Summary
Turmeric is a richly hued and strong-tasting spice that’s venerated on the Indian subcontinent for its spiritual significance, culinary uses, and medicinal power. And lately, it’s been marketed as a superfood supplement promising protection from disease and increased longevity. So what does scientific research say about turmeric? Does it live up to its hype? Does it have any side effects in high doses? Is it dangerously high in lead? And what’s the best way to consume it?
The International Olympic Committee sometimes adds new events to the Olympics. Recent sports being considered for inclusion are kickboxing, karate, squash, flag football, and breakdancing.
Those are all well and good, but what would seriously make my day is an Olympic event highlighting the foods that do the most to support health and longevity.
If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on turmeric to win the gold. And that would be fitting since turmeric is known in India as “haldi,” the Golden Spice. It earned its nickname not just from its bold yellow-gold color but its associations with prosperity, purity, and good fortune.
In India, powdered turmeric features prominently in a traditional pre-wedding ceremony. Turned into a yellow paste, it’s applied liberally to the bride and groom’s bodies to bring them good fortune and ward off the evil eye. Unmarried friends and family members may also benefit, as whoever gets touched by the paste will supposedly find an attractive partner soon.
In addition to its ritual uses, turmeric is revered in India for its powerful medicinal properties. Long a mainstay of Ayurveda, the Indian healing tradition, as well as Traditional Chinese Medicine, turmeric is now being extensively studied by modern science for its potential health benefits.
In fact, lab studies show that turmeric has strong anti-inflammatory activity. And researchers are studying it for a long list of chronic conditions, though the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says there isn’t yet enough evidence to say for sure that turmeric or curcumin helps with any of them.
As a result, turmeric has achieved virtual superfood status in the industrialized world, bottled into a variety of supplements. But is it effective in supplemental form? And if you get it through food, how much is enough? Can you get too much? And should you be concerned about lead exposure?
Let’s dive into the world of turmeric and explore the evidence about the health benefits and risks of the Golden Spice.
What Is Turmeric?
Turmeric, or Curcuma longa to botanists, is a plant in the ginger family (called Zingiberaceaea, which would get me knocked out of a spelling bee if I didn’t have it written out in front of me). Other members of that family include galangal and cardamom.
Turmeric is native to Southeast Asia, where it’s now grown commercially (primarily in India) and used as a cooking spice.
There are over 50 different cultivars of turmeric, with the most common being the Madras and Alleppey varieties.
The culinary part of the plant is its rhizome (underground stem). Think gingerroot, just a bit skinnier and a whole lot yellower. As a spice, it has a slightly bitter, pungent, and nutty taste. And its intense hue can range from yellow to gold to orange. It’s the main spice in many curry powders and the one that gives them their distinctive color.
Turmeric has both culinary and medicinal uses. Around the world, almost one billion people use it daily as a cooking spice. You can eat the rhizomes whole, either cooked or raw. And you can also use them dried and ground into a spice powder. In addition to its culinary uses, turmeric is also used as a preservative for food and as a coloring agent for mustards.
Turmeric and extracts made from it are also consumed as a supplement, orally in capsule or liquid form, or even as a paste.
Turmeric Nutrition
Turmeric, like a lot of other spices, is a rich source of many essential minerals. These include iron (the nonheme variety), copper, manganese, zinc, magnesium, and potassium. Fresh turmeric also delivers a small amount of fiber.
Turmeric’s big claim to fame, though, is its curcuminoids — the compounds that give the root not just its yellow color but also many of its health benefits. The main curcuminoid is curcumin, which, despite its name, doesn’t come from cumin. Curcumin is a polyphenol, a plant compound that acts as an antioxidant in our diets and has disease-fighting properties.
For more on polyphenols, check out our full article here.
The Benefits of Turmeric
At the top of this article, I said that turmeric could win a gold medal at the Nutrition Olympics. Let’s look at the evidence that leads me to give the spice a 10 out of 10.
Turmeric Anti-Inflammatory Benefits
Curcumin is often used as an anti-inflammatory agent in Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. And many studies have put this application to the test.
A 2019 article reviewed test-tube and animal studies where curcumin showed protective effects against several gastrointestinal problems that were caused or worsened by inflammation (our view on the use of animals in medical research is here). These included acid reflux, Barrett’s esophagus (where the esophageal lining experiences damage from acid reflux), and H. pylori infection of the stomach.
