Turmeric (Hannah Berry , University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy

Background: Turmeric has traditionally been used as medically, as a food and as cosmetics. Turmeric is a spice that is used in some curry dishes and mustards. It has a unique yellow color and it sometimes used as a color additive in foods. Common Uses: Turmeric has been used medicinally for hundreds of years in some cultures and countries. Many people use turmeric for its antiinflammatory properties such as the Hindus, while some use it for pain, wounds, and respiratory conditions. Turmeric is also used for preventing cancer, fighting depression, lowering risk of heart disease, fighting free radicals, and improving memory.

Pharmacology: Curcumin is the active form of turmeric. It has very low systemic bioavailability when given orally. Curcumin is given as a lipophilic form, curcuminoid, which is shown to be absorbed systemically unlike curcumin. With turmeric’s main use as an anti-inflammatory agent, the curcumin has been shown to interfere with the eicosanoid pathway, which involves cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase enzymes.

The Times of India. (2021, August 18). Surprising health benefits of turmeric you should know about - times of India. The Times of India. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/healthfitness/diet/surprising-health-benefits-of-turmeric-youshould-know-about/articleshow/85427219.cms

Interactions: The main interactions turmeric has is with anticoagulation properties and thrombolytic agents.

https://www.naturemade.com Dosage Forms: Most doctors recommend 500 mg/day as a normal supplemental dose. Standardized curcuminoid doses of 200 mg/day have been used in clinical trials of anti-inflammatory effects. Doses of up to 6 g/day have also been studied. Safety: Turmeric has proven safe thus far. There have been no safety concerns with people taking turmeric within the recommended doses.

Effectiveness: A meta-analysis was done on the effectiveness of turmeric as an antiinflammatory product for arthritis. The conclusion of the analyses showed that although there was not enough data to show turmeric could prevent or heal arthritis on its own, turmeric is a great supplement adjunct to conventional arthritis therapy. The studies proved that turmeric has antiinflammation properties. Adverse Events and Toxicities: There have been very few adverse events reported with turmeric. The ones reported are such as GI effects, yellow stools, allergic contact dermatitis, and rashes. Studies were conducted on rats to determine toxicity of turmeric, and there were no toxicities reported. The lethal dose for rats was determined to be 2000 g/kg.

Professional Opinion: In my professional opinion, I think turmeric can be a great herbal supplement to take for inflammation. It should be taken with some type of healthy fats to increase absorption to increase efficacy to ensure the patient is getting the most benefit from the supplement. ~ H. Berry

Article References:

Rao CV. Regulation of COX and LOX by curcumin. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:213-226. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-46401-5_9

7 health benefits of Turmeric. Cleveland Clinic. (2022, January 5). Retrieved March 3, 2022. from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/turmeric-health-benefits/

Daily, J. W., Yang, M., & Park, S. (2016). Efficacy of Turmeric Extracts and Curcumin for Alleviating the Symptoms of Joint Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Journal of medicinal food, 19(8), 717–729. https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2016.3705

www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-OrganicGround-Turmeric-1-0-oz/50597546