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Cucurmin and Herxheimer?

LisaGoddard

Senior Member
Messages
284
Hi,
After a few days of taking curcumin, I get a really horrible flu like feeling. This has put me off it. However, I wonder if it is a herxheimer reaction and if anyone has a similar experience? I gather curcumin is anti-inflammatory so I'm not sure why I should be getting a herx. Any advice?
Thanks,
Lisa
 
Messages
59
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
I have also read that curcumin increases th2 and cfs patients, some believe, are already th2 dominant. This may explain a worsening of symptoms (or not, really I am clueless). I gave up green tea and curcumin while I try to level out my th1/th2.
 

maryb

iherb code TAK122
Messages
3,602
Location
UK
Lisa I can't tolerate curcumin either, makes me feel quite ill - no idea why.
 

LisaGoddard

Senior Member
Messages
284
Thanks guys. Good to know I am not the only one. I found something a little while ago that said in rats, it increases th2 when given in low doses and decreases th2 at high doses. I won't try it again - not worth the risk.
Thanks again.
Lisa
 

Lotus97

Senior Member
Messages
2,041
Location
United States
Thanks guys. Good to know I am not the only one. I found something a little while ago that said in rats, it increases th2 when given in low doses and decreases th2 at high doses. I won't try it again - not worth the risk.
Thanks again.
Lisa
I've been experiencing herx from probiotics recently. I considered it was from die-off, but I read recently that probiotics can sometimes initiate a Th2 response in people so I'm considering that a possibility too. That said, a quick Google search shows that curcumin possesses antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties so you might just being experiencing die off. Also, I'm not sure if these lists about Th1/Th2 stimulants mean that they all active the same way. While curcumin is listed as a Th2 stimulant it also is supposed to inhibit cytokines.
 

CedarHome

Senior Member
Messages
131
So, I know this is an old thread but it's so handy when all the info on a particular item stays together..

RE: Finally figured out how to take Cucurmin?!


I've seen all kinds of recommendations for cucurmin- take with food, on empty stomach, with snack, before bed, anytime of day.

I have been trying a cucurmin/ bioprene tablet from Mega Foods ("Turmeric STRENGTH").
Adding it in with other supplements at a meal= no effect.
Taking it with snack before bed= wired all night.

Taking it with fat (peanut butter in this case) an hour before a meal= WHAMMO major effect.

About 4 hours after taking it I went into an intense -but- just- bearable episode that included:
-Slight difficultly breathing, almost like a very mild anaphylactic response (at first, this went away)
-Transient (bearable) joint pain (it was actually almost interesting to feel the pain move throughout my body from place to place)
-Sinus pressure
-"Helmet" type headache
-Inability to anything but lie down, doze and ride it out

The intense part lasted about 8 hours (luckily mostly evening) and then I was able to sleep fine

The only point of comparison I have is the first couple times I took NAC. Since I do seem to have a chlamydia pneumonia (CPN) load, and NAC is supposed to go after CPN, I assumed that the reaction was NAC hunting down and chomping on the CPN. After a while (few days? week?) I had no obvious response to NAC anymore.

So I'm wondering if the cucurmin was doing the same thing somehow, allowing my body to go after pockets of infection it can't usually get to.

Remembering "go slow" I might take a couple days to recover equilibrium before trying again. It felt therapeutic but crazy. Will do lots of detox support today.
 

CedarHome

Senior Member
Messages
131
Hello @CedarHome - Both curcumin and NAC can raise glutathione levels. Glutathione is a powerful detoxifying agent and can cause mild to severe detox symptoms.

Both curcumin and NAC cause me significant detox symptoms that are dose related, the higher the dose, the worse the detox symptoms.

Jim
aha. Thank you!
 

BadBadBear

Senior Member
Messages
571
Location
Rocky Mountains
Old thread, but I'm also having a herx type reaction from curcumin. Curcumin works amazingly well for my DOMS pain, better than Celebrex. Has anyone stayed on Curcumin and gotten through the herx? Does it eventually end?

Wondering if its a die off from something other than EBV as I've been on Famvir for 1.5 yrs+