Curcumin has also shown promise in reducing the effects of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It seems to work by helping to calm cells that are involved in inflammation. As a result, it’s theorized that curcumin could be a treatment option for reducing IBD flare-ups.
A 2021 systematic review also found curcumin to be effective in lessening the pains of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by reducing inflammation, swelling, and pain, though nearly all of the 51 studies it included were done in test tubes or animals. The only human study among them was a 1980 study out of India that found curcumin supplementation helped reduce morning stiffness and joint swelling in patients with RA.
Turmeric and Blood Sugar
Curcumin also shows great promise in treating and perhaps even preventing type 2 diabetes. A 2021 systematic review of 16 clinical trials provided evidence that the compound may achieve these results by reducing inflammation and blood sugar levels.
And a 2023 meta-analysis of human trials found that turmeric can help lower blood sugar and hemoglobin A1c levels in people with type 2 diabetes, though the average effect was modest: fasting blood sugar fell by about 8 mg/dL. The trials also found some other welcome effects. They included lowering LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, insulin resistance, and markers of inflammation. The results appeared to be dose-dependent — that is, the more turmeric people consumed, the greater the effects. These trials added turmeric to standard diabetes care rather than replacing it. If you take diabetes medication, you may want to talk with your health care provider before adding a turmeric supplement, since some herbs and medicines interact.
Turmeric and Brain Health
Because of curcumin’s anti-inflammatory and other beneficial properties, it’s being studied as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. The challenge is to deliver the curcumin in a way that enables it to easily cross the blood-brain barrier. Researchers are trying to make the compound more bioavailable by binding it to “carrier molecules.”
A 2022 review article reports that curcumin may also help protect the brain from some of the effects of poor sleep, a common problem in Alzheimer’s disease. This is important because your body requires quality sleep to “do maintenance” on the brain and clean out harmful substances — so Alzheimer’s and poor sleep make for a vicious cycle of increasing brain damage. So far, though, the sleep findings come from animal studies, and the small human trials in people with Alzheimer’s that the review describes found no clear improvement in memory or thinking.
Turmeric and Cancer
Lab and animal research suggest that curcumin can help prevent the initiation of cancers and slow their development once they’ve occurred. How does it do this? Researchers believe that its anticancer mechanisms include inhibiting cellular growth, reducing the invasion and migration capabilities of cancer cells, enhancing programmed cell death, reducing inflammation, and favorably altering the intestinal microbiome.
Based on studies of which molecules curcumin targets in cancer cells, it may be that curcumin could be particularly effective in combating prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and head and neck squamous cell cancer.
And according to a 2020 review article, several studies suggest that adding curcumin to chemotherapy treatment regimens enhances the efficacy of both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This combination may extend the survival times of patients, boost the levels of proteins that prevent the spread of cancerous tumors, and alleviate adverse effects. But a 2023 review limited to randomized controlled trials found that curcumin didn’t improve overall survival or the time before cancer progressed, and concluded the evidence isn’t yet strong enough to support using it as a cancer treatment. If you’re being treated for cancer, you may want to talk with your oncology team before taking curcumin, since some herbs and medicines interact.
Turmeric and Heart Health
A 2017 meta-analysis found that the curcumin in turmeric might help lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. It seems particularly effective in reducing cholesterol levels in people with metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease.
There are several conditions that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. And these conditions all share several underlying factors: oxidative stress, impaired mitochondrial function, metabolic irregularities such as changes in lipid levels and glucose processing, as well as inflammatory responses. Curcumin demonstrates a wide range of effects that target these particular factors, suggesting that it could reduce the risk of heart disease in some of the most vulnerable populations, including older adults as well as those who are obese and/or have type 2 diabetes.
Curcumin Bioavailability
To recap, science has begun to test what many cultures have believed for centuries: that turmeric has powerful medicinal properties that can help treat a wide variety of diseases and conditions. But much of the data and recorded health benefits of turmeric have been based on studies that used supplements and extracts of curcumin rather than whole turmeric root or turmeric powder.
This creates a challenge, because we know that human bodies aren’t great at absorbing curcumin, either from food or in supplemental form. That’s because curcumin is what’s known as hydrophobic, which doesn’t mean it’s afraid of swimming pools. Rather, it’s very poorly absorbed in water, which makes it hard for your body to get the compound into the cells where it can do good. That means the underlying science is unavoidably muddy since it’s hard to know what dose of curcumin a patient has absorbed. You can only tell the amount given.
