Turmeric Benefits: Health Uses & Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Dear Earthclinic, Based on all feedback received for turmeric so far (as seen on your turmeric pages), I have created the following list of cures by turmeric:
(Note that I have included only those cures that readers have EXPERIENCED, and not included the cures that readers have just heard of, or read about.)

Turmeric Cures:
1. cured allergies,
2. cured hayfever,
3. breathing became free, sneezing eliminated,
4. arthritis cured in 7 days by taking 3 capsules a day, (people have combined turmeric with ginger or with flax oil for relief from arthritis), joint pains cured, body pains relieved, sciatic pain subsided,
5. healed boils,
6. healed MRSA boils,
7. eczema healed,
8. menopause symptoms calmed down,
9. provided relief in thrombocythemia,
10. cured asthma,
11. cured Heal Spurs (Plantar Fasciitis),
12. when applied on skin cured skin infections, cleared up acne with taken orally,
13. dry turmeric rubbed on bunion healed the pain,
14. turmeric with ginger, pepper, honey etc cured cold, cured cough,
15. cleared cystic acne,
16. cyst cured,
17. diabetic's experience: taking 2 caps of turmeric with each meal dropped blood sugar levels to normal after 2 hours of eating-so was able to stop medication gradually,
18. cured loose stools (1 tsp of turmeric in a glass of warm water), cured diarrhea, cured intestinal bleeding, cured gas, cured inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), relieved IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome),
19. turmeric and honey mixture stopped stomach ache,
20. overcome fatigue, energizes, elevates mood, mental fog lifted,
21. using turmeric powder with toothpaste while brushing turned dark gums into pink colored gums, teeth including front veneers brightened, strengthened gums and teeth,
22. kept inflammation/swelling way down,
23. became goiter-free,
24. cured puffy eyes,
25. melanoma disappeared,
26. eliminated PMS, menstrual cramps relieved within 10 minutes of drinking turmeric +milk,
27. swelling/inflammation of injury decreased,
28. sinus cleared,
29. prevented/stopped migraine, prevented headaches,
30. lost weight,
31. overcame pain and itch due to spider bite,
32. shrank bone bruise,
33. Used turmeric instead of ibuprofen during dental procedure-swirled turmeric in mouth after brushing teeth, letting it reach all gums, then swallowed it-gum pain eliminated and gum became totally healthy.

Side effects of excessive turmeric consumption: too much turmeric may lead to constipation or sweating (counter this by drinking plenty of water), accelerated heart beats, thinning of blood (not good for people on blood thinners)

I started taking turmeric mixed with coconut oil and black pepper diligently two months ago to help me with the inflammation in my body. I figured it couldn't hurt to try it.

All of my life I have been extremely allergic to cats whereas I was unable to stay in anyone's house who had a cat longer then 5 minutes before I started to sneeze, eyes started to water and ultimately ending in an asthma attack.

Something very interesting happened last week when I went into my neighbor's house. She has two cats. I am never able to step over the threshold but on this day I did to help her move a piece of furniture.

I was in there for a while before I noticed that I was not suffering. So when I got back home I went over the major changes that I had made in my life and the turmeric concoction was the only one that surfaced. So, Yes, it does work and for that I am GRATEFUL! I have suffered for 35 years with horrific allergies and now I am at peace.....

Today, I had an old injury come back to revisit me and finally say goodbye. Four days ago I started taking Turmeric, I had read under cures for gray hair one of the readers reporting her hair color coming back after treating herself for MRSA with turmeric. So I had some turmeric and decided to use it all up. Twice a day, morning and evening, I started taking 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric mixed with black pepper, flax milk and also 1 tablespoon Black Strap Molasses, also a gray hair cure, followed by a spoonfull of some kind of fat like coconut oil or peanut butter.

Something unexpected happened on the 4th day, 23 years ago I had a small firearms accident, where a .22 bullet blew up as I was trying to chamber it. A small piece of metal shrapnel embedded in my skin on my belly and the injury healed over with the metal inside. Today, the small piece of metal worked its way out to the surface. Turmeric or coincidence? 23 years and no improvement, I start one of my alternative treatments and I started noticing my old injury after the 2nd day. On the fourth day I noticed like a big pimple over the old injury. I squeezed it and it opened up. I cleaned out the area and the tiny fragment of metal came out with it. I have no answer for this but Turmeric does have anti-inflammatory properties. Maybe the Turmeric aided in the shrapnel in finally working its way out of my skin? Or was it just a coincidence?

