Turmeric Benefits: Health Uses & Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Folks, use caution when taking Curcumin. While the benefits are amazing, it has been proven to cause something called gall bladder squeezing (quite painful) and hair loss! My husband and I were taking one 500 mg capsule per day (with food) for about a year when I started experiencing the gall bladder squeezing sensation (as well as noticeable hair loss). I was afraid I had gallstones but an ultrasound showed no issues? My hairdresser was also alarmed at the amount of hair loss I was experiencing. I even had blood panels done to check my thyroid levels (which were completely normal). By fluke, I stumbled across an article on the possible side effects of the Curcumin, and once we cut back our dosage to three 500 mg capsules per week, the negative symptoms completely disappeared. Just be cautious about your dosing....

. I remember, my childhood in India, if I get hurt, mom used to put turmeric paste on wound. Also now if I have, bad cold/infection, I put turmeric in milk and in meal as well.

I add tumeric to my scrambled eggs while they are cooking and also add black pepper to them. I also sprinkle tumeric on my roast chicken in the oven.. it adds a great taste to it.

You can also add Turmeric to tomato pasta sauces, soups and stews.

Just a pinch of pepper will do, and it is best to take turmeric with a fat as it is more soluble that way so take it in warm milk or coconut milk or almond milk with a little honey... One more thing, I don't know if you have this where you are but the only thing that has turned my hands and feet around is an ointment called Bag Balm. It is used by farmers for cows, but humans use it too, and I have to say it was soothing, calming, and healing from the first use. I hope this helps you, sara

Hello, I was recently diagnosed with folliculitis over my whole body and Eczema on my hands and feet by my dermatoligist and I'm exploring some natural remidies. For a while I thought it was only Eczema over my entire body, but my Dermatoligst seems to think I have two separate conditons. So far I've tried the oral and topical steroids, topical antibiotics, and they seemed to work while I was using it, but as soon as I ran out it got bad again.

I have taken the ACV (apple cider vineager) with the mother in it (when I thought it was just Eczema), but stopped for a while after I got a stomach bug and had diareaha and vomiting and couldn't stomach the AVC. I'm now back on it for two days now (using 1-2 tsp in water 2-3 times a day according to back of the bottle) and now I'm also trying powdered Turmeric 1 tsp in a glass of warm water or sometimes in orange juice 2-3 times a day.

I'm only on day 2 of this, and I think I'm noticing some benfits. I don't itch as bad, the Eczema doesn't seem as raised or as irritated, and the red bumps from my folliculitis are not as pronounced and bright as they can sometimes get.

My question is this; I've read that Turmeric isn't that readily absorbed into the system and that you should take black pepper with it. If I'm taking 1tsp of powdered Turmeric in a glass of warm water how much black pepper should I add to it? Please advise, I want to make sure I'm getting the most out of the Turmeric as I can.

I have been trying various ways of taking turmeric but have not liked the taste. I have now concocted a turmeric smoothie. I don't measure but it's about 3/4 cup coconut milk, 1 banana, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 TBS honey and a dash of black pepper. I use a Vitamix, which can handle a lot more than a regular blender. I think a regular blender would work for the above. It makes a pretty thick drink.

With a Vitamix, you can also make an even more substantial drink by adding a cut-up fuji apple. A regular blender can't really pulverize the apple (I have friends who have tried it and it never worked.)

I am, in Ayurvedic lingo, pitta, even pitta imbalanced. If I take turmeric, it makes my pitta imbalance worse and I become irritable and my insomnia is aggravated and I get all kinds of other symptoms typical of pitta imbalance. For my wife, who is pitta weak, turmeric is perfect and balances her and helps her a lot.

Another handy way to ingest Turmeric is to put the powder in your mustard or honey-mustard bottle; great on sandwiches and chicken-wings maranade. You can put a huge amount in your mustard without noticing much of a change in the taste. Add black pepper to enhance the healing benefits of Tumeric!

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.

I am interested in trying tumeric tea for joint pain and have a question. Can this tea be made ahead as instructed and then reheated to a simmer in the microwave or would that destroy some of the properties of the components. Also, how often do you recommend that this be taken? Thank you.

