Should I take Curcumin?

Quite a long time ago I took a product called Inflaguard. I took it at the recommended dose, which wound up being 1.5 grams per day of Boswellia plus 1.5 grams per day of Curcumin plus a little bit of a supplement called Devil's Claw. It really didn't do anything for me that was noticeable so I quit. For quite some time now I have been strongly considering taking Curcumin. It seems like the recommended dosage is 2 grams per day but I see some take it at much higher doses than that. I get really tired of throwing my money out the window and was wondering if anyone had an opinion on whether it would be worth it for me or not, since I had already taken the Inflaguard with no apparent benefit.

i'd try it out. i've had no bad effects from it. the kind insofla takes is what i've been taking since she recommended it. i had been taking 6 capsules of the jarrow's brand but now i only need 2 capsules of that brand because is has better absorption. it's called life extension.

i honestly don't know if it does anything since im on so many other drugs. the real test will be if i can get off prednisone. i had taken another brand in 2011- turmeric force- but it did absolutely nothing.

Yes. My GI, who happens to be a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, told me research has proven curcumin to be more effective than fish oil.

Depends how fat your wallet is! haha... Seriously though, my GI has a patient who went into remission using curcumin- he suggested it to me years back, but I'd already heard about it on my own, was using it, etc. I think it can help for a mild case of UC, it is clinically proven to reduce inflammation. But, if one's on heavy-duty meds with little to no change, I don't think it'll do much. Like sprinkling on a forest fire, you know? Give it a try for a month or so, see if you notice any change. They're only like $10 a bottle, & if you buy the spice itself (turmeric), it's about the same. It'll dye everything it touches yellow, watch out with a dish towel!

I will probably give it a try in the near future. Even though I was only taking 1.5 grams per day, I was actually taking 3 grams per day if you count the Boswellia too. That's what got me wondering. But, that was all several years ago and I guess it's cheap enough to try for one month anyway.

Last month, I stopped taking it and most of the other supplements that I have been on for the last 3.5 years. I took 1800 mgs a day with pepperdine. Have no idea if it did anything and I have been better since I stopped not that that means a thing.

Tumeric/curcumin is hot as far as articles and sales. The "proof" is pretty thin that it will do something. Some test tube research, small trials and lots of speculation. I am kind of down on most supplements at the moment. Lack of clinical trials and testing. Lack of quality control and safety testing. I stopped at first to give my body a rest in case one of them was causing cancer or something but might not start them again. UC is such a crazy disease and the rx drugs not the most effective that self experimentation with supplements and asking other sufferers is probably going to get limited information of value. Effects are going to be subtle, you could just happen to spit blood or get a stomach ache the next day...

I think it might be a good idea to limit ingestion of supplements and vitamins to what you could possibly ingest as food.No way are you going to eat that much tumeric. I take fish oil which has lots of evidence for cardiac and is an amount you could get eating fish, gluclosimine sulfate which I have brainwashed myself into believing got rid of knee pain, a multivitamin, daily homemade VSL#3 yogurt, psllium husk and slippery elm bark for symptoms, and try to eat a varied healthy diet.

I know psllium husk works, lopermide works, pretty positive 5asa works and I really think yogurt, home pickled vegatables etc will help with symptoms and colon health.

The pocket book is definitely an issue too. I use one of the cheaper curcumins(Vitacost) and my dosage runs $240 and rising per year. 3 grams would be almost $500. I was spending $900 a year total for my fist full of pills. There is some evidence that some antiinflamitories and antioxidants are a double edged sword causing pro-oxidant and inflammation elsewhere in the body which is sort of scary.

I wish some way to fund studies would be thought up.

I put tumeric in my granola recipe hoping the oil in it would release the goodness in the oven. Nobody else in the house would eat it. I liked it.

did not do anyting for me.

Curcumin put me in remission twice. The first time, I had been taking 2 grams per day for maintenance and I began to flare after a round of antibiotics. I upped my Curcumin to 4 grams per day and within 48 hours, I went from flaring to normal. I stayed in remission, on 3 grams per day, for 18 months. Curcumin was the only thing I was taking for my UC since I'm allergic to mesalamines and Remicade.

Four months ago, I flared again, lost 15 pounds, blood, urgency, the whole deal. Was on Uceris, 40 mg of Pred per day, and cortenemas for several weeks and not improving much. I took advice from someone on this board and upped my Curcumin to 6 grams a day and within a week, I was a lot better. Nothing else had changed except the amount of Curcumin I was taking.

I was able to taper down from 40 mg of Pred to zero in 40 days without relapsing. I take Uceris every 4th day and am about to start tapering the enemas.

Curcumin may not work for everyone but it definitely works for me. Why not try it? No side effects and even if it doesn't help your UC, it's good for any inflammation. My husband now takes 1 gram per day as a health supplement.

If I were you, I'd go to at least 4 grams per day. If you want dramatic results, try 6 grams. Or use the formula posted and calculate how much you need based on your body weight.

Good luck.