Curcumin, a natural compound found in the spice turmeric, could help eliminate certain viruses, including a certain type of coronavirus, research has found.
A study published in the Journal of General Virology showed that curcumin can prevent Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) – an alpha-group coronavirus that infects pigs – from infecting cells. At higher doses, the compound was also found to kill virus particles.
The researchers used the Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus (TGEV), an alpha-coronavirus, and investigated the antiviral properties of curcumin against it.
The results demonstrated that curcumin strongly inhibited TGEV proliferation and viral protein expression in a dose-dependent manner. The more curcumin, the greater the virucidal effect. The researchers also observed that curcumin exhibited direct virucidal abilities in temperature- and time-dependent manner.
This is for the first time when the curcumin’s virucidal activity and virtual inhibition against TGEV were demonstrated, suggesting that curcumin might be a candidate drug for effective control of TGEV infection. In pigs. At least for now.
The results also bring curcumin’s effects and all the related research into a new perspective, which most likely will fuel new studies on turmeric and its health-related benefits.
Would you like to try a turmeric-rich recipe? How about this one?
