Turmeric is a bright yellow spice that’s frequently found in curry-spice blends. The root, related to ginger, is popular in Indian, Thai and Moroccan cuisines, and it’s also long been used in traditional Chinese andAyurvedicmedicine.
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Health Benefits
Turmericcontains a compound called curcumin, which research suggests may offer several health benefits that could help alleviate symptoms offibromyalgiaandchronic fatigue syndrome.Up until now, though, no studies have examined it specifically for these conditions.
While we do have some research on turmeric/curcumin, more studies need to be done to nail down exactly what it can do for us. The spice is believed to be an:
It’s been used as a treatment for multiple ailments, including:
Dosage
Turmeric/Curcumin in Your Diet
Adding curcumin to your diet, through turmeric, is fairly simple. However, it may be difficult to get atherapeutic dosagethrough diet alone.
In India, where turmeric is used in a lot of traditional foods, average dietary intake is estimated to be between 1-2 grams per day.
Side Effects
Studies have shown that turmeric/curcumin may cause some side effects, including:
Turmeric’s safety hasn’t been established for children.
Caution is urged when consuming turmeric during pregnancy, because not enough studies have been done to determine its safety.
13 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Blaylock R, Maroon J.Natural plant products and extracts that reduce immunoexcitotoxicity-associated neurodegeneration and promote repair within the central nervous system.Surg Neurol Int. 2012;3(1):19-. doi:10.4103/2152-7806.92935Singh V, Pathak A, Pal M, Sareen S, Goel K.Comparative evaluation of topical application of turmeric gel and 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate gel in prevention of gingivitis.Natl J Maxillofac Surg. 2015;6(1):67-. doi:10.4103/0975-5950.168238Dulbecco, P.Therapeutic potential of curcumin in digestive diseases.WJG. 2013;19(48):9256-. doi:10.3748/wjg.v19.i48.9256Gupta SC, Patchva S, Aggarwal BB.Therapeutic roles of curcumin: lessons learned from clinical trials.AAPS J. 2012;15(1):195-218. doi:10.1208/s12248-012-9432-8Zhu L, Mei X, Zhang Z, Xie Y, Lang F.Curcumin intervention for cognitive function in different types of people: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Phytotherapy Research. 2019;33(3):524-533. doi:10.1002/ptr.6257Laura V, Mattia F, Roberta G, et al.Potential of curcumin in skin disorders.Nutrients. 2019;11(9):2169-. doi:10.3390/nu11092169Thavorn K, Mamdani MM, Straus SE.Efficacy of turmeric in the treatment of digestive disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.Syst Rev. 2014;3(1). doi:10.1186/2046-4053-3-71Hewlings S, Kalman D.Curcumin: a review of its’ effects on human health.Foods. 2017;6(10):92-. doi:10.3390/foods6100092Kwon, Y.Estimation of curcumin intake in Korea based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008-2012).Nutr Res Pract. 2014;8(5):589-. doi:10.4162/nrp.2014.8.5.589Fadus MC, Lau C, Bikhchandani J, Lynch HT.Curcumin: an age-old anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic agent.Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. 2017;7(3):339-346. doi:10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.08.002Kim D, Ku S, Bae J.Anticoagulant activities of curcumin and its derivative.BMB Reports. 2012;45(4):221-226. doi:10.5483/bmbrep.2012.45.4.221ConsumerLab.com.Kidney stones from turmeric & curcuminOregon State University.Curcumin.Additional ReadingFerrucci LM, Daniel CR, Kapur K, et al.Measurement of spices and seasonings in India: opportunities for cancer epidemiology and prevention.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention: APJCP; 11(6):1621-9.
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Blaylock R, Maroon J.Natural plant products and extracts that reduce immunoexcitotoxicity-associated neurodegeneration and promote repair within the central nervous system.Surg Neurol Int. 2012;3(1):19-. doi:10.4103/2152-7806.92935Singh V, Pathak A, Pal M, Sareen S, Goel K.Comparative evaluation of topical application of turmeric gel and 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate gel in prevention of gingivitis.Natl J Maxillofac Surg. 2015;6(1):67-. doi:10.4103/0975-5950.168238Dulbecco, P.Therapeutic potential of curcumin in digestive diseases.WJG. 2013;19(48):9256-. doi:10.3748/wjg.v19.i48.9256Gupta SC, Patchva S, Aggarwal BB.Therapeutic roles of curcumin: lessons learned from clinical trials.AAPS J. 2012;15(1):195-218. doi:10.1208/s12248-012-9432-8Zhu L, Mei X, Zhang Z, Xie Y, Lang F.Curcumin intervention for cognitive function in different types of people: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Phytotherapy Research. 2019;33(3):524-533. doi:10.1002/ptr.6257Laura V, Mattia F, Roberta G, et al.Potential of curcumin in skin disorders.Nutrients. 2019;11(9):2169-. doi:10.3390/nu11092169Thavorn K, Mamdani MM, Straus SE.Efficacy of turmeric in the treatment of digestive disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.Syst Rev. 2014;3(1). doi:10.1186/2046-4053-3-71Hewlings S, Kalman D.Curcumin: a review of its’ effects on human health.Foods. 2017;6(10):92-. doi:10.3390/foods6100092Kwon, Y.Estimation of curcumin intake in Korea based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008-2012).Nutr Res Pract. 