Green tea extract and curcumin, tumeric treatm... - CLL Support

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Green tea extract and curcumin, tumeric treatment for cll

123456SB profile image
17 Replies

Have been doing some reading and heard the combination of green tea and tumeric benefit cll. Has anyone gone that route? Happen to have it in house, excellent quality, for my partner was taking it for prostate cancer and got good results. For whatever reason he stopped and is now on chemo. Tried to encourage him to contine with natural choices but to no avail.

Can anyone recommend the dosage? I read tea extract one day, tumeric the next and continue that way. Supposedly better results not to take at same time.

Just diagnosed cll/sll stage 0 last week.

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AussieNeil profile image
AussieNeilPartnerAdministrator

The turmeric and green tea was only checked in vitro, there were no human studies. A recent Australian clinical trial of turmeric resulted in changes in lymphocyte counts in the 21 trial participants per the plot shown in this post: healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...

That's not a particularly encouraging result in my opinion, though perhaps the in vitro research might work in vivo if you can get a sufficiently high enough turmeric serum level.

The Mayo Clinic EGCG trial, using a pharmaceutical grade product called Polyphenon-E, which is no longer available, settled on 4 grams of EGCG per day for the phase II trial. One of the Mayo Clinic investigators, Dr Neil Kay, subsequently publicly advised those with CLL not to buy green tea over the counter, due to the unregulated supplements industry in the USA. Sadly, you don't know what is in what you are buying. (In Australia, supplements have to be registered with our Therapeutics Good Administration and known dangerous herbs are banned).

I've been taking green tea for about 2 grams of EGCG per day for over 10 years. A higher dose, perhaps in combination with another over the counter supplement in my first year with CLL, saw my liver function tests dramatically worsen until I stopped the other supplement and reduced my EGCG dose. I'm starting treatment soon due to worsening bone marrow infiltration reducing my platelet and haemoglobin counts, but my nodes haven't changed. I found out recently that I'm IgHV mutated, so perhaps that's why I've had a long watch and wait period, but I was diagnosed at stage IV, due to an enlarged spleen and cytopenias from significant bone marrow involvement.

Neil

Big_Dee profile image
Big_Dee in reply toAussieNeil

Hello AussieNeil

The December Consumers Report article that I mentioned that turmeric testing by FDA has found elevated levels of lead in some turmeric products to enhance a brighter color, so Therapeutics Good Administration testing is great idea.

wilhoitaz profile image
wilhoitaz in reply toAussieNeil

Neil --The Mayo study also showed enhanced apoptosis from EGCG -Cancer cells become casual concerning the signal to destroy themselves- improvement was shown.I was buying Kratom by the pound until I started Imbruvica 5 months ago---stopped to insure that there would be no conflict---may begin again-I still have 5 lbs--stocked up when FDA was threatening to make kratom illegal-then relented due to popular pressure.

I started taking turmeric 3x a day for my osteoarthritis, and there was a very notable difference in my pain. Turmeric in an anti-inflammatory, I feel it really helps the CLL nerve and bone pain as well. I was skeptical, but my best friend who studies nutrition as medicine nagged me and once I started taking it three times a day I felt much better after a few days.

123456SB profile image
123456SB in reply to

Thank you, I plan on doing the tumeric, not so much the green tea extract.

AussieNeil profile image
AussieNeilPartnerAdministrator in reply to123456SB

I have found that turmeric does help with inflammatory pain, but if you looked at the plots in the reference I provided above, I can't understand why you are opting for turmeric to hopefully improve your CLL. The trial was funded by a company that had developed a formulation of turmeric to greatly improve its bio-availability, which is the major obstacle with turmeric - obtaining a high enough blood serum level to hopefully trigger apoptosis in circulating CLL cells. I took the time to plot the data provided in the trial report paper. If the researchers had presented the data in that form, I don't think their sponsor would have been pleased.

Neil

cajunjeff profile image
cajunjeff

I discussed both green tea and turmeric with my Cll doctor, one of the lead Cll experts in the US. He told me to drink green tea if I like green tea, but not to expect any amount of green tea or turmeric will have any meaningful impact on my Cll cells dividing.

I suspect your partner chose chemo over natural remedies for his prostate cancer because chemo has been scientifically proven to treat prostate cancer and extend lives. No amount of green tea has been proven to have any meaningful impact on Cll or prostate cancer. Now there is some science to support the notion that ingredients in green tea have some small impact on Cll, but that the amount of green necessary to have meaningful impact on our Cll is toxic.

Welcome to the forum. With stage 0 Cll it hopefully will be many years before you need to treat and you will have some very exciting options then. We have exciting options now.

Purple_lady9999 profile image
Purple_lady9999

Turmeric is a good anti inflammatory as others said. I take 500 mg four times a day. I recently stopped taking algae oil because I suspected it might have caused my numerous subconjunctival hemorrhages(because of ibrutinib). I had terrible joint pain again, but after upping my dose from 2 to 4 times a day it finally started feeling better after about a week.

gingerlovesal profile image
gingerlovesal

My husband read up on the Tumeric trials during his W&W period. He had kidney issues within about two weeks of the dosage and was advised to stop. I would suggest talking to your physician or getting a physician/homeopathic (West meets East) healer as well BUT be sure to get blood baselines so that you can see spikes in unusual organ response. Good luck and stay well.

kaymack profile image
kaymack

I took green tea extract early in my CLL journey, when it was all the rage. It made me very nauseous and affected my formerly healthy liver function, so I stopped. There is no evidence I've heard of in my 10 years with CLL, that any supplement can truly slow progression of CLL, let alone cure it. A healthy, balanced diet and adequate exercise helps us deal with the condition and treatment of it, though.

Catnap7 profile image
Catnap7

On Turmeric for inflammation for years

and I feel it works

All the green tea did for me is gave me a 24/7 belly ache

Mamouchi profile image
Mamouchi

I quit taking both after a period of 6 month’s. I have stage 1 CLL with lymph nodes growing in the paraaortic area. I felt if it’s not helping decrease the growth then why co tinque to use it. I am taking Cannabis oil prescribed by a physician for my arthritis inflammation in many parts of my body. It works wonderfully

123456SB profile image
123456SB in reply toMamouchi

I use cannabis myself for pain and energy. Works great on pain and gets me motivated. Never realized how well it worked until the pain gets bad. We are lucky to have medical cannabis.

Hoffy profile image
Hoffy

I have posted a fair amount on the topic. Check out my past posts. Also the CLL society web site.

Look at the Mayo Clinic papers on green tea and turmeric.

If you go to high doses work with a doctor to check liver panels. Be well,

Hoffy.

123456SB profile image
123456SB in reply toHoffy

With all the feedback I am getting I have decided not to go the route of green tea though I may try tumeric, not in high doses, for inflammation. The pain can be bad and I have a bad spine from neck down with arthritis and degenerative disks along with the cll.

Hoffy profile image
Hoffy

I drink high-quality green tea in the morning. I have turmeric a little later.

I like the Rishi super match green tea brand. You can find it online or on Amazon .

Be well,

Hoffy

Sierrastar profile image
Sierrastar

I stared on Ibrutinib 3 weeks ago and if I consume curcumin or green tea I am covered from scalp to toes in burning hives lasting for at least an hour. Go figure!

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