Curcumin is the yellow pigment in the spice curry. Researchers at UCLA have shown that it inhibits the formation of amyloid plaques in test tubes. Amyloid is the substance that builds up in the brain causing Alzheimer’s disease. Other studies show that curcumin appears to break up the plaques in mouse brains suggesting that it may even be helpful once the disease process has started.

Current treatments for Alzheimer’s disease are minimally helpful because although they slow the development of plaques, they do nothing for the ones that already exist. Plaques begin forming many years before symptoms begin.

Curcumin is currently being studied in humans with mild/moderate Alzheimer’s.

In addition to curry spice, curcumin is also found in tumeric, which is used as a food preservative and in Indian medicine as an anti-inflammatory.