Turmeric...Is it as beneficial as people say?

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  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    Okay, now I'm interested. I'm getting up there in years (almost 52) and yeah, the joints make more noises these days. Plus I have an occasional issue with one knee.

    Is this useful in a pill form?

    I take it in pill form. I had been taking glucosamine which didn't seem to really be doing anything and my doctor suggested I try the turmeric and bromelain combo which seems to be doing the trick for the most part...not that I don't ever reach for the Aleve.

    Thanks. I'll try it.

    I think it has a cumulative effect in the body...early on I tried taking it only when I was starting to feel a twinge of pain and it didn't seem to do much...then I started just taking it daily and it seems to keep those twinges at bay unless I really overdo it with something...which I have a tendency to do...I can be my own worst enemy at times.

    I agree. Most supplements for things like joint pain do that. I take MSM for joint pain and didn't see any effect for about 3 weeks.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I might try the capsules now for the anti-inflammatory properties.

    As for weight loss? Nah. This thread did remind me that it's been far too long since I've made my vegetarian version of Nigella Lawson's Thai Chicken Noodle soup. It has turmeric in it and it's fabulous. I've made that while losing weight. Does that count?

    Ooh, sounds yummy. Recipe please? (You know where to find me if you don't want to post it here). I think it counts as much as the turmeric in my Doro Wat
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
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    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    Okay, now I'm interested. I'm getting up there in years (almost 52) and yeah, the joints make more noises these days. Plus I have an occasional issue with one knee.

    Is this useful in a pill form?

    My father in law swears by it for his arthritic ankles and he's a massive sceptic, worth a shot, but as always I'd consult an MD about it first as this is purely anecdotal.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited February 2017
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I might try the capsules now for the anti-inflammatory properties.

    As for weight loss? Nah. This thread did remind me that it's been far too long since I've made my vegetarian version of Nigella Lawson's Thai Chicken Noodle soup. It has turmeric in it and it's fabulous. I've made that while losing weight. Does that count?

    Ooh, sounds yummy. Recipe please? (You know where to find me if you don't want to post it here). I think it counts as much as the turmeric in my Doro Wat

    Here's the link for anyone else interested. I've made it with light coconut milk to save calories and it's quite tasty even then.

    https://nigella.com/recipes/thai-chicken-noodle-soup

    If the rice noodles aren't GI friendly, I use bean pasta to get protein. It's really about the broth for me.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    OK, big pharma has made profitable medicine from the isolated, cultured, refined, tested, and even patented stuff found in nature. Before big pharma, the coca leaf was used for popularly recognized medicinal effects, and continues to this day. Before big pharma, willow bark was used for popularly recognized medicinal effects. Before big pharma ... we could go on. All big pharma did was get the clue and run with it, patenting all their effort. That there is no big pharma patenting something from turmeric may have more to do with the cheapness of the spice and the efficacy of the spice, which makes the spice price competitive with a patented isolate. Which leads me to wonder if big sugar's isolated, cultured, refined, tested product is so all fired beneficial to us.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    The issue is that, with natural medicine, you don't know what else is in what you are taking because the active ingredient has not been isolated. You also do not know how much of the active ingredient you are getting. Turmeric is a root. Like all plants, growing conditions affect how much curcumin develops in the root and there is no telling what is in the soil that gets absorbed into the plant as it grows.

    Also, instead of buying capsules which average about $10 per ounce of turmeric, I would recommend buying bulk turmeric at a quality spice merchant like Penzeys ($2 per ounce) and either take it by the spoonful or fill your own capsules. At least that way you know you are getting quality.

    Thanks.

    One of the things that annoys me in life is how the manufacturers of health supplements don't have to have a decent QA program, list ingredients or follow even basic food level standards when selling what is supposed to be health items. It's borderline criminal in my mind, especially when some small tests have shown known allergens used as filler. For @GottaBurnEmAll the one study I read (and I can't find it now but will look later) warned of gluten products being part of the filler for some of the health supplements. For a lot of people, that's an issue.

    I just don't know that we have a dedicated spice store in town. But we do have an Asian market that carries Indian items that may have it as a spice.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Found the Globe article on this.
    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/that-herbal-supplement-may-not-be-what-you-think-it-is/article14825662/
  • oocdc2
    oocdc2 Posts: 1,361 Member
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    trigden1991 wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    CattOfTheGarage wrote: »
    It makes things yellow. That's enough benefit for me (I like yellow).

