Hepatoprotective Effects. Turmeric has been found to have a
hepatoprotective characteristic similar to silymarin. Animal studies have
demonstrated turmeric’s hepatoprotective effects from a variety of he-patotoxic
insults, including carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), galactosamine, acetaminophen
(paracetamol), and Aspergillus aflatoxin. Turmeric’s hepatoprotective effect is
mainly a result of its antioxidant properties, as well as its ability to decrease the
formation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In rats with CCl4-induced acute and
subacute liver injury, curcumin administration significantly decreased liver injury
in test animals compared to controls. Turmeric extract inhibited fungal aflatoxin
production by 90 percent when given to ducklings infected with Aspergillus
parasiticus. Turmeric and curcumin also reversed biliary hyperplasia, fatty changes,
and necrosis induced by aflatoxin production. Sodium curcuminate, a salt of
curcumin, also exerts choleretic effects by increasing biliary excretion of bile salts,
cholesterol, and bilirubin, as well as increasing bile solubility, therefore possibly
preventing and treating cholelithiasis.