Curcumin, (Curcuma, Turmeric): Does It Help With Neuropathy Pain?

Today's post from informahealthcare.com (see link below) takes another look at the potential for curcuma, (Turmeric) to help reduce the discomfort of neuropathy. In this case, the study was done on mice and achieved significant success but what this does is really back-up the mass of evidence produced by ordinary people who have tried curcuma and also found it to be beneficial. It's one of those alternative treatments that have a place in folklore but are rarely tested scientifically but because of all the apocryphal evidence, this and other tests are justified. The problem is that like all potential treatments for neuropathic pain, it works for some and not for others and furthermore, it's not just a question of taking supplements for a month and seeing if they make a difference; in reality curcuma has to form part of a long-term plan, even if it is just as a supplement. The evidence certainly seems to bear out what many people claim but you will need to discover for yourself if you can benefit personally. One big plus is the price - as a pill or capsule supplement, it's not expensive and is widely available.

Effect of curcumin in mice model of vincristine-induced neuropathy Anand Babu, K. G. Prasanth, and Bhaskar Balaji June 2015, Vol. 53, No. 6 , Pages 838-848 (doi:10.3109/13880209.2014.943247)

Department of Pharmacology, PSG College of Pharmacy,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu , India

Abstract

Context: Curcumin exhibits a wide spectrum of biological activities which include neuroprotective, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activity.

Objective: The present study evaluates the effect of curcumin in vincristine-induced neuropathy in a mice model.

Materials and methods: Vincristine sulfate (0.1 mg/kg, i.p. for 10 consecutive days) was administered to mice to induce neuropathy. Pain behavior was assessed at different days, i.e., 0, 7, 10, and 14 d. Sciatic nerve total calcium, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), reduced glutathione (GSH), nitric oxide (NO), and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were also estimated after the 14th day of study. Pregabalin (10 mg/kg, p.o.) and curcumin (15, 30, and 60 mg/kg, p.o.) were administered for 14 consecutive days.

Results: Curcumin at 60 mg/kg significantly attenuated the vincristine-induced neuropathic pain manifestations in terms of thermal hyperalgesia (p < 0.001) and allodynia (p < 0.001); mechanical hyperalgesia (p < 0.001); functional loss (p < 0.001); and in the delayed phase of formalin test (p < 0.001). Curcumin at 30 and 60 mg/kg exhibited significant changes (p < 0.001) in antioxidant levels and in total calcium levels in vincristine-injected mice.

Conclusion: Curcumin at 30 and 60 mg/kg dose levels significantly attenuated vincristine-induced neuropathy which may be due to its multiple actions including antinociceptive, calcium inhibitory, and antioxidant effect.

http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/13880209.2014.943247