Beyond Yellow Curry: Assessing Commercial Curcumin Absorption Technologies.

Background: Few natural products have demonstrated the range of protective and therapeutic promise as have turmeric and its principal bioactive components: curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin. Success in translating this potential into tangible benefits has been limited by inherently poor intestinal absorption, rapid metabolism, and limited systemic bioavailability. Seeking to overcome these limitations, food ingredient formulators have begun to employ a variety of approaches to enhance absorption and bioactivity.

Hydroxycitric acid does not promote inflammation or liver toxicity.

Garcinia cambogia extract (GC) with its active component consisting of hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is widely utilized for weight loss. Various HCA salts are available, including calcium, magnesium, potassium and mixtures of these. Experimentally, these salts exhibit different properties with some, but not all, improving glucose tolerance and blood pressure.

Bitter melon extracts in diabetic and normal rats favorably influence blood glucose and blood pressure regulation.

Bitter melon (BM) was tested in normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. First, normal and diabetic Wistar rats were given four test extracts (EX-1-EX-4) of a wild-genotype BM or metformin by intubation. Second, normal Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control and three test groups given for 52 days one of three BM preparations in food: Chinese or Indian commercial preparations or EX-4 from experiment I.

Kava kava: examining new reports of toxicity.

Before 1998, extracts of kava kava, Piper methysticum, were considered to be very safe alternatives to anxiolytic drugs and to possibly exert a wide range of other benefits. Major reviews published through the end of 2002 continued to confirm kava's safety and efficacy. Nevertheless, by January 2003 kava extracts had been banned in the entire European Union and Canada, and were subject to cautions and advisories by the US FDA as a result of 11 cases of hepatic failure leading to liver transplants, including four deaths.