One of the research challenges with curcumin, the medicinally active constituent of turmeric, is in detecting its metabolites post-digestion so as to determine its bio-availability. Here are some studies showing its bio-available metabolites when the herb is taken orally, and a means for increasing absorption/bowel permeability:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/en...s&list_uids=15501961

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/en...&itool=pubmed_docsum


And here's one of the recent UCLA studies that was part of the incentive to conduct a long-term human clincial trial, now underway, to treat Alzheimer's (reported on a previous thread) with oral doses of curcumin:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/en...s&list_uids=15590663

Here's a link to the UCLA Medical Research Center conducting the study on treatment of Alzheimer's with curcumin:


http://www.adc.ucla.edu/