WOW. For about 3 weeks now I have been taking 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric every day. My allergies are GONE. It worked in a matter of days. It works so well that I can hardly remember how bad my allergies used to be. I know that I was miserable and I was trying all kinds of over-the-counter crap from the pharmacy that wasn't working or made me feel worse. But turmeric... ahhhhh what relief!!! I used to have to sleep with a roll of toilet paper next to my head because I would wake up and blow my nose 6 or 7 times in the night. None of that now!!! No symptoms at ALL now unless I forget to drink my turmeric tea for 2 days.

This is how I take it: dissolve 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder in hot water (I get the powder from the spice section in my natural food store). I add a tiny amount of coconut oil because I read that turmeric works better if you take it with a little fat. Then I add a spoonful of blackstrap molasses because I like the taste. Keep stirring as you drink it so that the spice doesn;t settle at the bottom. I drink this any time during the day, just once a day. I had allergy problems my whole life- allergic to everything. Now I never even sneeze!!!!! I am so thankful. Hope this helps someone else.
:-)
~Rebekah

Turmeric has changed my life in just 2 weeks! I have had extremely painful arthritis of the hands for about 2 years, that prevented me from sewing, gardening, housework, many things I previously enjoyed. I could barely hold a book or a glass. I started taking 1 tsp of turmeric root powder a day which I put into empty capsules I bought at the health food store and it is an absolute miracle! The pain is 80 -90% gone. I have strength back in my hands and can do normal activities again.

Another plus is a scalp condition I have had for about 20 years seems to have cleared up completely! All this after only two weeks of taking turmeric root powder!

I just want to thank the people who set up this website. I was experiencing paintful arthritis in both shoulders and I found your site and read about using Turmeric. That was several weeks ago and now I can truly say that taking the Turmeric has changed everything! The pain is nearly gone. I still have some slight discomfort, but nothing like I was going through before the Turmeric. I am praising God for His wonderful herbs and for inspiring all of the folks who write in with their testimonies. I take two 400 mg capsules three times a day and one 500 mg ginger capsule 3 times a day. This site is the best!!! Plus, I have contacted several people on the site who were so helpful and responded with great advice and encouragement. Health and blessings to all.

Turmeric for Crohn's disease & Arthritis

I started taking turmeric for arthritis and got my mother who is 69 taking turmeric pills as well, 600 mg per day in one pill. If I run out of pills for longer than 4-5 days my knuckles start hurting and it's hard to bend my index finger. I make sure I don't run out any longer.

My mom has been faithful about taking the turmeric pills and just recently mentioned how she thinks it is helping with her Crohn's disease. She had emergency surgery in 1992 for an obstruction and they removed a large portion of small intestines and colon. It was due to Crohn's disease but they didn't diagnose it until after the surgery.

Since the surgery in 1992, my mom has narrowed down what foods bother her to eat. She cannot digest any kind of fat. Red meats, fried foods, nothing with fat digests and if she eats anything with fat she gets bad diarrhea sometimes all night long.

Since she has been taking the turmeric she has noticed that when she cheats and eats pizza or french fries (knowing full well what she will endure later after eating those fatty foods) she has found that she isn't bothered by the fat now and doesn't get the bad diarrhea.

She does take 2 different over the counter digestive enzyme pills with fattening meals to help digest the fat but she has always taken those pills. But now with taking the turmeric pills she can eat more of what she wants to eat without any of the consequences which is a blessing since she is so thin.

Hope this helps someone else. Reading this site has helped me and my family out tremendously. I encourage everyone to give feedback. You never know when it might help someone.

I vote "yea" for Turmeric as a cure for allergies:

I suffered from hayfever type allergies seemingly constantly since we moved to our new house in Jan of '07. During that summer, my symptoms were so severe I couldn't be outside for 5 minutes without having a severe hayfever attack. I took OTC meds daily but they were getting harder to buy as they all got moved behind the pharmacy counter, plus they took hours to start working.

I sought out earth clinic and wrote down my top 5 cures for allergies, thinking I would start trying them in the spring of '08. But in the Winter of '07 I rescued a rabbit that needed to eat hay twice a day. Of course I was allergic! I decided to try Turmeric as it was the cheapest remedy. I started taking 2 capsules a day (720 mg caps) in February '08. Within 5 days I noticed a great improvement. After a few months with this regime, I started noticing my allergies getting less severe and less frequent. After 4 months, my husband told me, "You don't have allergies anymore!"