    You should try the Easy Mac diet then... #easymac

    Is that thread still running? I need to get on board with it.

    Not lately, but it could be a running inside joke on MFP, for sure! #easymac
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited February 2017
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    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    The issue is that, with natural medicine, you don't know what else is in what you are taking because the active ingredient has not been isolated. You also do not know how much of the active ingredient you are getting. Turmeric is a root. Like all plants, growing conditions affect how much curcumin develops in the root and there is no telling what is in the soil that gets absorbed into the plant as it grows.

    Also, instead of buying capsules which average about $10 per ounce of turmeric, I would recommend buying bulk turmeric at a quality spice merchant like Penzeys ($2 per ounce) and either take it by the spoonful or fill your own capsules. At least that way you know you are getting quality.

    Thanks.

    One of the things that annoys me in life is how the manufacturers of health supplements don't have to have a decent QA program, list ingredients or follow even basic food level standards when selling what is supposed to be health items. It's borderline criminal in my mind, especially when some small tests have shown known allergens used as filler. For @GottaBurnEmAll the one study I read (and I can't find it now but will look later) warned of gluten products being part of the filler for some of the health supplements. For a lot of people, that's an issue.

    I just don't know that we have a dedicated spice store in town. But we do have an Asian market that carries Indian items that may have it as a spice.

    You are in the frozen North, right? Penzeys does mail order, including to Canada, but I am not sure what the shipping would be and if it is worth it. Generally you can get bulk spices at Asian markets and Natural food stores. The ones that sell it in bulk where they measure it for you are hit or miss. If it isn't a commonly used one, it can sit for a long time and degrade. Sniff it and if it doesn't have an "oomph", don't buy it or ask for the container to be filled with new.
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
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    I wish people would stop saying that there are no clinical studies of turmeric. Its at the least, disingenuous. There are clinical studies of curcumin, the main curcuminoid in turmeric.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3535097/

    I do find turmeric powder in capsules effective for CHRONIC inflammation. In my experience I have to take 2 capsules morning and night for about 3 days to start to feel the relief. This would be for chronic lower back pain, neck pain and beginning arthritis in my hands.

    From what I've read, and experienced, turmeric seems to be helpful in conjunction with other medications and therapies, it seems to help them work more effectively. You can read the details in the link above. In my personal experience, I had folliculitis (hot tub rash), a bacterial skin infection. I was prescribed an internal antibiotic and Bactroban (mupirocin) ointment. The majority of it cleared with just the internal antibiotic but the ointment was not helping the rash on my chest, it was weeks into it. After a bit of a google I decided to mix the bactroban with turmeric powder and made a paste that I applied nightly. The turmeric seemed to aid and the rash went away in a few days after that.

    I don't remember the exact term or where I read it (I was reading EVERYTHING trying to get rid of this rash)...but from what I gather the turmeric may have helped the ointment get past the resistance of the bacteria.

    For weight loss it doesn't do a thing. Perhaps the woo on that is that it may help with recovery from workouts due to the anti-inflammatory qualities.... but you have to take a fairly significant amount daily for that to work.

    "They say" that the countries that eat curry and other dished with turmeric have lower instances of things like colon cancer, and that may be because of the anti-inflammatory ability of turmeric. http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/ However, that could also be just because of a healthier diet in general.

    And on a pet note, its also given to cats and dogs for chronic pain.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
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    http://www.forbes.com/sites/samlemonick/2017/01/19/everybody-needs-to-quit-it-with-this-turmeric-molecule/#6d921ca02917

    For those who think it works, the placebo effect is a strong one.
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
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    cmtigger wrote: »
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/samlemonick/2017/01/19/everybody-needs-to-quit-it-with-this-turmeric-molecule/#6d921ca02917

    For those who think it works, the placebo effect is a strong one.

    Oh sure my pain magically goes away over the course of 3 or 4 days because of a placebo effect, even though I've used it on and off for a few years its placebo EVERY TIME. And forbes is such a scientific magazine.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    Be somewhat careful with turmeric. Using it as a spice for your food (even every dish) is fine. Taking pills in the recommended doses is probably fine - negative side effects are unusual. Just don't go hog wild thinking more is more. Turmeric in high enough doses can be hepatotoxic.