Fortunately, researchers have begun finding ways to increase curcumin’s bioavailability.
1. Turmeric and Black Pepper
When you eat dishes that contain turmeric, you may absorb more curcumin if you add black pepper. This gives you the synergistic compound piperine, which may enhance the serum concentration, absorption, and bioavailability of curcumin. One study found that people who ate piperine along with curcumin absorbed 20 times more of the curcumin than people who didn’t receive black pepper. (If you’re looking to make this sound impressive, you can also say that black pepper increases curcumin bioavailability by 2,000% — which is just a fancy way of adding two zeros and a percent sign.)
That study was small, though: eight people. More recent trials have been less impressive. A 2021 study of 30 healthy adults found no significant difference in absorption when curcumin came with piperine, and a 2025 study also found no benefit. So a pinch of black pepper with your turmeric is a tasty habit, but how much it helps is uncertain.
You can take advantage of this finding by following Dr. Greger’s advice: Every day, consume a quarter teaspoon of dried turmeric with a pinch of black pepper.
2. Eat Turmeric with a Healthy Fat
Another way to increase the bioavailability of curcumin is to eat a healthy fat along with your turmeric. That’s because, while curcumin isn’t very soluble in water, it gets along really well with fat. Traditional Indian cuisine reflects this insight, as Indian dishes that include turmeric are often cooked with coconut milk, vegetable oil, or ghee.
If you want to stick to whole plant foods, remember that nuts, seeds, and avocados are generally good sources of healthy fat that can increase curcumin bioavailability as well.
Here are some of our favorite turmeric-containing recipes to help you get more of the Golden Spice into the cells of your body.
3. Curcumin Supplements
Researchers have also found ways to increase the bioavailability of supplemental curcumin.
Nanoparticle Curcumin
One is by encapsulating the curcumin in nanoparticles, which are just like regular particles, but a lot more nano.
Okay, okay. I’ll look it up for you: Nanoparticles are very (very, very) small particles measured in nanometers, and a nanometer is one-millionth of a millimeter. The thing about nanoparticles is that at that size, they behave differently than larger particles, both on a physical and chemical level. And one of those differences is in the way they can dissolve in water while protecting the curcumin they’re surrounding.
Micellar Curcumin
A second technique for increasing the bioavailability of supplemental curcumin is to chemically change it to a micellar form. Micelles are very small lipid molecules that act as a carrier for fat-soluble curcumin and make it water-soluble, which allows the curcumin to sneak in, so to speak.
But does that actually work? Well, to put it to the test, researchers conducted a study, published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research in 2014. They gave 23 healthy adults a single 500-mg dose of curcuminoids in either a native curcumin powder, micronized powder, or liquid micelles, and then measured blood levels of curcuminoids in the 24 hours that followed. The researchers found that, compared to the native curcumin, the micronized powder conferred a 9-fold increase in absorption. That sounds pretty impressive until you hear about the winner — the liquid micelle format, which led to a 185-fold increase.
In their discussion, the researchers also compared their bioavailability results with those found in other studies on bioavailable curcumin forms, including the use of the piperine found in black pepper (which led to a 20-fold increase in bioavailability), turmeric essential oils (which had a 7-fold higher bioavailability), and curcumin incorporated into lecithin (which conferred a 4-fold better absorption). They concluded that their micellar version appeared to outperform every formulation tested before it. The study had industry help, and it’s worth knowing whose. One author founded and runs AQUANOVA, the company that holds patents on this micelle technology and sells the curcumin micelles. Two others worked for a company that makes micronized curcumin. According to the paper, the companies developed and supplied the formulations, and researchers at the University of Hohenheim collected and interpreted the data.
A third method of increasing bioavailability is to create liposomal conjugated curcumin. Liposomes are tiny spherical structures made up of lipid bilayers that can carry therapeutic agents like drugs or natural compounds. Like micellar curcumin, liposomal curcumin has an outer membrane that bonds with water, which allows the fat-loving curcumin inside to enter human cells more readily.
Downsides & Risks of Turmeric
The way curcumin is vying for that nutritional gold medal, you might think that the more of it you get, the better. But there are several reasons to be cautious about overconsumption of the Golden Spice.
Human studies have used widely varying amounts of turmeric, and doses up to about 8 grams (roughly a tablespoon) a day appear to be well tolerated. And participants have taken these amounts sometimes for more than a month.
