Turmeric—or extra specifically its main bioactive compound, curcumin—is one of the most well known nutraceuticals in use today. In truth, a report1 by Grand Check out Research predicted that the global curcumin sector will access $94.3 million by 2022. This is constant with a much more latest report from World wide Current market Insights2, whose data predicts the world-wide curcumin marketplace will exceed $145 million by 2027.
Why is curcumin so common? Like vitamin D, curcumin is 1 of these nutraceuticals for which exploration suggests a wide selection of possible rewards. Furthermore, turmeric has been utilised as a common treatment in Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic drugs for more than 2,000 yrs3, and the authors of a textbook on bioactive meals suggest that “the use of turmeric in Indian people drugs is just one of a veritable panacea, apparently efficacious for problems that we would nowadays classify in the realm of infectious, inflammatory, metabolic, and immunological conditions.”4
Just one of curcumin’s lesser-acknowledged added benefits is its effects on worry/stress and anxiety and snooze.
Serotonin
How can curcumin help deal with anxiety/nervousness and rest? The remedy is serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that stabilizes our temper, emotions of effectively-currently being, and joy. This neurotransmitter also allows with sleeping, taking in, and digestion.
As it turns out, in animal analysis, curcumin supplementation was identified to boost serotonin concentrations.5 In one analyze6, chronically stressed rats had been supplemented with curcumin. Curcumin noticeably prevented the stress-induced minimize in serotonin, supporting to defeat stress-induced behavioral abnormalities. In a further rat research, curcumin supplementation helped restore serotonin harmony when alcoholic beverages use had adversely affected it.7
Worry/Nervousness
Chronic exposure to worry is a perfectly-identified possibility factor for the development of mood and panic ailments. Researchers tested8 the efficacy of curcumin in promoting resilience to persistent social stress in mice. The curcumin administration created a 4.5-fold increase in worry resilience in the majority of mice. These mice also introduced much less corticosterone (a stress hormone) next acute restraint pressure, and had decreased levels of peripheral IL-6 (an inflammatory compound). Curcumin also prevented panic-like actions.
The effects of curcumin (1 g/day) or placebo had been also examined on the frequency of signs or symptoms of nervousness and depression in 30 overweight human subjects in a 30-working day, double-blind, crossover demo.9 Severity of anxiousness and melancholy was assessed at baseline and at weeks 4, 6, and 10 of the trial using the Beck Stress Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory, both equally scientifically validated assessment questionnaires. Success showed that nervousness scores have been noticeably diminished subsequent curcumin therapy (P=.03).
Very similar final results were witnessed in other exploration, which includes reports on:
- 80 mg of nano-curcumin exhibiting efficiency in reducing depression and nervousness scores in individuals with diabetic polyneuropathy10
- 500-1000 mg of curcumin and merged curcumin/saffron showing performance in lowering despair and anxiety indicators in men and women with main depressive dysfunction11
- 1 g of curcumin showing anti-stress outcome in people with obesity12
- 1000 mg of curcumin furthermore 10 mg of piperine demonstrating appreciably bigger reduced stress and melancholy indicators as an incorporate-on to regular treatment in sufferers with main depressive dysfunction13
Sleep
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-managed trial14 was done to confirm the outcomes of 1000 mg/working day curcumin or placebo on good quality of daily life (QoL) in 58 clients aged 20-70 decades with liver cirrhosis. In contrast with baseline, all round QoL scores improved considerably (P < 0.05) after curcumin administration. Furthermore, curcumin helped significantly reduce (P < 0.05) the following: sleeping during the day, decreased sexual interest, and decreased sexual activity.
Another study15 was conducted to examine the effect of turmeric supplementation on quality of life (QoL) and hematological parameters in 60 breast cancer patients on chemotherapy. Turmeric supplementation for 21 days resulted in clinically relevant and statistically significant improvement in global health status symptom scores, including fatigue and insomnia.
Conclusion
Although known mostly for its anti-inflammatory effects, curcumin clearly has value for positively impacting stress/anxiety and sleep due at least in part to its ability to increase serotonin levels.
Gene Bruno, MS, MHS, RH (AHG) possesses 42 years of dietary supplement industry experience. With a master’s degree in nutrition and a second master’s degree in herbal medicine, he has a proven track record of formulating innovative, evidence-based dietary supplements. Bruno currently serves as both the vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at NutraScience Labs (Farmingdale, NY) and professor of nutraceutical science at Huntington University of Health Sciences (Knoxville, TN).
References
- PR Newswire press release. “Curcumin Market Is Anticipated to Grow to $94.3 Million By 2022: Grand View Research, Inc.” Published June 22, 2015.
- Global Market Insights report. “Curcumin Market Size to Exceed $145 Mn by 2027.” Published July 14, 2021.
- “Curcuma longa (turmeric). Monograph.” Alternative Medicine Review, supplement 6 (September 2001): S62-S66
- Togni S, Appendino G. “Curcumin and Joint Health: From Traditional Knowledge to Clinical Validation.” Bioactive Food as Dietary Interventions for Arthritis and Related Inflammatory Diseases edited by Watson RR, Preedy VR Academic Press 2013: 67-81
- Kulkarni SK et al. “Antidepressant activity of curcumin: Involvement of serotonin and dopamine system.” Psychopharmacology (Berl), vol. 201, no. 3 (December 2008): 435-342
- Xu Y et al. “Curcumin reverses impaired hippocampal neurogenesis and increases serotonin receptor 1A mRNA and brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in chronically stressed rats.” Brain Research. Published online June 21, 2007.
- Jagota A et al. “The effect of curcumin on ethanol induced changes in suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and pineal.” Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, vol. 27, no. 8 (December 2007): 997-1006
- Aubry AV et al. “A diet enriched with curcumin promotes resilience to chronic social defeat stress.” Neuropsychopharmacology, vol. 44, no. 4 (March 2019):733-742
- Esmaily H et al. “An investigation of the effects of curcumin on anxiety and depression in obese individuals: A randomized controlled trial.” Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine. Published online March 17, 2015.
- Asadi S et al. “Beneficial effects of nano-curcumin supplement on depression and anxiety in diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.” Phytotherapy Research, vol. 34, no. 4 (April 2020): 896-903
- Lopresti AL et al. “Efficacy of curcumin, and a saffron/curcumin combination for the treatment of major depression: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.” Journal of Affective Disorders, vol. 207 (January 1, 2017): 188-196
- Esmaily H et al. “An investigation of the effects of curcumin on anxiety and depression in obese individuals: A randomized controlled trial.” Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine, vol. 21, no. 5 (May 2015): 332-338
- Panahi Y et al. “Investigation of the efficacy of adjunctive therapy with bioavailability-boosted curcuminoids in major depressive disorder.” Phytotherapy Research, vol. 29, no. 1 (January 2015): 17-21
- Nouri-Vaskeh M et al. “Curcumin ameliorates health-related quality of life in patients with liver cirrhosis: A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial.” Complementary Therapies in Medicine. Published online February 19, 2020.
- Kalluru H et al. “Turmeric supplementation improves the quality of life and hematological parameters in breast cancer patients on paclitaxel chemotherapy: A case series.” Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. Published online October 13, 2020.