Antimicrobial Effects. Turmeric extract and the essential oil of Curcuma
longa inhibit the growth of a variety of bacteria, parasites, and pathogenic fungi. A
study of chicks infected with the caecal parasite Eimera maxima demonstrated that
diets supplemented with 1-percent turmeric resulted in a reduction in small
intestinal lesion scores and improved weight gain. Another animal study, in which
guinea pigs were infected with either dermatophytes, pathogenic molds, or yeast,
found that topically applied turmeric oil inhibited dermatophytes and pathogenic
fungi, but neither curcumin nor turmeric oil affected the yeast isolates.
Improvements in lesions were observed in the dermatophyte- and fungi-infected
guinea pigs, and at seven days post-turmeric application the lesions disappeared.
Curcumin has also been found to have moderate activity against Plasmodium
falciparum and Leishmania major organisms.