Curcumin, the "Indian Solid Gold" is one of the most cherished spices in the world and for many important reasons. Health is something we all take for granted, whether in ourselves or our equine companions, but did you know that Curcumin taken daily can bring about dramatic health changes for the positive?
Health benefits of curcumin for horses
The herb cucurmin has been used in the form of turmeric in Indian or Ayurvedic medical cultures for centuries, demonstrating benefits from wound healing to joint maladies and even cardiovascular health.
In horses, we routinely battle with joint deterioration, muscle disorders, back complaints and overall soundness, often chasing these conditions with expensive remedies combating something that could be better managed from a more basic standpoint, which is by reducing ongoing, chronic inflammation.
Curcumin is one of the most heavily researched herbs, evaluating health benefits in humans for the past several decades. The herb has been used in the form of Turmeric in Indian or Ayurvedic medical cultures for centuries, demonstrating benefits from wound healing to joint maladies and even cardiovascular health.
For the past 7 years, we have researched the use of Curcumin in our study patients, with 3 published trials confirming what has been known for many years and that is improvement in clinical health.
Curcumin is actually the most active component of Turmeric (Curcuma longa), which is a flowering plant found in the Middle East and India. The root of the plant contains many curcuminoids which have demonstrated medicinal benefits, but on average, Turmeric only contains 2% curcumin by volume.
The herb is bright yellow and a part of the Indian diet for centuries. Due to its very potent yellow/orange pigmentation, it is also very popular in the dye and cosmetic industry.
So why all the hype about curcumin for horses?
Curcumin has demonstrated the ability to modulate the inflammatory pathways in most species, often above and beyond many prescription medications. Inflammation is a complicated process but affects us all, including our pets and horses.
Ongoing inflammation is what contributes to aging, cellular deterioration, joint deterioration, tissue destruction and many other clinical diseases. In fact, one is hard pressed not to connect ongoing inflammation with any health condition. That is how tightly weaved Chronic Inflammation is in overall health.
We are all familiar with acute inflammation, which occurs when we stub a toe in the middle of the night, have a festering splinter in our finger or when our horse has a solar abscess. It is the pain, redness, heat, swelling and loss of function that is a normal process, protecting us against infection and helping our bodies to heal. This process is generally short lived and resolves quickly. The concern comes when we shift over to an ongoing inflammatory process.
Chronic or ongoing inflammation is a part of life for us all and our animals, often aggravated by many factors including genetics, diet, stress, lifestyle influences, exercise, training and even some medications. This inflammation leads to the increased production and release of many inflammatory proteins such as prostaglandins, COX enzymes, various interleukins and MMP's that then activate components of the immune system, alter blood circulation, trigger low levels pain and impact overall cellular function on a weekly, daily and hourly basis.
The other component of ongoing inflammation is the rise in free radical generation, which then can also contribute negatively to cellular makeup, function and genetic mutation. It is chronic inflammation that is behind cardiovascular deterioration, progressive muscle disorders, neurological conditions, immune dysfunction, degenerating joints, weakened tendons/ligaments and many other health conditions. It is fact and it is real.
Many horse owners are familiar with various targeted 'mono-therapies' such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, steroids, joint injections and even IRAP therapy. These therapies can be beneficial, but are generally only targeting a small portion or subset of the inflammatory process.
There are more inflammatory proteins being produced that are having an impact on health despite those treatments. Wouldn't it be nice if we could possibly impact all of them or a good majority with minimal expense and no side effects?
Curcumin does just that! A good majority of those cytokines or inflammatory proteins are produced as a result of transcription factors within some cells, with the most prominent one being NF-kB. The ideal approach would be to somehow block or down regulate that factor, which is exactly what Curcumin does based on research studies.
Research has shown that Curcumin is able to reduce the production of not one or two cytokines, but potentially hundreds! Curcumin actually reduces the over-expression of those proteins to a more normal level versus total inhibition as often seen with many medications.
Through down regulation and not total inhibition, Curcumin can provide results with minimal to no side effects, often restoring health above the level it once was! As an added benefit, Curcumin is also a potent antioxidant, helping to protect against free radical induced cellular changes.
Through utilization of Curcumin to impact inflammation at a higher level, results have been seen regarding the use of Curcumin in horses with conditions including joint degenerative pain, navicular conditions, laminitis, uveitis and more!
Read more of the full article on Curcumin and the impact on health
Chronic inflammation and the use of Curcumin is our focus at Nouvelle Research, Inc.
Direct inquiries are welcome to Tom Schell, D.V.M by email at tschelldvm@nouvelleresearch.com