Tag Archive for: Traditional Medicine

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder that is increasingly affecting women in the reproductive age group. Women commonly experience menstrual irregularities, hirsutism, weight gain, and acne, as well as the development of a complex endocrine disorder that presents with oligomenorrhea, hyperandrogenism, and polycystic ovaries. Herbal medicine is a complex intervention with the potential for synergistic and antagonistic interactions between compounds. These drugs are essential for the treatment of PCOS and have fewer side effects compared to allopathic drugs. One of the herbal medicines to treat PCOS is turmeric or curcumin, curcumin has various biological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-tumor, cardioprotective and neuroprotective effects involving various mechanisms. Curcumin can stimulate insulin-mediated glucose uptake via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinsase (PI3K)/Akt pathway, which, in turn, upregulates glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) in adipocytes and skeletal muscle, leading to increased glucose levels. Curcumin supplementation improves glycemic control and lipid metabolism, and reduces oxygen radical species in PCOS patients. Curcumin is a diarylheptanoid derived from the rhizome of the Curcuma longa plant, which functions as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant which is very important in the treatment of PCOS. In addition, nearly half of patients with PCOS develop metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, and are associated with a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.