It spices up life, but does it heal?

The products: Humans have long believed in an almost magical connection between strong flavors and good health. The burn from the hot pepper? It must be energizing the body. The pungent tang of a raw oyster? It must be energizing a very particular part of the body. And the zingy sweetness of an Indian curry? For centuries, people in India have believed that the spice turmeric can ease digestive distress and arthritis.

In recent years, scientists have taken an intense interest in curcumin, a bright-yellow compound in turmeric that seems to fight inflammation -- in test tubes and lab rodents, at least. If it could fight inflammation in people too, it potentially could help ease arthritis and some digestive troubles, along with other conditions fueled by inflammation.

Curcumin's stock in the supplement world has been on the rise thanks to articles that have touted the compound as a possible treatment for Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis and various cancers.

The stories beneath the headlines almost invariably warn that more research is needed, but the marketing of curcumin is moving full steam ahead at health-food stores, in vitamin aisles and on Internet sites. Ageless Cures sells 60 caplets of Super Curcumin -- with at least 950 milligrams of curcumin a tablet -- for about $20. You can buy 60 caplets of Life Extension's Super Bio-Curcumin -- with a little less than 400 milligrams of curcumin a caplet -- for about $12.

The claims: The Ageless Cures website claims that "curcumin has shown to be very anti-inflammatory without any negative side effects and many additional positive benefits." Visitors to the site are told that curcumin's anti-inflammatory power makes it an effective treatment for arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and Alzheimer's disease.

In an online review of Super Bio-Curcumin, vitamin supplier Seacoast Vitamins claims that "just one capsule a day with food may help regulate inflammatory response in the body." According to the company's site, control of inflammation can translate into relief from rheumatoid arthritis and other types of pain.

The bottom line: If you require hard evidence for your remedies, you may want to keep your curcumin in the spice rack. For the most part, the tantalizing possibilities are still unproven, says Greg Cole, a UCLA professor-in-residence of neurology and associate director of the university's Alzheimer Disease Center who has been studying curcumin for several years. "It does a whole lot of things in a test tube," he says. "For people, the data are pretty weak."