Curcumin

Turmeric and curcurmin. Image: Front. Pharmacol., 09 May 2018 Fig 1. doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2018.00472. License:CC BY-4.0

Curcurmin is the bright yellow chemical compound found in some plants, principally it is the main ingredient in turmeric. Curcumin is used in Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. Medical studies using curcumin to reduce inflammation and treat ME/CFS have had promising results, however studies are small and more research is required.

Theory

it is anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative.

Notable studies

• 2009, Curcumin, a polyphenolic antioxidant, attenuates chronic fatigue syndrome in murine water immersion stress model [1]
• 2018, The Effect of Curcumin on Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: An Open Label Study.  C. (Linda) M. C. van Campen, K. Riepma, and Frans C. Visser.  International Journal of Clinical Medicine Vol.09 No.05(2018) [2]
• 2019, The effect of curcumin in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome / myalgic encephalomyelitis disparate responses in different disease severities. C (MC) Linda van Campen and Frans C Visser. Pharmacovigil and Pharmacoepi 2: 22-27. [3]

See also

• Turmeric

See myalgic encephalomyelitis.

See chronic fatigue syndrome.

adverse reaction Any unintended or unwanted response to a treatment, whether in a clinical trial or licensed treatment. May be minor or serious.

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.