Now, 7 full months later (and past pollen season), I am down to 1 capsule per day as maintenance, and take an extra one if I have congestion. I am so thankful for this simple cure! The world is open to me again: I can go outside without bringing a snot rag. I can brush my cats daily with no symptoms. I can clean the cat litter without having a reaction to the dust. I can feed my rabbit and not suffer. I was able to bring my feather bed back out of storage and use it with confidence cause I'm not allergic to it anymore! I do still have problems with mold when it rains, but just clogged sinuses not the severe reaction I used to get. An extra turmeric capsule and I'm fine. Gotta love it!

Hello!

Firstly, your site is amazing!!! Thanks.

I cured my bleeding gum problem of many years by using turmeric powder as a toothpaste. I would first brush my teeth normally with toothpaste and then wash out and then my next round of brushing I use tumeric powder and apply it to the brush and start brushing away. The turmeric kills of any bacteria that lives in the gums which cause the bleeding and its great for your mouth as a whole. Whenever I used to ask my dentist how to cure my bleeding gums he would just tell me to come into his surgery for a scale and clean for the teeth which costs almost $200 australian dollars. I ignored it and it struck me that turmeric is a great anti-bacterial so that should fix my problem. I now brush this daily and my gums have never bled since, and it costs just a few dollars. Be warned, turmeric stains yellow and although this HARDLY ever affects the color of your teeth but if you want to be super sure then finish the last round of brushing using pure baking soda, this will remove any small turmeric leftover, keep your mouth in an alkeline state and super brighten your teeth!

Best of luck!

I use turmeric powder straight from the pantry to make a tea for my allergy symptoms. I boil a cup of water to which I add 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and a pinkie-size bit of ginger which I crush, skin and all, into a soft, mushy state before putting it in. Once it come to a boil, I take it off the stove, strain it and add one tbs of organic apple cider vinegar and one tsp of locally sourced raw honey. Blend and sip. I just made it this morning and itchy eyes, sneezing and runny nose just went away half an hour later. I also use the neti cup morning and night and sleep at night with a humidifier with five drops of 3 per cent hydrogen peroxicide. These do help but I truly feel that it is the turmeric-ginger-vinegar-honey combo that lets me get through the day.

I've always used turmeric, not for therapeutic reasons, however. Mainly as a spice. The last couple of days I've drinking it as a tea because of joint and muscle pains and it works, I must say. But what I did notice the next day after I first started drinking it was that the bags under my eyes, which I've had for over ten years now seemed somehow smaller. As of writing, and this after only two days, they're even less pronounced. I can only thank the turmeric for this, because nothing else has changed in my diet.

Turmeric for beautiful skin -

My mom suggested that I use tumeric powder as a paste on my face to remove some dark spots around the crease of my mouth. Having tried it several times over the past 2 weeks (not quite every day), I can say pretty confidently that it has been the best thing I have ever used on my skin, even beating ACV.

It is a commonly known home remedy among Indian people, since we use tumeric powder (or hardi/haldi, as we call it here) daily in curries, in tea and also in Hindu prayers. In fact, during Hindu weddings, which can last for days, we have something called Hardi ki Raat (the Night of Tumeric, lol), when the bride's whole body is consistently rubbed down with tumeric and coconut oil for hours during general festivities so that her skin looks amazing on her wedding night. Well, I wonder why we ever switched to store-bought stuff, since this works so well!

Needless to say, it did remove those marks and the dark areas under my eyes which I've always had (and my mom and grandma also have). It generally evens the tone of my skin to a very noticeable extent. It tightens the pores and makes my skin very smooth and even gives it a beautiful warm, healthy glow - which is amazing as I have PCOS and my skin has suffered many hormonal ravages. Though my PCOS is under control, I sometimes get one or two pimples and the tumeric starts drying them up upon application so that they never develop. It is also the only thing that helped the dry patches of skin on my legs left from recently using a soap that I was allergic to - clearing it up and leaving it healed in 2 days after a few days of it not healing on its own.

I basically use it by mixing 1 tbsp. in a small bowl with some milk and a bit of sugar (as a mild exfoliant). I rub my face and any other problem areas with this and leave it on for as long as possible before I shower, usually for about 15-20 mins.

One **major warning** is that tumeric stains very easily and it is difficult to get out of fabric, which is why I apply it while naked and before a bath. It can slightly stain your nails too, so I use it at night and the color fades by morning. I'm experimenting with using something thicker than milk as a base, such as honey or beeswax, so it doesn't drip everywhere. I tried using 1 tbsp. tumeric in some honey with a tiny splash of ACV and sugar, which worked fantastically, even better than the milk.

