What Adding Turmeric Supplements Can Do for Your Health

Turmeric is touted as a “cure-all” spice that can heal your gut, boost memory, and reduce inflammation.However, studies on the health benefits of this golden root have yielded mixed results.

A small study found thatcurcumin—the active ingredient in turmeric—may improve memory and attention.However, a larger randomized controlled trial showed that curcumin had no impact on reducing inflammation following aortic aneurysm repair surgery.

Zhaoping Li, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, said curcumin “definitely has an anti-inflammatory effect.” However, it’s most effective when used forpreventative purposes or to suppress low levels of inflammation associated with chronic disease.

If someone has a painful gout flare-up, for example, Li said turning to a curcumin supplement wouldn’t be the most effective treatment.

Although clinical trials on turmeric and curcumin are limited, existing research suggests that these may contain anti-inflammatory properties that could help manageosteoarthritisand support heart health.

How Much Turmeric Do You Need in Your Diet?

Many nutrition experts say that adding turmeric to your diet is relatively safe and likely won’t lead to any adverse side effects. However, some turmeric powders have been found to containconcerning traces of lead.

While culinary doses of turmeric are generally considered safe, it’s challenging to figure out how much to consume.

“Since the benefits of turmeric aren’t universally agreed upon in the scientific community, there are no established values for the recommended dietary allowance of turmeric,“Matthew Black, MS, RDN, LD, a registered dietitian for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Verywell in an email.

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Should You Take a Turmeric Supplement?

“Get what you need from foods first,” saidSue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes, MS, RDN, LDN, a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in Boston.

She added that cooking with turmeric and incorporating it into smoothies and teas several times a week should be enough.

Supplements are an option for people who don’t like turmeric or don’t want to cook with it daily. However, experts say that turmeric supplements may contain much higher doses of curcumin than people typically get from their regular diet, which could increase therisk of side effectslike heartburn or stomach pain.

Turmeric supplements may also interact with blood thinners, diabetes medications, and other drugs, so experts recommend talking to a healthcare provider before taking a new supplement.

Most turmeric supplements are packaged in 500mg daily doses. If you decide to take a supplement, Black recommends looking for products with the highest amount of curcuminoids and piperine, an extract of black pepper that can enhance curcumin absorption.

Turmeric supplements are generally safe, but there have been a few cases of reported toxicity. An ongoing study found 10 instances of turmeric-related liver injuries out of 1,798 cases, and a few of those tested samples contained a combination of turmeric and piperine.

“The FDA does not regulate turmeric supplements, so potency does not have to be verified. You may be paying for a supplement with low amounts of curcuminoids,” Black said. “Additionally, since label accuracy is not regulated, individuals using these supplements may be placing themselves at risk for potential harm when taking too much.”

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Summary

Turmeric may offer anti-inflammatory benefits for people who incorporate this spice into their regular diet. While turmeric supplements are available, they’re unregulated, and their daily dosage might far exceed what you’d typically get from food.

Speak with a healthcare provider before taking turmeric supplements because these may also interact with your medications.

9 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.Hewlings S, Kalman D.Curcumin: A review of its effects on human health.Foods. 2017;6(10):92. doi:10.3390%2Ffoods6100092National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Turmeric.Small GW, Siddarth P, Li Z, et al.Memory and brain amyloid and tau effects of a bioavailable form of curcumin in non-demented adults: A double-blind, placebo-controlled 18-month trial.The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2018;26(3):266-277. doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2017.10.010Garg AX, Devereaux PJ, Hill A, et al.Oral curcumin in elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: A multicentre randomized controlled trial.CMAJ. 2018;190(43):E1273-E1280. doi:10.1503/cmaj.180510Paultre K, Cade W, Hernandez D, Reynolds J, Greif D, Best TM.Therapeutic effects of turmeric or curcumin extract on pain and function for individuals with knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review.BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. 2021;7(1):e000935. doi:10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000935Cox FF, Misiou A, Vierkant A, et al.Protective effects of curcumin in cardiovascular diseases—impact on oxidative stress and mitochondria.Cells. 2022;11(3):342. doi:10.3390/cells11030342Stohs SJ, Chen O, Ray SD, Ji J, Bucci LR, Preuss HG.Highly bioavailable forms of curcumin and promising avenues for curcumin-based research and application: A review.Molecules. 2020;25(6):1397. doi:10.3390%2Fmolecules25061397Mount Sinai.Turmeric.Halegoua-DeMarzio D, Navarro V, Ahmad J, et al.Liver injury associated with turmeric—a growing problem: Ten cases from the drug-induced liver injury network [DILIN].The American Journal of Medicine. 2023;136(2):200-206. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2022.09.026

