Turmeric / curcumin
Claimed for: Cancer, inflammation
A heavily studied compound whose central problem is that the body barely absorbs it.
01The claim
That curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, prevents and cures cancer, and that its natural origin is why it cannot be patented or promoted.
02Origin
Rooted in genuine Ayurvedic use and boosted by an enormous volume of laboratory publications. A significant fraction of that literature was later called into question; curcumin is a textbook "pan-assay interference compound" that produces false positives across many assay types, and one prominent curcumin researcher was found to have manipulated images across dozens of papers.
03What's known
Curcumin does have measurable anti-inflammatory activity, and the interest is not manufactured. The decisive obstacle is pharmacokinetic: oral curcumin has very poor bioavailability, is rapidly metabolised, and barely reaches systemic circulation at concentrations that matter. Trials in humans have not shown cancer treatment benefit. Formulation work aimed at fixing absorption is ongoing and is the honest version of the story.
Documented risk
Generally low risk in dietary amounts. High-dose supplements have caused liver injury and interact with anticoagulants such as warfarin.