Evidence: Very High Possible Benefits: Very High Safety: Very High
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is turmeric?
Curcuma longa, also known as turmeric, is an adaptogenic herb with a long history of use as a traditional medicine. This herb is often used as a supplement for reducing inflammation but can also have various other beneficial effects. This article is about the main benefits of turmeric, its potential side effects, the best time to take it, and more.
Possible benefits
All of the potential benefits mentioned below are dose-dependent. As with other adaptogenic herbs, there is a sweet-spot dose that allows you to get most of the benefits without causing meaningful side effects or tolerance buildup in the body. We will discuss the best dosing protocol later in this article.
Major benefits
Reduced inflammation – Turmeric can significantly reduce inflammation and a variety of problems associated with inflammation. It is the most potent dietary supplement we know of in this regard.
Antioxidant properties – This herb can largely increase antioxidant enzymes SOD, glutathione, and catalase. Prooxidative biomarkers and lipid peroxidation were also reduced in multiple studies.
Improved mood – Turmeric has strong anti-depressive effects, especially when taken for at least 2-3 months. This is due to a variety of mechanisms, such as the herb’s ability to reduce cortisol levels. In people with depression, an increase in BDNF was also found.
Reduced pain – Turmeric can significantly reduce pain caused by a variety of causes, including osteoarthritis, post-operative pain, and any pain related to inflammation.
Reduced symptoms of osteoarthritis – Besides pain, turmeric can notably improve physical function and reduce stiffness related to osteoarthritis. The improvements are notable and consistent. After eight months of supplementation, people with osteoarthritis performed significantly better on a treadmill test. They were able to run or walk more than twice the distance compared to those who didn’t take this herb.
Minor benefits
Improved blood flow – 80 mg of bioavailability-enhanced curcumin was able to increase nitric oxide levels by about 40%. Several studies show that this supplement can reliably improve blood flow.
Reduced anxiety – This benefit is not as pronounced as the reduction in depressive symptoms but turmeric can lower cortisol levels and reduce stress and anxiety to some degree. State and trait anxiety appear to be influenced the most.
Reduced blood pressure – This benefit mainly applies to people with elevated blood pressure. It is unlikely that turmeric alone will drop blood pressure too low.
Improved liver health – Turmeric can be liver-protective in people with elevated liver enzymes. A notable reduction in liver damage was found in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Reduced colorectal cancer – Turmeric can reduce the risk of colon cancer, especially when combined with green tea.
Reduced arsenic toxicity – This herb can help the body get rid of arsenic and reduce its toxicity. This can lower or prevent DNA damage and other harm caused by arsenic.
Improved cholesterol levels – Turmeric was shown to increase HDL cholesterol and reduce LDL cholesterol levels in multiple studies. However, the studies are rather inconsistent and the improvement probably doesn’t apply to people who already have decent cholesterol levels.
Improved kidney function – The supplement can improve kidney health in people with impaired kidney function. For example, those with kidney impairment often experience a reduction in proteinuria.
Reduced leg swelling – The herb can reduce leg swelling and edema to some extent.
Improved insulin sensitivity – Curcumin can improve insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion in insulin-resistant people.
Reduced blood glucose – This reduction is rather small and unreliable. It may only apply to type 2 diabetics or people with elevated blood glucose levels.
Reduced cognitive decline – The evidence for this benefit is low but the herb might slow down cognitive decline
Lowered triglycerides – Turmeric can lower triglyceride levels in some people but this benefit is unreliable and doesn’t seem to apply to individuals with already healthy triglyceride levels.
Reduced hay fever – Turmeric is able to reduce hay fever symptoms such as sneezing, itching, runny nose, and congestion.
Itching – Itching caused by a variety of causes can be reduced by taking the supplement.
Reduced fatigue – Curcumin can reduce postoperative fatigue but doesn’t directly influence other types of fatigue.
Reduced risk of prostate cancer – Supplementation can reduce prostate-specific antigen levels. One human study found that the herb can reduce the risk of prostate cancer but another one found little to no effect.
Reduced symptoms of ulcerative colitis – A small but likely reliable improvement was found in two studies.
Reduced homocysteine levels – One study found a great reduction in homocysteine levels in obese people but it needs to be replicated.
Reduced symptoms of PMS – 200 mg of curcumin taken one week before and three days after menstrual bleeding led to a notable reduction in symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.
Reduced symptoms of Crohn’s disease – More human studies are needed to determine how effective the supplement is for reducing Crohn’s disease symptoms. However, it seems that there is a benefit.
Reduced symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis – This benefit is reliable but the extent of it isn’t. Some research suggests that the reduction in symptoms is rather small while some studies suggest that the benefit is rather significant.