2014;8(5):589-. doi:10.4162/nrp.2014.8.5.589Fadus MC, Lau C, Bikhchandani J, Lynch HT.Curcumin: an age-old anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic agent.Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. 2017;7(3):339-346. doi:10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.08.002Kim D, Ku S, Bae J.Anticoagulant activities of curcumin and its derivative.BMB Reports. 2012;45(4):221-226. doi:10.5483/bmbrep.2012.45.4.221ConsumerLab.com.Kidney stones from turmeric & curcuminOregon State University.Curcumin.Additional ReadingFerrucci LM, Daniel CR, Kapur K, et al.Measurement of spices and seasonings in India: opportunities for cancer epidemiology and prevention.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention: APJCP; 11(6):1621-9.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Blaylock R, Maroon J.Natural plant products and extracts that reduce immunoexcitotoxicity-associated neurodegeneration and promote repair within the central nervous system.Surg Neurol Int. 2012;3(1):19-. doi:10.4103/2152-7806.92935Singh V, Pathak A, Pal M, Sareen S, Goel K.Comparative evaluation of topical application of turmeric gel and 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate gel in prevention of gingivitis.Natl J Maxillofac Surg. 2015;6(1):67-. doi:10.4103/0975-5950.168238Dulbecco, P.Therapeutic potential of curcumin in digestive diseases.WJG. 2013;19(48):9256-. doi:10.3748/wjg.v19.i48.9256Gupta SC, Patchva S, Aggarwal BB.Therapeutic roles of curcumin: lessons learned from clinical trials.AAPS J. 2012;15(1):195-218. doi:10.1208/s12248-012-9432-8Zhu L, Mei X, Zhang Z, Xie Y, Lang F.Curcumin intervention for cognitive function in different types of people: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Phytotherapy Research. 2019;33(3):524-533. doi:10.1002/ptr.6257Laura V, Mattia F, Roberta G, et al.Potential of curcumin in skin disorders.Nutrients. 2019;11(9):2169-. doi:10.3390/nu11092169Thavorn K, Mamdani MM, Straus SE.Efficacy of turmeric in the treatment of digestive disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.Syst Rev. 2014;3(1). doi:10.1186/2046-4053-3-71Hewlings S, Kalman D.Curcumin: a review of its’ effects on human health.Foods. 2017;6(10):92-. doi:10.3390/foods6100092Kwon, Y.Estimation of curcumin intake in Korea based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008-2012).Nutr Res Pract. 2014;8(5):589-. doi:10.4162/nrp.2014.8.5.589Fadus MC, Lau C, Bikhchandani J, Lynch HT.Curcumin: an age-old anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic agent.Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. 2017;7(3):339-346. doi:10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.08.002Kim D, Ku S, Bae J.Anticoagulant activities of curcumin and its derivative.BMB Reports. 2012;45(4):221-226. doi:10.5483/bmbrep.2012.45.4.221ConsumerLab.com.Kidney stones from turmeric & curcuminOregon State University.Curcumin.
Blaylock R, Maroon J.Natural plant products and extracts that reduce immunoexcitotoxicity-associated neurodegeneration and promote repair within the central nervous system.Surg Neurol Int. 2012;3(1):19-. doi:10.4103/2152-7806.92935
Singh V, Pathak A, Pal M, Sareen S, Goel K.Comparative evaluation of topical application of turmeric gel and 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate gel in prevention of gingivitis.Natl J Maxillofac Surg. 2015;6(1):67-. doi:10.4103/0975-5950.168238
Dulbecco, P.Therapeutic potential of curcumin in digestive diseases.WJG. 2013;19(48):9256-. doi:10.3748/wjg.v19.i48.9256
Gupta SC, Patchva S, Aggarwal BB.Therapeutic roles of curcumin: lessons learned from clinical trials.AAPS J. 2012;15(1):195-218. doi:10.1208/s12248-012-9432-8
Zhu L, Mei X, Zhang Z, Xie Y, Lang F.Curcumin intervention for cognitive function in different types of people: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Phytotherapy Research. 2019;33(3):524-533. doi:10.1002/ptr.6257
Laura V, Mattia F, Roberta G, et al.Potential of curcumin in skin disorders.Nutrients. 2019;11(9):2169-. doi:10.3390/nu11092169
Thavorn K, Mamdani MM, Straus SE.Efficacy of turmeric in the treatment of digestive disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.Syst Rev. 2014;3(1). doi:10.1186/2046-4053-3-71
Hewlings S, Kalman D.Curcumin: a review of its’ effects on human health.Foods. 2017;6(10):92-. doi:10.3390/foods6100092
Kwon, Y.Estimation of curcumin intake in Korea based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008-2012).Nutr Res Pract. 2014;8(5):589-. doi:10.4162/nrp.2014.8.5.589
Fadus MC, Lau C, Bikhchandani J, Lynch HT.Curcumin: an age-old anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic agent.Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. 2017;7(3):339-346. doi:10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.08.002
Kim D, Ku S, Bae J.Anticoagulant activities of curcumin and its derivative.BMB Reports. 2012;45(4):221-226. doi:10.5483/bmbrep.2012.45.4.221
ConsumerLab.com.Kidney stones from turmeric & curcumin
Oregon State University.Curcumin.
Ferrucci LM, Daniel CR, Kapur K, et al.Measurement of spices and seasonings in India: opportunities for cancer epidemiology and prevention.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention: APJCP; 11(6):1621-9.
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