Turmeric, also called curcumin, has been used in Asian cookery for thousands of years. Powder ground from the dried root is an ingredient in curry. Turmeric is one of the cheaper spices and makes a vivid splash of color, so it gets heaped into low-market curry blends as fill. Not such a bad idea. In ongoing research on curcumin, biochemists in China report this month that curcumin downregulates homeobox gene NKX3.1 in prostate cancer cell LNCaP and could also dampen the androgen receptor’s sensitivity to this gene.

Independent studies have found that the Nkx3.1 homeobox gene has a key role in the prostate and may be implicated in start up of prostate cancer. Two M. D. Anderson researchers who are interested in curcumin’s anti-inflammatory effects and immune system enhancing activity suggest that “curcumin’s reported beneficial effects in arthritis, allergy, asthma, atherosclerosis, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and cancer might be due in part to its ability to modulate the immune system. Together, these findings warrant further consideration of curcumin as a therapy for immune disorders.”

Read more about Turmeric (Curcumin) as a cancer-fighting spice.