And while traditional Indian diets may include as much as a teaspoon of turmeric per day (or about an inch of fresh turmeric root), supplemental forms of curcumin with enhanced bioavailability could deliver the equivalent to cups of turmeric — definitely not a dose that you could achieve by eating real food.
According to the European Food Safety Authority and the World Health Organization, the acceptable daily intake value of curcumin is 0–3 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. So someone weighing 150 pounds (68 kilograms) is advised to limit their consumption to 204 milligrams of curcumin per day, or approximately 1 tablespoon. Although curcumin has been found to be safe at doses of 8 grams per day in both phase I and phase II clinical trials, there is some concern that very high doses, perhaps especially when combined with enhanced bioavailability, could lead to some side effects.
Turmeric Side Effects
Too much turmeric might possibly be able to cause DNA damage — at least, that’s what researchers have found in test-tube studies. So people who are pregnant, in particular, may want to moderate their turmeric consumption and talk with their health care provider before taking turmeric supplements, which the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says may be unsafe during pregnancy. High-dose curcumin also appears to thin the endometrial lining, which can interfere with in vitro fertilization.
Turmeric helps the gallbladder pump more vigorously, which is one way it can protect the liver and even prevent gallstones. But if there’s already an obstruction in the bile duct, those additional gallbladder contractions can cause a lot of pain.
Moderating turmeric consumption may also be a good idea for people with a predisposition to forming kidney stones. That’s because turmeric is high in oxalates, which can bind to calcium to form calcium oxalate, the key ingredient in about 75% of all kidney stones. (Some curcumin products, however, contain little to no oxalate.)
And in some people, high doses of turmeric may also cause gastrointestinal problems, including diarrhea, constipation, flatulence, and nausea.
The most serious concern is liver injury. Turmeric appears to have become the most common cause of herbal-related liver injury in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health’s LiverTox database. It’s rare, and the reported cases involved turmeric supplements rather than turmeric used in cooking.
Liver damage has been reported in some people taking products designed for higher absorption, including some combined with black pepper extract, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health cautions that these highly bioavailable formulas may harm the liver.
One US network that tracks supplement-related liver injury identified 10 turmeric cases between 2004 and 2022, six of them after 2017. Five were hospitalized and one died of acute liver failure, though most people recovered fully. Seven of the 10 carried a gene variant, HLA-B*35:01, that also shows up in liver injury from green tea and some other herbal supplements. Since nobody tests for it routinely, there’s no way to know in advance whether you carry it. Which is a good argument for knowing the symptoms.
If you take a turmeric or curcumin supplement and notice fatigue, nausea, poor appetite, dark urine, or yellowing of the skin or eyes, the center advises stopping it and talking with your health care provider. In the reported cases, symptoms typically began one to four months after starting, so feeling fine in the first few weeks isn’t a reason to stop paying attention.
Turmeric can also act as a blood thinner, which means it may interact with several classes of medications, including blood thinners, aspirin, and diabetes drugs. If you take any medication, you may want to talk with your health care provider before using turmeric supplements
Lead in Turmeric
There’s one more issue with turmeric that isn’t about the plant itself, but its preparation.
Turmeric powder from Bangladesh and India sometimes contains lead chromate, which enhances the spice’s appearance by making it a brighter shade of yellow. Which is to say, some turmeric powder is contaminated with lead.
There’s no safe level of lead; it can seriously damage reproductive, neurological, and cardiovascular systems — especially in children. If you want to protect yourself and your family from possible lead contamination, the best option is to buy fresh turmeric root or to choose brands that test for lead and other heavy metals. Organic certification doesn’t include heavy-metal testing, and in Consumer Reports’ 2021 tests, organic spices didn’t come out any cleaner than conventional ones.
To be extra safe, you can contact manufacturers to ask if they test for lead and other metals. California’s Proposition 65 seeks to protect, or at least inform, consumers by providing warnings about lead in foods like ground turmeric.
Use Turmeric in Good Health — Thoughtfully
Turmeric, the Golden Spice, has long been venerated in India and other Asian countries for its vibrant hue, culinary appeal, and medicinal qualities. Rich in curcuminoids, turmeric boasts antioxidants and disease-fighting polyphenols, making it a superfood of immense value. And modern scientific studies are exploring its anti-inflammatory properties, possible brain benefits, and potential for managing conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Despite all those beneficial properties, turmeric comes with some concerns. While supplements promise convenience, their proper usage and dosage require consideration, and high-absorption formulas have been linked to rare cases of liver injury. And potential lead contamination concerns may lead some people to make sure their turmeric comes from a brand that tests for lead. As with many medicinal spices, moderation and informed sourcing are key.