Possible side effects
The side effects below are dose-dependent. The risk for them increases (often linearly but sometimes exponentially) as you increase the dose. Some of the side effects only apply to very high doses.
Pregnancy issues – Low doses of turmeric as a spice are safe. Supplementation is generally not recommended during pregnancy as higher doses might cause a menstrual period or stimulate the uterus, putting the pregnancy at risk.
Initial adverse reaction – When you start taking turmeric, things can get worse before they get better. This herb can temporarily worsen some aspects of your health and even make you sick for a few days after you start taking it. That can be unpleasant, but it is usually a sign that the supplement is working and creating a hormetic response that allows the body to adapt and become more resilient in the long term.
Allergic reaction – Some people are allergic to this herb and may experience an allergic reaction after they start taking it. Unlike the “initial adverse reaction,” allergic reactions typically don’t disappear until one stops taking the herb.
Nausea – This side effect is most common when people take the herb on an empty stomach.
Diarrhea – You can usually prevent diarrhea or stomach discomfort by taking this herb with a meal.
Toxicity – As an adaptogen, turmeric acts as a mild stressor on the body. That is usually a great thing as it allows your body to adapt to specific forms of stress and become more resilient. However, stressing the body too much can be counter-productive and cause multiple side effects, including toxicity. While acute toxicity is extremely rare, taking high amounts of this herb could lead to chronic toxicity and cause health problems over time. To prevent chronic toxicity or the buildup of tolerance, staying below 5 grams of turmeric root powder or 200 mg of curcumin daily is best unless you have a great reason to take more.
Contamination – If growing or storing conditions are not adequately controlled, turmeric can be contaminated with bacteria, molds, and other potentially harmful microorganisms. Some growers also use pesticides and herbicides that can be unsafe. Another issue is that herbal supplements can get contaminated with other supplements and chemicals during the manufacturing process. Choose the brand you get herbs and herbal supplements from wisely. It is often best to use websites like Amazon, where thousands of users have reviewed and rated the products. You are less likely to buy something of lower quality there.
Who should not take turmeric?
You should probably avoid taking turmeric if you:
are allergic to this herb
experience a severe adverse reaction after taking the herb (though a mild adverse reaction is usually a great thing as it is a sign that the supplement is working and causing a hormetic response that allows the body to adapt and become more resilient)
are pregnant (low doses of turmeric as a spice are safe; but supplementation is generally not recommended during pregnancy as higher doses might cause a menstrual period or stimulate the uterus, putting the pregnancy at risk)
are breastfeeding (while it can be safe to take this adaptogen during pregnancy or breastfeeding, it acts as a mild stressor and can put some unnecessary risk to the child)
Who will benefit the most?
You should consider taking the supplement if you:
suffer from depression
experience stress and anxiety
have osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetic neuropathy, or Crohn’s disease
experience symptoms of PMS
wish to improve general health
are predisposed to colon cancer
have high levels of inflammation
are a diabetic or have insulin resistance
have been diagnosed with NAFLD
experience chronic pain or acute pain related to inflammation
have a high budget for supplements and are willing to experiment with a variety of them (assuming you don’t fall into any of the categories that should avoid this herb, turmeric appears safe and is unlikely to do more harm than good for most people)
How much turmeric should you take?
Because turmeric is an adaptogenic herb, it acts as a mild hormetic stressor on the body, which allows your body to adapt and become more resilient to certain kinds of stressors in the long term.
A higher dose does not necessarily lead to more pronounced benefits. Instead, there appears to be an inverted U-shaped dose-response pattern. In other words, you want to find a sweet-spot dose that allows you to get the benefits of turmeric without putting too much pressure on the body or quickly causing the body to develop tolerance to the herb.
The sweet-spot dose typically ranges anywhere between 3-5 grams of dry root powder daily. If you buy an x:1 extract, divide the dry herb powder dosage by x. Turmeric contains on average 3% of curcumin. If you purchase an extract standardized for curcumin, the sweet spot dose of curcumin is about 80-200 mg.
The higher end of this range usually provides slightly more benefits in the short term. If you plan to take this herb for a longer time (multiple months or years), the lower end is probably a better way to go since you would develop tolerance faster if you were to take higher doses.
Additionally, very high doses can put too much pressure on your system and cause health problems if you take the supplement for a prolonged period.
While this herb could theoretically cause acute toxicity, you’d need to take an extremely high dose that would be way beyond what even the most potent supplements contain.
Like most other adaptogens, it is best to cycle turmeric and take about two days off weekly to reset your tolerance. That will allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.
