Curcumin for Nerve Pain
Disclaimer: This content has been produced purely for informational and educational purposes only and is never intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical guidelines including diagnosis, advice, and treatment.
Curcumin is a bioactive compound present in turmeric and is best known for its analgesic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. This chemical compound is also helpful in relieving numbness and tingling sensation in hands and feet. It has been used in the treatment of a variety of health conditions due to its potent anti-inflammatory properties. However, research shows that curcumin also helps relieve the symptoms of neuropathic pain.
This article details the potential effects of curcumin on nerve pain, its benefits and possible risks associated with overconsumption.
What is Curcumin?
Curcumin is an active compound belonging to the class of curcuminoids and possesses potent antioxidant and strong anti-inflammatory effects. However, turmeric does not contain high quantities of curcumin and is 3% of it by weight. Various studies use turmeric extracts with doses often exceeding 1g per day, with curcumin being the main component.
Curcumin is not well absorbed into the bloodstream and its availability is improved by taking it with black pepper. Black pepper contains Piperine which increases the absorption of curcumin by 2000%. Moreover, curcumin dissolves well in fats or oil and it is best to take curcumin supplements with meals rich in fats.
Turmeric is well known for its anti-inflammatory properties and boosts antioxidant levels in the body. Its bioactive compounds help reduce inflammation and reduce the risk of various diseases including neurodegenerative diseases.
Is Curcumin Effective for Nerve Pain?
Neuropathic pain is resistant to most conventional medications, and its management is a significant issue. According to certain reports, curcumin actively contributes to the treatment of a number of neurological conditions, including neuropathic pain.
According to 2014 research on animals, curcumin was found to lessen the neuropathy brought on by chemotherapy in mice when given for 14 days. It showed a significant reduction in pain, inflammation, and functional loss. Moreover, the amounts of antioxidants and calcium dramatically increased. These results need to be expanded upon by larger human investigations.
Another research showed that taking curcumin in the early stages of neuropathy is beneficial. This may stop the onset of persistent neuropathic pain.
Research showed that curcumin is a polyphenolic compound with potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial properties and is effective in relieving nerve pain. It has the potential to alleviate neuropathic pain and pain associated with surgery.
By lowering the production of proinflammatory cytokines and pain-associated proteins and suppressing the activity of astrocytes, curcumin greatly lessens the pain and inflammation caused by BPA (brachial plexus avulsion).
Turmeric is known to have the potential to alleviate nerve pain caused by diabetes. One of the most frequent side effects of diabetes mellitus (DM) is neuropathic pain, and painful diabetic neuropathy affects around one-third of people with DM. It is characterized by hyperalgesia (increased pain sensitivity), allodynia (pain sensation to nonpainful stimulation), dysesthesia (a disagreeable sense of touch), and paresthesia (an abnormal sensation without a cause) and is brought on by either peripheral nerve damage or altered neuronal signaling. However, the physiological and molecular processes behind neuropathic pain remain poorly understood.
Curcumin is also effective in reducing neuropathic pain brought on by peripheral nerve damage. It has been proposed that neuropathic pain is caused by the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and curcumin prevents the activation of these enzymes and reduces the severity of nerve pain.
Curcumin restricts the development of nerve pain when treated in the early stages of peripheral neuropathy.
Other Benefits
Can Boost Brain Health
It was thought that during early life, neurons were not able to divide and regenerate. They now understand that is not the case, though. In some parts of the brain, neurons may grow and become more numerous. They are also capable of creating new connections.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is a protein that plays a great role in this process (BDNF). This gene plays a significant role in the production of a protein essential for maintaining neuron health.
Curcumin helps increase the production of BDNF which may improve memory and learning. However, since these experiments were carried out on animals, it is challenging to interpret the implications for people.
May Prevent Heart Diseases
Curcumin has the ability to boost heart health by optimizing the functions of blood vessels. Studies showed that curcumin can improve cardiovascular health and is as potent as an exercise in postmenopausal women. It works by reducing inflammation and improving antioxidant levels in the body.
A study was conducted to compare the effects of curcumin and a placebo on heart health. In this study, 121 individuals were instructed to use either 4g of curcumin or a placebo daily for a few days before and following the procedure.
Results revealed that those who took curcumin had a 65% lower chance of having a heart attack in the hospital.
Can Prevent Cancer
The powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin help prevent the growth and development of cancer.
However, researchers suggest that it may prevent cancer from developing in the first place, particularly tumors of the digestive tract like colorectal cancer.
In a study, 44 men with colon lesions that occasionally progressed to cancer participated in 30-day research, and 4 g of curcumin per day cut the number of lesions by 40%.
May Relieve Arthritic Pain
Arthritis is a common condition affecting millions of people worldwide and causes pain and inflammation in joints. Studies revealed that curcumin helps relieve pain and inflammation, and is more potent than anti-inflammatory drugs.
Possible Risks or Side Effects
Curcumin absorbs poorly when taken orally on its own is one of its biggest disadvantages. Up to 8 grams of curcuminoids have not been linked to major negative effects in people.
High dosages of curcumin have been used in studies, and some mild side effects have been noted, including nausea, diarrhea, headaches, skin rashes, and yellow stools. Because Piperine dramatically increases intestinal permeability, using curcumin alongside it may result in negative pharmacological responses. Different curcumin formulations have undergone varying levels of safety testing.
Curcumin may increase uterine contractions and is suggested to avoid in pregnancy.
Bottom Line
Curcumin is an active compound present in turmeric and is loaded with strong antioxidant and potent anti-inflammatory properties. It has the potential to reduce neuropathic pain, relieve inflammation and boost antioxidant levels in the body.
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References
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17044766/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26007179/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/13880209.2014.943247
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0011393X12000999
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1386&context=kns_fac_articles
https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/496928
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/prm/2021/8787231/
https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/bdnf/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22481014/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6835707/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20657536/