9 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.Hewlings S, Kalman D.Curcumin: A review of its effects on human health.Foods. 2017;6(10):92. doi:10.3390%2Ffoods6100092National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Turmeric.Small GW, Siddarth P, Li Z, et al.Memory and brain amyloid and tau effects of a bioavailable form of curcumin in non-demented adults: A double-blind, placebo-controlled 18-month trial.The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2018;26(3):266-277. doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2017.10.010Garg AX, Devereaux PJ, Hill A, et al.Oral curcumin in elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: A multicentre randomized controlled trial.CMAJ. 2018;190(43):E1273-E1280. doi:10.1503/cmaj.180510Paultre K, Cade W, Hernandez D, Reynolds J, Greif D, Best TM.Therapeutic effects of turmeric or curcumin extract on pain and function for individuals with knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review.BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. 2021;7(1):e000935. doi:10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000935Cox FF, Misiou A, Vierkant A, et al.Protective effects of curcumin in cardiovascular diseases—impact on oxidative stress and mitochondria.Cells. 2022;11(3):342. doi:10.3390/cells11030342Stohs SJ, Chen O, Ray SD, Ji J, Bucci LR, Preuss HG.Highly bioavailable forms of curcumin and promising avenues for curcumin-based research and application: A review.Molecules. 2020;25(6):1397. doi:10.3390%2Fmolecules25061397Mount Sinai.Turmeric.Halegoua-DeMarzio D, Navarro V, Ahmad J, et al.Liver injury associated with turmeric—a growing problem: Ten cases from the drug-induced liver injury network [DILIN].The American Journal of Medicine. 2023;136(2):200-206. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2022.09.026

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.

Hewlings S, Kalman D.Curcumin: A review of its effects on human health.Foods. 2017;6(10):92. doi:10.3390%2Ffoods6100092National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Turmeric.Small GW, Siddarth P, Li Z, et al.Memory and brain amyloid and tau effects of a bioavailable form of curcumin in non-demented adults: A double-blind, placebo-controlled 18-month trial.The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2018;26(3):266-277. doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2017.10.010Garg AX, Devereaux PJ, Hill A, et al.Oral curcumin in elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: A multicentre randomized controlled trial.CMAJ. 2018;190(43):E1273-E1280. doi:10.1503/cmaj.180510Paultre K, Cade W, Hernandez D, Reynolds J, Greif D, Best TM.Therapeutic effects of turmeric or curcumin extract on pain and function for individuals with knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review.BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. 2021;7(1):e000935. doi:10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000935Cox FF, Misiou A, Vierkant A, et al.Protective effects of curcumin in cardiovascular diseases—impact on oxidative stress and mitochondria.Cells. 2022;11(3):342. doi:10.3390/cells11030342Stohs SJ, Chen O, Ray SD, Ji J, Bucci LR, Preuss HG.Highly bioavailable forms of curcumin and promising avenues for curcumin-based research and application: A review.Molecules. 2020;25(6):1397. doi:10.3390%2Fmolecules25061397Mount Sinai.Turmeric.Halegoua-DeMarzio D, Navarro V, Ahmad J, et al.Liver injury associated with turmeric—a growing problem: Ten cases from the drug-induced liver injury network [DILIN].The American Journal of Medicine. 2023;136(2):200-206. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2022.09.026

Hewlings S, Kalman D.Curcumin: A review of its effects on human health.Foods. 2017;6(10):92. doi:10.3390%2Ffoods6100092

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Turmeric.

Small GW, Siddarth P, Li Z, et al.Memory and brain amyloid and tau effects of a bioavailable form of curcumin in non-demented adults: A double-blind, placebo-controlled 18-month trial.The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2018;26(3):266-277. doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2017.10.010

Garg AX, Devereaux PJ, Hill A, et al.Oral curcumin in elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: A multicentre randomized controlled trial.CMAJ. 2018;190(43):E1273-E1280. doi:10.1503/cmaj.180510

Paultre K, Cade W, Hernandez D, Reynolds J, Greif D, Best TM.Therapeutic effects of turmeric or curcumin extract on pain and function for individuals with knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review.BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. 2021;7(1):e000935. doi:10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000935

Cox FF, Misiou A, Vierkant A, et al.Protective effects of curcumin in cardiovascular diseases—impact on oxidative stress and mitochondria.Cells. 2022;11(3):342. doi:10.3390/cells11030342

Stohs SJ, Chen O, Ray SD, Ji J, Bucci LR, Preuss HG.Highly bioavailable forms of curcumin and promising avenues for curcumin-based research and application: A review.Molecules. 2020;25(6):1397. doi:10.3390%2Fmolecules25061397

Mount Sinai.Turmeric.

Halegoua-DeMarzio D, Navarro V, Ahmad J, et al.Liver injury associated with turmeric—a growing problem: Ten cases from the drug-induced liver injury network [DILIN].The American Journal of Medicine. 2023;136(2):200-206. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2022.09.026

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