Turmeric

Curcuma longa · 姜黄

Spices. Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine and Modern nutrition.

Also called Haridra, Haldi, Indian saffron, Jiang huang

Pinyin: Jiāng Huáng

Spanish: Cúrcuma

Sanskrit: हरिद्रा (Haridra)

Rare liver injury in supplements

A yellow root from South Asia used as a spice, and sold as a supplement mainly for joint and inflammation claims.

Did you know? The yellow color comes from curcumin, which food makers add as a dye to mustard, butter and cheese.

What it may help, and how strong the proof is

Joint pain & arthritis. Several trials of curcumin extracts (not plain powder) show less knee pain. Most trials are small and short.
Good proof
Inflammation. Lab studies show strong anti-inflammatory action. Human trials are small and mixed.
Early proof
Blood sugar. A few small trials suggest curcumin may modestly help blood sugar. The evidence is not strong.
Early proof
Digestion & gut health. Small trials of curcumin added to standard care for ulcerative colitis show some benefit.
Early proof

Parts of the body

Joints, Immune system, Pancreas & blood sugar, Gut & intestines, Stomach

Traditional use

Ayurveda uses turmeric for skin, wounds and digestion. Chinese medicine uses it to move blood and ease pain in the chest, shoulders and belly.

How it is classified

Herbal actions: Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Carminative, Circulatory. Energy: warming.
Ayurveda: Calms Vata and Kapha. Taste (rasa): bitter, pungent. Energy (virya): heating. After digestion (vipaka): pungent. Varnya (complexion), Kushthaghna (skin), Krimighna (anti-parasite), Raktashodhaka (blood purifier).
Chinese medicine: 姜黄 Invigorate blood. Nature: warm. Flavour: pungent, bitter. Enters the Spleen and Liver channels.

How people take it

Cooking uses about a teaspoon of powder a day. Trials of curcumin extracts often used around 500 to 1,000 mg of curcumin a day. Products with black pepper (piperine) absorb better.

Food, powder, capsule and tea.

Where to get it

Turmeric is a root grown in India, China, Indonesia and other warm areas. Buy the powder for cooking, or capsules and extracts. Choose products that list the curcumin content.

Be careful

Large doses can upset the stomach. Turmeric supplements have caused rare but serious liver injury, especially high-dose products with piperine. It can add to bleeding risk with blood thinners. It can worsen gallbladder problems and may raise the risk of kidney stones.

Avoid if: pregnancy; gallstones; bleeding disorders; before surgery; kidney stones; liver disease.

Mixing with other things

Works well together
Piperine boosted absorption of curcumin, the active part of turmeric, many times over in a small study of healthy adults.
Works well together
Both are bitter Ayurvedic skin herbs, and folk remedies often combine them.
Works well together
Both are warm root spices used together in Ayurvedic and everyday cooking.
Works well together
Both are used for joint pain in Ayurveda and appear together in some joint supplements.
Works well together
Both are used in Ayurvedic skin care and are sometimes combined in folk preparations.
Works well together
Both are fried in oil at the start of many South Indian dishes.
Works well together
Often used together in Southeast Asian curry pastes.
Works well together
A common pair in Indian tempering and pickling.
Use caution
Blood thinners (warfarin, Eliquis, Xarelto, Plavix, daily aspirin)
May add to bleeding risk with blood thinners and aspirin-like drugs.
Use caution
Diabetes medicine (metformin, insulin, glipizide, Ozempic)
May lower blood sugar, which can add to diabetes medicines.

Adds up with others that may slow blood clotting: , , , , , , , , , , , , , and 40 more.

Adds up with others that may lower blood sugar: , , , , , , , , , , , , , and 39 more.

Found in these formulas

Golden milk (Ayurveda)

The honest take

Turmeric is a safe spice in food. Curcumin supplements have some support for knee pain, but most trials are small and short. Claims about cancer or detox rest mainly on lab and animal work.