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WORLD  Comment on this story Curry Spice May Help Heal Wounds FROM REUTERS HEALTH HEALTH, Dec 27 (VNN) — Submitted by Sat-sanga Das MD MPH NEW YORK, Dec 26 (Reuters Health) - Laboratory experiments conducted in Singapore suggest that curcumin--a compound found in the curry spice turmeric--may act as an antioxidant that could possibly promote wound healing.
Curcumin has been used for centuries in India and other Asian countries as a folk remedy for treating wounds and ulcers, explained Dr. Toan-Thang Phan of Singapore General Hospital in an interview with Reuters Health. In the experiment, the team of researchers exposed laboratory-grown human skin cells to hydrogen peroxide, a potent oxidizing agent. In wounds, oxidation--a process in which damaging free radical particles are generated--can promote further damage to the surrounding tissue. When curcumin was added to the skin culture it minimized the effects of hydrogen peroxide, according to the study which appears in a recent issue of the Journal of Trauma. ''The main finding in this study is that curcumin has a strong antioxidant effect against hydrogen peroxide on skin cells in culture,'' said Phan in an interview with Reuters Health. ''One of our major research projects and interests is plant-based medicines and phytochemicals for wound healing. The finding in this study could explain in part the therapeutic properties of curcumin for wound healing,'' he added. ''I think that curcumin can be good for both acute and chronic wounds,'' Phan told Reuters Health. ''But we need to demonstrate this scientifically.'' ''Our study may provide more rationale and evidence for using curcumin,'' said Phan. ''The next step should be clinical study,'' he added, ''If it works and it is safe--curcumin could be a registered medicine--but we have a long way to go.'' By Keith Mulvihill Related VNN Stories Comment on this storyContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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