Keep in mind that the effects of this herb are cumulative. Therefore, you must take it for at least 2-4 weeks to notice most of the benefits. But again, cycling the herb and not taking it at least twice a week is necessary to prevent tolerance in the long term.
Best time to take turmeric
The main bioactive compounds in turmeric like curcumin are fat-soluble so always take the herb with food to absorb it well. Even more importantly, it’s best to take it with black pepper or another source of piperine.
Whether you take this herb in the morning or the evening typically does not make much difference. Both options are fine so feel free to experiment.
Interactions
Piperine Piperine from black, green, white, or long pepper can significantly enhance the bioavailability of many bioactive compounds in turmeric. For example, it increases the absorption of curcumin by about 2000%.
Resveratrol Resveratrol and curcumin from turmeric were shown to reduce lung cancer in animal studies when taken together. This is likely because of their anti-inflammatory effects.
Green tea This combination appears to be very effective at preventing or slowing down the growth of colon cancer.
Ashwagandha Ashwagandha may increase the antioxidant effects of curcumin.
Omega-3 Turmeric and omega 3 appear synergistic for reducing breast cancer cell proliferation. In theory, this combination may also lead to increasing BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) but more evidence is needed to support this.
Quercetin This combination can support cellular and tissue health.
Luteolin This combination is great for improving endothelial function.
Milk Thistle Silymarin and silibinin from milk thistle act synergistically with curcumin for supporting cellular and tissue health.
Iron Turmeric can chelate iron, especially when excess is in the system. However, low doses (500-1000 mg) do not impact iron levels in the body much if at all.
Where to buy turmeric?
In most countries, Amazon is the best option for ordering turmeric and other herbs and herbal supplements. They offer some very affordable products backed by many positive reviews. Also, you can choose from a wide range of brands without having to search through other markets on the internet.
Some brands display the dosage per serving instead of per pill or capsule. Therefore, you may accidentally buy something less potent than you intended. Do not fall for this marketing trick.
FAQ
As with most other herbs and herbal supplements, it is best to cycle turmeric and take a break from it for about two days per week to reset your tolerance back to baseline. That will keep your body sensitive to the herb and allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.
When you take an extract standardized for curcumin, you know exactly how potent it is and how much you need to take to get the desired outcome. Herbal extracts also tend to be cheaper than unextracted powders in many cases. However, many of the potentially beneficial compounds get lost during the extraction process. Therefore, if you know how potent the unextracted powder is, it is almost always a better option.
All of these options are fine. The two most important things to consider are the price and dosing. Powders are almost always the cheapest form. However, you may need a highly accurate scale to dose them correctly (preferably 0.001g). You can get one for as little as $20 from Amazon. Dosing the powders also takes time which can add up over months or years. The disadvantage of capsules is that they are often made of bovine gelatine, which rarely comes from ethical sources.
Yes, you can. This herb should not impact your sleep in any negative way. Whether you take it in the morning or the evening typically doesn’t make much difference. Both options are fine so feel free to experiment.
This herb should not become harmful once it exceeds the expiration date, but it can lose potency over time. Keep this herb or herbal supplement in a cold, dark, and dry place and it should remain just as potent for many months or even years.
As an adaptogen, turmeric acts as a mild stressor on the body. That is usually a great thing as it allows your body to adapt to specific forms of stress and become more resilient. However, putting too much pressure on the body can be counter-productive and cause multiple side effects, including toxicity. While acute toxicity is extremely rare, taking very high amounts of this herb could lead to chronic toxicity and cause health problems over time. High doses can also make you develop tolerance much faster than lower doses so they may be less effective in the long term.
While you could safely take higher doses, there is usually no point in taking more than 5 grams of turmeric root powder or 200 mg of curcumin daily. This amount should give you most of the benefits without meaningful side effects. Paradoxically, taking a higher dose would likely lead to fewer benefits as the body would quickly become accustomed to the herb.
The half-life of curcumin in the body is about 6-7 hours. However, most of the effects of this herb are cumulative, so they mostly happen in the long term rather than acutely. Therefore, the half-life of this herb isn’t very relevant in practice.
The effects of this herb are cumulative. Therefore, you must take it for at least 2-4 weeks to notice most of the benefits. But again, cycling the herb and not taking it at least twice a week is necessary to prevent tolerance in the long term.
Yes, turmeric is vegan-friendly. If you buy this herb in a capsulated form, beware that the capsules often contain animal-based gelatin. Instead, find a brand that puts its products into cellulose capsules.
No, it does not. The herb does not interfere with fasting in any significant way.
References
Most of the information in this guide is based on scientific research that can be found and verified in the PubMed medical library. We highly encourage you to use the library to verify anything you read in this article. We excluded from consideration studies that are either confounded or have a high conflict of interest.