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Tell us in the comments:
- Do you cook with turmeric? What are your favorite ways to use it?
- Have you ever seen fresh turmeric root at a market or grocery store?
- Do you take curcumin supplements?
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Hi Ocean, one concern of mine with turmeric supplements 600mg is its effect on blood thinning. It’s very seldom mentioned but I had a hernia surgery a few years ago and the surgeon told me there was so much blood even in the laproscopic procedure. I had been warned to stop fish oil and Nsaids a week beforehand but no mention was made for turmeric. I quit taking the supplement because I also noticed more bruising under my skin.
Thanks for your information
Julie
That sounds lovely, Christy! –Ina, Food Revolution Network Team
I use turmeric root, ginger root, cayenne pepper, and fresh lemon, in my hot water everyday. I also use turmeric powder mixed with nutrional yeast, black pepper, oregano, and curry powder as a seasoning.
Curcumin is in the turmeric. The component of pepper that aids absorption is piperine. It is also in white pepper.
Is it okay to add tumeric plus black peoper, to morning cacao!
I take fresh tumeric in a mix of tumeric , ginger , lemon juice, raw unfiltered honey , black pepper , cinnamon and cayenne pepper. It’s good by itself and i mix it in my coconut yogurt.
Suraj Madras Curry Powder and Coarse Ground Black Pepper my two main go to near daily in near everything I make…
also key note People . . . Turmeric is ‘THE’ #1 POTATO spice. IMHO
Google search yields: ” They state that they test, and they have secured certain certifications from organizations like the Clean Label Project for select products. However, they do not make the raw, batch-specific ICP-MS laboratory sheets openly downloadable for every lot number at the point of sale. You are forced to take the advertising text’s word for it.”
Turmeric is Curcumin
I love to make vegan chai latte with all kind of spices and ad some pepper and curcumin to it!
Maybe I missed it but people on blood thinners should be very careful using turmeric because it enhances the affects. It can increase bleeding.
I want to keep this information?
I have a strong sensitivity to black peppercorn and therefore I use white pepper in my cooking. I also avoid supplements with black pepper. Is there another source of curcumin that I could take with turmeric?
I add Tumeric powder and fresh turmeric root to my green smoothies. I find fresh root at my local farmers market. I Add the powder to rice bean quinoa tofu scramble.
Great article Ocean, but I think you still spelled Zingiberaceae wrong! LOL
I use theracurmin from CurcuminRich natural factors in supplement form.
Yes, I use 1/4 tsp of powdered Organic Turmeric (Anthony’s, which they say is Non-GMO, Non-Irradiated, and Vegan with No Additives) every morning in my omelet and I have used it for many years (6+). I grind fresh black pepper into the mix. I include freshly chopped home grown onions on top of it and then melt sharp cheddar cheese (for the fat) on top and to mask the rather bitter (to me) taste. I definitely notice more achiness on mornings I don’t use it. I also take the blood thinner Warfarin daily since 2022 which my anti-coagulation team is well aware of and because I am very consistent with my dosing and other Vit. K rich foods I have not had to change my medication dosing for over 3 years!! They are very impressed with that.
Hi,
I love turmeric and eat whole turmeric roots and chuck dried turmeric in salads and in stews and curries. I also use fresh ginger root in just about everything. I love spicy food.
Love your articles, so informative. Thank you. Jeanne
I have seen tumeric root for sale fresh but I don’t know what to do with it. I use it on occasion when making curry and found the hydrophobic nature makes it work best in the coconut curries. Taste seems very mild or my powder is old? Have read for years now about taking it as supplement to be good for you, but just never have. I take d, e, omega b complex, udo’s oil….can’t figure out if this is my magic or if i need a reassessment of supplements. 71 so far, some periferal neuro seems to want to creep in toes and feet….eat everything at certified levels preferred but no angel. Feel lucky and fortunate.
Yes I cook with turmeric and add it to most dishes. Currys, sauces, soups a all savoury dishes. Also add a quarter of a teaspoon to my 10am cup of coffee.
I have seen fresh turmeric in supermarkets but haven’t used it. I don’t take supplements.
Valerie Williamson
You can prepare fresh tumeric tubes in the same way as ginger. Peel then grate it, or chop it finely and add it when you would add the ginger.