You can try a lot of different things, but the tumeric itself is great for your skin!

You can take turmeric powder Quarter spoon in water on an empty stomach for good absorbtion. it will definitely prevent cancer, cataract, artheritis. malaria any inflanmmation & even snake bite lethality I as a scientist working on turmeric for last25 years can vouch for its excellent biological properties good luck
leela

I had knee pain for years. My knees were so swollen I could not even see them. The doctor prescribed NSAIDS, but I am not sure how much difference it made. I bought various things for arthritis, but nothing really helped. It did no harm. Then I started to read up on it, and most things i took contained Ginger, tumeric and others. I started taking Tumeric on its own 3 capsules a day and within 7 days my knees were almost pain free!!! i would recommend tumeric to anyone..

In response to a post from 2012:

Posted by Emma (Europe) on 11/08/2012
Does anybody know how much is safe to take of tumeric for inflammation. I see you can get 400mg tablets/capsules. Also would it be safe to take with medication.Thanks

I've use Turmeric powder for years with huge success for numerous health reasons.

I use it for inflammation, pain, to detox my liver, eye ( macular degeneration ), cancer prevention ( had 2 previous cancers ), neuroprotective agent, H. PYLORI, anti-oxidant properties, anti-bacterial properties, indigestion, sleep deprivation, colds and flu cure and prevention.... just to name a few.

As for the dosage.....well in my opinion that depends on a person's blood pressure levels.

Typically my daily dosage needed is only 1/4 tsp along with 1/8 tsp of black pepper ( black pepper increases the bio availability ) as turmeric is not easily absorbed into the body without it and you would need a ton for it to actualy be effective in any way otherwise.

However, if I caught a cold or flu then I would take the dosage two times per day, once in am then once in pm ( basically 12 hours apart ) along with a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt ( will explain salt in a bit ).

The best way for me to take it has been in a bit of warm low fat lactose free milk, but I also love it in mashed potatoes, soups especially cream of mushroom along with 2 cloves of garlic ( always waiting 15 mins after crushing the garlic to release the allicin which is the actual healing good stuff ) .

I won't take capsule form due to the fact that it's less expensive in powder form, I like to put it in lactose free milk or soup or mashed potatoes, capsule form doesn't include the much needed pepper for bio availability either.

When I first started taking turmeric, about 10 years ago...I started with 1 tsp. ( some times more ) and for me I had no beneficial results and instead felt lightheaded and generally unwell but kept taking it thinking it needed more time to work. I was wrong, turns out that less is more and not only that but it turns out that it was considerably bringing down my already low blood pressure which is why I had been having all the lightheadness and general unwell feeling because for me it was bringing my blood pressure to dangerously low levels.

Now the reason I add a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt to each dosage is if I catch a cold, flu or my body is in some type of viral crisis and I need to take 2 daily dosages so then to ensure my blood pressure doesn't bottom out I add the salt.

I found all this out the hard way, so if you are one of the rare ones like me with low blood pressure then I wouldn't suggest exceeding the daily dosage of 1/4 tsp along with 1/8 tsp of black pepper.

If however, I do get high blood pressure in the future then I will at least now know to increase the dosage in order to bring it back down but otherwise I will keep it at the same effective and safe daily dosage for me.

As for the drug interactions question, this is what I have found: Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs) interacts with TURMERIC
Turmeric might slow blood clotting. Taking turmeric along with medications that also slow clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding.
Some medications that slow blood clotting include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, others), dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox), heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), and others.

I personally would also be concerned with any blood pressure lowering drugs and/or supplements, herbs that lower blood pressure when taking turmeric in too large of dosage.

Hope this helps to answer your questions.

Hi, Melanie! There's widespread advice to source the best turmeric powder you can; organic, reputable company/distributor, etc. That being said, I've read a lot of positive feedback from people using the turmeric available at their local grocery. I took a chance and bought a one pound bag of organic powdered turmeric from Amazon and have been happy with the results. I make a Golden paste with turmeric, water, fresh ginger (or powdered - both work! ) maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg (only freshly grated as the flavor is superior), coconut oil, and a pinch of salt. Sometimes I add cayenne or cumin. It really depends on what I have on hand. This gets made into a hot drink. Since I've given up coffee and black tea, I've developed a deeper appreciation for more beneficial drinks and this is at the top of my list. Keep on the quest for better health!