新奇事件簿 姜黄治疗大脑疾病（在线收听）

Scientists believe the spice turmeric could help the brain to heal itself. This is encouraging news for those affected by degenerative brain diseases. Researchers from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in Germany examined the effects of properties found in turmeric on rats. The researchers injected rats with a compound from turmeric. After scanning the rodents' brains, they found that parts of the brain known for nerve cell growth were more active. They say the spice could lead to new drugs for treating strokes, Alzheimer's and other diseases. Lead scientist Dr Adele Rueger said it was possible the compound could "boost the effectiveness" of our brain cells, and "help boost repair in the brain".

科学家认为香料姜黄能帮助大脑自我治愈。这对那些患有大脑衰退疾病的人是一则令人鼓舞的好消息。德国神经科学与医药研究所的研究人员研究了姜黄在小白鼠身上的效果特性。研究人员给小白鼠注射了从姜黄中提取的化合物。扫描小白鼠大脑之后，他们发现大脑中神经细胞变得更加活跃了。他们称，可以用香料研发新药物治疗中风，老年痴呆等其他疾病。首席科学家阿黛尔.吕格尔称，化合物可能会增加人类大脑的活力。并帮助修复大脑。

Research is still in its infancy and more trials are needed to see what potential it has for humans. Dr Laura Phipps, from the charity Alzheimer's Research UK, told the BBC that it was too early to decide whether or not the research will be groundbreaking. She said: "It is not clear whether the results of this research would translate to people, or whether the ability to generate new brain cells in this way would benefit people with Alzheimer's disease." She added: "We'd need to see further studies to fully understand this compound's effects in the context of a complex disease like Alzheimer's. Until then, people shouldn't take this as a sign to stock up on supplies of turmeric for the spice rack."

研究仍处于初始阶段，需要用更多实验来研究它对人类的作用。英国老年痴呆症慈善研究中心的劳拉.菲普斯告诉英国广播电视公司说，现在确定研究是否会有突破性进展还为时过早。她说，还不确定这一研究成果是否适合人类。也不确定通过这种方式产生的新的脑细胞是否可以治疗老年痴呆。她还说，我们需要深入研究全面解析这种化合物对那些复杂疾病的效果，如老年痴呆症等。目前，人们还不能将其作为囤积香料姜黄的迹象。