Many of the neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disorder still don't have any cure despite having been around for many years. The lack of sufficient treatment, moreover, contributes to their usually rapid deterioration as soon as the disease sets in. While a patient may go on to live for a decade, most often, the life is cut short because of the severe effects of the disease to their minds and bodies.
Thus, the new research conducted by a German team may be worth looking at.
A German research group from Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine has just published the findings of their latest study that suggests a special component of curry spice may help the brain heal itself.
This compound is called aromatic turmerone and is found in turmeric. Turmeric, meanwhile, is a herbaceous plant that belongs to the family of ginger.
Turmeric is one of the spices that have been subjected to numerous researches relating to its healing properties. These include studies on curcumin, an active ingredient that is believed to aid in preventing or treating cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and allergies.
The German team, however, wanted to bring the spotlight on the other compound by injecting their test mice with it. They then scanned the mice's brain where they discovered that sections of the brain that are involved in the proliferation of nerve cells have become more active after the compound was injected. Moreover, as more of the compound was added, the faster these generated nerve stem cells mature. The growth of stem cells increased to around 80 percent with the infusion.
While the results are promising, Alzheimer's research experts and advocates would like to remind the public that more research has to be conducted on the curry spice compound, including how the regeneration will happen once the compound is tested on humans.
The German team, nevertheless, hopes that this initial study may be the start of more researches that will point to the effectiveness of turmeric for brain healing and help pharmaceutical companies produce medications based on the compound to treat patients who suffered from dementia or stroke.
You can read the full study over at Stem Cell Research & Therapy.