Safety pharmacology history

Dourson ML and Stara JF (1983) Regulatory history and experimental support of uncertainty (safety) factors. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 3 224-238. 

The arguments offered above call for caution and the careful, however scientifically sound, evaluation of the safety of food items for human consumption. Close toxicological and pharmacological surveillance of nutritional products with additives and/or the history of chemical or physical processing is of paramount importance. The importance of this surveillance is demonstrated most convincingly by observations made recently in the field of hyperalimentation. Here the patient, deprived of the ability of oral food intake, is dependent on the intravenous infusion of solutions of essential amino acids. For solution stabilization sodium bisulfite was added. This presumed preservative, however, reacts with tryptophan (20) with the formation of products which affect liver tissue adversely (21). 

Based on a wide range of pharmacological effects and its history, and safety, curcumin has significant potential for use in cosmetic products. As an anti-inflammatory, it has been used in antiaging products. It is commonly used as a natural colorant (27), but has also found numerous uses as an antiseptic, in the prevention of dry skin, in the treatment of eczema and acne and the slowing down of wrinkles and aging. Turmeric and curcumin are found in facial masks, washes, lip balms, and sunscreens. Clinical supports of these label... 

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