RECIPE FOR RELIEVING JOINT PAIN
Gurudev Khar Khalsa, a Sat Nam Rasayan healer and Kundalini Yoga teacher in Los Angeles sent us this Ayurvedic tea for lubricating the joints. Gurudev tells us that the almond oil is a very important part of this recipe. Turmeric is called "the internal healer" in Ayurveda. Turmeric is also a blood purifier and is best known for its ability to help the female reproductive organs. Some research indicates that turmeric may be of value in preventing diabetes and cancer.

Recipe:
1/8 teaspoon turmeric, 3 cardamom pods (optional), 1/4 cup water. Simmer 5 to 7 minutes, then add : 1 cup of milk, 2 tablespoons almond oil (cold pressed). Bring just to the boiling point (but do not boil). Add honey or maple syrup to taste. Sip slowly as a hot tea.

I had aches and pains and even chiropractics and acupuncture didn't relieve it. I took turmeric and it relieved the aches and pains (joints mostly) and also has cleared up a great deal of my "brain fog". It's been incredible.

Turmeric is great against arthritis pain, but also for headache or other pains.

My spouse and I take daily turmeric with bromelain (2) capsules and experience no symptoms of arthritis. If we run out of them, we notice the difference right away. (450 each combo capsule from nat fac)

When a headache comes along or a sore throat we use 2 capsules, instead of aspirin or ibuprofen (in addition to our daily regimen).

Conventional medical providers acknowledge turmeric is equal to ibuprofen in pain relief. (And lots less side effects to worry about! )

Kerrstarr- It is all relative to each individual herb. Some herb contain the desired constituents when fresh and others when dried. As far as solubility, this depends on the chemical profile of the herb and which constituents you desire to extract. Different menstruums (carriers) may include water, alcohol, oil, and glycerite.

When preparing Turmeric, water and alcohol are suitable menstruums. Dried is the traditional way its used but some recent companies do tincture (alcohol) it fresh at 45% alcohol at a ratio of 1:1. I could not find a reference to the ethanol percentage used when tincturing dry but from the looks of it i'd say anywhere from 30-40% would be suitable at a ratio of 1:2 (Alcohol:herb). Turmeric may also be used in a decoction (boiling herb in water).

When studying herbs it is best to buy books from trusted herbalist and study one herb at a time. Each is unique in its own way.

-Daniel, Herbalist

Very good I suggest you that you can also mix some quantity of black peeper with turmeric for any type of tooth problem. Thanks

I have taken tumeric with a glass of warm milk for heartburn which I used to get often. Almond milk actually works much better and goat milk is the best.

Dear 1185d, you could try mixing the turmeric with coconut oil, then chilling it to make a tablet.

I also put it into hot coconut milk with honey.

Hello! I drink turmeric all day long, mixed with water and apple cider vinegar.

I'd like to know how I can create a concentrated turmeric substance so that I do not have to consume as much product/have a more potent substance that I can use. Any ideas? Thanks!

WARNING!

Any additives that you find in encapsulated herbals is inevitably going to be a "flow agent", or "packing agent". The flow agents allow the herb to travel through a hopper and into the capsules during the manufacturing process. It also helps the machine in that the parts do not get clogged up as much. The packing agents are for powders that are too slick - where they just fall all over and cannot be controlled. By adding rice or maltodextrin, the powder gets stickier and will pack into the capsules much more readily.

All manufacturers/encapsulators must follow strict FDA guidelines. Any additive must be at a very low percentage - so much so that a person's body will not exhibit side effects. These ingredients are listed as "inactive" so that persons with known allergies can avoid them.

I know, because I worked for NBTY (Nature's Bounty and Vitamin World) for many years.

There seems to be a growing consensus that Turmeric is generally poorly absorbed and that added Piperine (black pepper) enhances it's absorption. We're seeing more Turmeric products with this addition.

In terms of flavor and cooking, fresh Turmeric and Ginger both possess large differences over the dried versions... With Fresh often preferred for it's more complex flavor. I don't know if the therapeutic value is any greater... the general rule for Turmeric is 1/2 tsp dried for 1 inch of the fresh root or 1tsp fresh minced root.