Just a couple of things i regularly use turmeric in making indian dishes and i became aware of its very potent antiseptic qualities watching chefs in the far east sprinkling turmeric on chicken cutlets.
I only recently discovered its potential as a superspice.
Yes you often see fresh turmeric in supermarkets in the uk.
I have no idea what to do with the whole root my familiarity is with the ground spice. Worst feature be careful turmeric stains !!!
Lynn, Do you make turmeric tea with turmeric powdered spice? If not, fresh? Wonder if it might help with arthritis. I’m a young 88, in great health overall, except for that and a hanging belly! Thanks, Ann
I also add a grind to my turmeric latte with a title home made date paste Yum no pepper taste
I use a shake of turmeric and a small pinch pepper to lots of things keeping it to no more than a teaspoon daily if you add a pinch to your tea you will not notice it
I have hemochromtosis. Iron overlord is dangerous, and I have had phlebotomies for over 25 years. I use a turmeric cream that I apply to my skin that is suppose to block Iron . Any thoughts on turmeric and hemochromatosis?
There are several commercial brands of turmeric and ginger tea. It’s very tasty, and I like to drink it in the evenings so I don’t get the caffeine in green tea. But without the piperine or fat to aid absorption, am I getting any benefit?
I cook with turmeric powder in my dishes, using a teaspoon or half a teaspoon in everyday cooking. When I skip dinner at night, I mix turmeric with warm milk and honey to drink; even during fasting (such as on Ekadashi), it gives me a good sleep.
If I get injured with small scratches, I apply turmeric to the wounds to stop the bleeding. For my face, I mix yogurt, honey, 2 to 3 drops of lemon juice, and turmeric to clear pimples and give my skin a natural glow.
On our farm, we grow turmeric, which takes around 10 to 11 months to mature. We cut the leaves, dig out the roots, cut roots and fingers seperate them, boil them, sun-dry them, and carefully remove the impurities before selling them.
After watching some of your earlier sessions, I started making Turmeric Tea. I am in my early 70’s and had minor stiffness/ joint pain, Until I started drinking Turmeric Tea with my evening meal. Since it’s hot where I Live, I pour my hot tea over ice and drink it as Iced Turmeric Tea ! Thanks for the info, no joint pain now! Thanks 🙏 for the tip ! Love to think that it may have added benefits, too !
I take Curcumin Plus supplement and I must say that it helps with inflammation. When I forgot to take it for a few days, knee pain reminds me to take it.
Hi Lynn! Heat actually helps activate curcumin, the main beneficial compound in turmeric, and can improve how well your body absorbs it. So raw turmeric is not inherently better than cooked in this case. What matters more than raw versus cooked is what you pair it with. Curcumin is fat soluble and poorly absorbed on its own, so adding a source of healthy fat, like nuts, seeds, nut butter, or avocado, to your smoothie will help your body take up more of it. Black pepper is another simple addition that can dramatically boost curcumin absorption, since a compound in pepper called piperine helps slow how quickly your liver breaks curcumin down. Even a small pinch added to your steaming greens or blended into the smoothie can make a real difference. –Ina, Food Revolution Network Team
I steam turmeric root with greens every morning to add to a smoothie. Would the root be better raw?
Very interesting, Ingrid! Thank you for sharing. –Ina, Food Revolution Network
Yes, I cook with organic Turmeric every single day. I sprinkle a heaping half teaspoon on my half of my omelette with a 1 oz slice of Cabot sharp cheddar. I’ve been doing this for many years to help with various aches and pains. I am also on a blood thinner but since I am consistent with my dosing my INR’s remain therapeutic. I also add turmeric to rice, with butter when I’m steaming it. My husband has a history of kidney stones so he doesn’t partake. If I miss taking it for a few days, I notice I”m more achy.
Thank you Sara for sharing your experience with Turmeric! It is a fantastic plant! ~ Melissa, Food Revolution Network Impact Team
Great article on the benefits of turmeric! Yes, I love cooking with turmeric — it’s such a versatile spice. I typically add it to curries, soups, and smoothies for an extra health boost. I’ve also tried making golden milk, which is a cozy and soothing way to enjoy turmeric. I’ve seen fresh turmeric root at the local farmers’ market, and it’s fantastic to use in recipes, especially when you want a more vibrant flavor. As for supplements, I’ve recently started using curcumin drops with high bioavailability, which have been amazing for supporting joint health and reducing inflammation. Keep up the great work sharing the amazing health benefits of turmeric!