Curcumin, the compound found in turmeric that gives curry its orange-yellow color, may block nicotine-induced cancers of the head and neck.  A study recently reported at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology in San Diego, found that curcumin was able to block the activation of an important pathway in the promotion of cancer cells.

Curcumin has been used in herbal medicine for its anti-inflammatory properties, but is now being studied for its protective role in several other cancers.

Approximately 40,000 Americans are diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year, and is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Eighty-five percent of cases have a history of tobacco use.  The exact component in tobacco that causes oral cancers is not definitively known.  Though the study mentioned above looked at nicotine,  the website for The Ohio State University Medical Center states that tobacco products contains over 60 carcinogens (cancer causing substances) and many other toxins including lead, arsenic, and cyanide that may contribute to the development of oral cancer.

While no one asserts that nicotine is good for your health, nicotine by itself has not been labeled as a carcinogen.  Therefore, given the choice between a.) nicotine and b.) using tobacco with all of its known carcinogens and toxins as a means to get the nicotine, we believe that nicotine alone would be the logical choice.  The key, of course, is being allowed the choice. If the FDA and Big Tobacco have their way, you will never be allowed that option.