urmeric reduces size of haemorrhagic stroke: U.S. study

New Delhi, Sep 23 (PTI) Turmeric, the ubiquitous spice
found in Indian kitchens, not only lowers your chances of
getting cancer and Alzheimer's disease, but may reduce the
size of a haemorrhagic stroke, U.S. researchers have
discovered.

Scientists at the U.S.-based Medical College of Georgia
are using animal models to study effects of turmeric or
curcumin on intracerebral haemorrhages.

Patients with this type of stroke are often treated for
symptoms such as headache and nausea with medications, but
not the stroke itself.

Invasive surgery to remove the clot is usually needed,
but some patients may not be good candidates, said Jay
McCracken, who along with Krishnan Dhandapani, neuroscientist
in the M.C.G. School of Medicine, are leading the research.

"We found that curcumin significantly decreases the size
of a blood clot, but we're not sure why it happens," McCracken
said adding that it may be because curcumin is a potent
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.

For the study, scientists dissolved turmeric powder in
corn oil and injected it into the abdomen of an animal model
of haemorrhagic stroke three times over three hours.

Timing is critical for patients who often do not know
they have had a stroke and may not be seen by a physician for
several hours.

"Usually, patients can experience other symptoms like
seizures, vision or cognitive problems, so they come to the
(emergency room) fairly quickly under most circumstances,"
Dhandapani said.

"Many patients also arrive due to head trauma and are
seen within an hour or so. However, treating these injuries,
even after an hour, can be tricky," he said.

Patients will likely need to get curcumin intravenously.
The researchers believe it may also help prevent strokes; they
intend to pursue this line of study with the idea of also
making it available in a concentrated tablet form for those
at risk.