    I'll also add that an investigator here studies curcumin and anti-inflammatory/anti-cancer effects on various cell lines. According to him, you'd have to take quite a lot of turmeric to absorb enough curcumin to get the minimum doses he has to apply directly to his cell cultures to see an effect. Just using turmeric as a spice definitely wouldn't do it.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
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    Here is the actual paper. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b00975
  • SR1986
    SR1986 Posts: 92 Member
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    Turmeric is supposedly great for you. I've read it's a great inflammatory. As well as its benefits to helping facilitate weight loss. I'm big into natural supplements. Not "diet pills" pushed by big companies. We all know that there's no magic pill. It's a lifestyle change and working with portion control, eating the right foods, along with supplements help that make our bodies change. I did read something about turmeric that I want to share with you guys without a supplement called biopryn added to or taken alongside the turmeric our bodies just don't digest and use the turmeric to its full potential. The biopryn increases turmeric absorption by 2000%!!! I don't remember where I saw it, but Google will surely bring it up if you're interested in learning more. I'm looking into finding some turmeric with it already added. PS I also read that brushing your teeth with it can whiten them. Not sure if that's true though.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    SR1986 wrote: »
    Turmeric is supposedly great for you. I've read it's a great inflammatory. As well as its benefits to helping facilitate weight loss. I'm big into natural supplements. Not "diet pills" pushed by big companies. We all know that there's no magic pill. It's a lifestyle change and working with portion control, eating the right foods, along with supplements help that make our bodies change. I did read something about turmeric that I want to share with you guys without a supplement called biopryn added to or taken alongside the turmeric our bodies just don't digest and use the turmeric to its full potential. The biopryn increases turmeric absorption by 2000%!!! I don't remember where I saw it, but Google will surely bring it up if you're interested in learning more. I'm looking into finding some turmeric with it already added. PS I also read that brushing your teeth with it can whiten them. Not sure if that's true though.

    The anti-inflammatory properties have been discussed.

    I'm curious what benefits you think turmeric has for facilitating weight loss?
  • BruinsGal_91
    BruinsGal_91 Posts: 1,400 Member
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    SR1986 wrote: »
    Turmeric is supposedly great for you. I've read it's a great inflammatory. As well as its benefits to helping facilitate weight loss. I'm big into natural supplements. Not "diet pills" pushed by big companies. We all know that there's no magic pill. It's a lifestyle change and working with portion control, eating the right foods, along with supplements help that make our bodies change. I did read something about turmeric that I want to share with you guys without a supplement called biopryn added to or taken alongside the turmeric our bodies just don't digest and use the turmeric to its full potential. The biopryn increases turmeric absorption by 2000%!!! I don't remember where I saw it, but Google will surely bring it up if you're interested in learning more. I'm looking into finding some turmeric with it already added. PS I also read that brushing your teeth with it can whiten them. Not sure if that's true though.

    I think I'll give that one a miss. I once spilled a turmeric paste all over my white kitchen tops. They turned a lovely shade of yellow and no amount of bleach got them white again.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    SR1986 wrote: »
    I'm big into natural supplements. Not "diet pills" pushed by big companies.

    The supplements industry is a multi million dollar business run by huge companies which are often associated with "big pharma" and which use misleading advertising, bogus health claims and media manipulation to sell their stuff. It is not some cute cottage industry that should be swallowed whole. Sure, some supplements have effects. Many have none, except on your wallet. Don't turn your brain off just because it comes in pretty packaging with leaves on it. People are making money off of this - big money.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
    edited February 2017
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    Okay, now I'm interested. I'm getting up there in years (almost 52) and yeah, the joints make more noises these days. Plus I have an occasional issue with one knee.

    Is this useful in a pill form?

    I take it in pill form. I had been taking glucosamine which didn't seem to really be doing anything and my doctor suggested I try the turmeric and bromelain combo which seems to be doing the trick for the most part...not that I don't ever reach for the Aleve.

    Thanks. I'll try it.

    I think it has a cumulative effect in the body...early on I tried taking it only when I was starting to feel a twinge of pain and it didn't seem to do much...then I started just taking it daily and it seems to keep those twinges at bay unless I really overdo it with something...which I have a tendency to do...I can be my own worst enemy at times.

    Possibly because reducing the inflammation gives the damage caused/worsened by it a chance to heal?

    I believe one of the problems with chronic inflammation is that the inflammatory response inhibits healing (sounds odd, but it's meant to be a temporary state to clear out pathogens before healing starts) so if you can reduce inflammation, healing will start. This is why medics advise us to use ice/anti-inflammatories after injury - a bit of inflammation is good but too much delays healing.

    I don't think it's likely it accumulates in the body as very few things actually do that, the body is very adept at clearing out foreign substances.

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