turmeric

Curcumin has been implicated in the treatment of certain eye dis- eases and conditions, including chronic anterior uveitis, an inflam- matory condition of the vascular layer, particularly the iris. In a small study, curcumin (375 mg t.i.d.) was administered orally for 12 weeks to 32 patients with chronic anterior uveitis. The participants were divided into two groups; the first received only curcumin while the second was treated with a combination of curcumin and antituber- cular therapy. All patients treated with curcumin alone improved, compared with a response rate of 86% among those receiving the combination therapy (42).

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells in the optic nerve in glaucoma. Antioxidants protect against oxidative stress and are therefore considered important in neuroprotection strategies. Turmeric has been shown to be an effective antioxidant. For background info about oxidative stress and glaucoma, see this article: Glaucoma, Inflammation and Oxidative Stress: An Attempt to Unify Recent News

I eat the spice turmeric almost every day. My favorite way to consume it is to use the fresh root in my cooking. If I do not have fresh turmeric root available, I'll use organic turmeric root powder and mix it in with my food (or even sprinkle a little on top if I'm not cooking).

Here is another healthy recipe featuring foods that health the eyes. This is a pasta dish with healthy vegetables in lieu of tomato sauce. (You can actually add some tomato sauce to it if you wish and the taste is good. I prefer it without tomatoes myself.)

Vegetables (all organic):

 "Ayurvedic medicines sold via Internet may contain lead, mercury or

>arsenic"
>http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-08/jaaj-ams082108.php

I experimented with a new recipe today. This is a healthy recipe with many of my favorite healing foods for the eyes.

Topping (all organic):

Aggarwal BB, Harikumar KB:

Potential therapeutic effects of curcumin, the anti-inflammatory agent, against neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, autoimmune and neoplastic diseases.

Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2008;

Cytokine Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United
States.

Ancient treatments are ignored because neither their active component nor
their molecular targets are well defined. For centuries it has been known
that turmeric exhibits anti-inflammatory activity, but extensive research
performed within the past two decades has shown that the this activity of
turmeric is due to curcumin, a diferuloylmethane. This agent has been shown
to regulate numerous transcription factors, cytokines, protein kinases,
adhesion molecules, redox status and enzymes that have been linked to
inflammation. The process of inflammation has been shown to play a major
role in most chronic illnesses, including neurodegenerative, cardiovascular,
pulmonary, metabolic, autoimmune and neoplastic diseases. In the current
review, we provide evidence for the potential role of curcumin in the
prevention and treatment of various proinflammatory chronic diseases. These
features, combined with the pharmacological safety and negligible cost,
render curcumin an attractive agent to explore further.

Has anyone tried the Glaucoma Cure from the book:
Heal your eye problems with herbs, minerals and vitamins by Max Crarer.

Apparently he had Glaucoma for 12 years and cured it by cutting out all caffeine and taking specific minerals etc.

I would love to get some feedback or messages from anyone who has tried any alternatives for Glaucoma and had success.