http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3992969/
"Curcumin is a hydrophobic polyphenol isolated from dried rhizome of turmeric (Curcuma Longa Linn & zingiberaceae family), which is responsible for various pharmacological activities including anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory and expected to have medicinal benefits in arthritis, psoriasis, diabetes, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, multiple sclerosis, cancer and lung fibrosis.1,2 However, clinical usefulness of curcumin in the treatment of cancer is limited due to poor aqueous solubility, hydrolytic degradation in alkaline pH, metabolism via glucuronidation and sulfation in the liver and in intestine, and poor oral bioavailability."
Chidambaram M, Krishnasamy K. Drug-Drug/Drug-Excipient Compatibility Studies on Curcumin using Non-Thermal Methods. Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin. 2014;4(3):309-312. doi:10.5681/apb.2014.045.
