits for human health," remarked Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, author of Food Forensics and lab science director of an internationally recognized food science laboratory. "If turmeric had been invented by a pharmaceutical company, it would be hailed as the greatest breakthrough in medical history," Adams says.
A study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention also found that curcumin was able to clear human papillomavirus in women. As part of the study, researchers at the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in India examined 287 HPV-positive women. The experts noted that women who were givencurcumin-based treatments had HPV clearance rates between 81 percent and 87 percent.
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