Soluble curcumin: A promising oral supplement for health management.

Curcumin, the most active polyphenolic constituent of turmeric curcuminoids obtained from the rhizome Curcuma longa, holds a high place in ayurvedic medicine but its role in conventional disease management has also been established. However, it has poor bioavailability due to insolubility in water becomes a limiting factor. Increasing its solubility followed by assessment of effect of oral consumption of soluble curcumin on pathological parameters on healthy human volunteers, sixteen healthy subjects comprising of nine females and seven males in the age group of 24- 45 years, was undertaken. Oral administration was done in the form of 500 mg capsule, twice a day, for 15 days. Complete blood profile, levels of blood glucose, lipid profile, renal function tests and liver function tests were performed in subjects before the start and at the end of the study. Soluble curcumin was found to improve the liver functions, kidney functions and ameliorated the lipid profile, blood glucose in healthy volunteers, only in 15 days of oral consumption. Enhanced bioavailability of soluble curcumin in the near future is likely to bring this promising natural product to the forefront of therapeutic agents for treatment of human diseases, especially age related problems.