Turmeric Should Be Avoided When Taking Certain Medications or Having Certain Health Conditions
Turmeric root is one of nature’s healing plants and has been used for its taste and health potential for thousands of years. However, turmeric powers should be wielded with caution, as it isn’t appropriate for all people. Are you one of the people who should avoid or restrict the consumption of turmeric? Read on to find out.
Turmeric Has Powerful Healing Properties
I’ve already written about the 12 Reasons You Should Eat More Turmeric and turmeric is also featured in my e-book the Herbal Remedies Guide.
Turmeric’s health-promoting qualities have been touted for generations by a wide-reaching group of people, from the ancient peoples of India and Asia to modern health gurus.
Many people can experience improvements in health by using ground turmeric in food or as a dietary supplement, but it’s not the right choice for everyone. Let’s discuss some situations where turmeric should be avoided or used sparingly.
When You Should Avoid Turmeric (Or Reduce Its Consumption)
People on medication for diabetes
Turmeric has a natural tendency to lower blood sugar and as such it is one of the top 8 spices and herbs for type 2 diabetes. For people with diabetes and pre-diabetic people who control their condition solely through diet, this may be welcome news.
However, people taking medication for their diabetes need to be aware of turmeric’s effect on blood sugar and discuss turmeric usage with their prescribing physicians before continued use as when combined with medications for diabetes, turmeric might make blood sugar too low and cause hypoglycemia.
Pregnant women and turmeric consumption
During pregnancy and breast-feeding turmeric is considered safe when taken in amounts usually found in food. However, turmeric is probably unsafe when taken in large amounts or in a supplement form during pregnancy, as it may stimulate menstruation or stimulate the uterus, thus risking the pregnancy.
Also there is not enough information regarding the safety of large amounts of turmeric during breast-feeding, so it’s best to use it in normal food quantities and not as a supplement.
People with gallbladder problems or tendency for kidney stones
The gallbladder is a small sac-like structure which lies beneath your liver and connected to it by the bile duct. The gallbladder serves as a storage facility for bile which breaks down fat in the intestines.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), turmeric can cause side effects and increase the risk of gallbladder problems, so if you have gallstones or obstruction of the bile passages, you should talk to your doctor before taking turmeric.
Also if you are prone to kidney stones you’re better off not taking turmeric supplements. The reason for that is that turmeric contains significant amounts of the chemical oxalate, which increases the risk of gallstones.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in May 2008 showed that turmeric significantly increased the levels of oxalate in the urine as compared to placebo after four weeks of treatment in healthy individuals.5 The conclusion was that high levels of oxalate in the urine increases the risk of kidney stone formation in susceptible people.
If you suffer from kidney stones, read my article on how to treat kidney stones naturally.
People who take blood clotting medications
Turmeric can thin the blood, meaning it can be inappropriate for people who have bleeding disorders as it can increase their risk of bruising and bleeding.
According to WebMd, turmeric can also interact with medications that slow blood clotting such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil), warfarin (Coumadin), and others.1
Talk about your desire to take turmeric with your doctor before using it if you are on medications for blood clotting or have bleeding disorders in order to determine if turmeric is the right choice for you.
It is recommended to stop using turmeric at least 2 weeks before a surgery to avoid extra bleeding during and after surgery.
People who suffer from stomach acid
Our stomach is full of acid that is naturally produced in the body and helps break down food.
However excess stomach acid can cause symptoms like pain and other health problems such as heartburn (reflux) which occurs when stomach acid leaks into the esophagus. Frequent heartburn suggests gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which can damage the esophagus and throat. Reducing excess stomach acid is the best way to manage these problems.
Turmeric may increase stomach acid production, which may decrease the effectiveness of drugs used to reduce stomach acid. Avoid taking turmeric if it worsens symptoms of stomach acid. You can also try these natural remedies for heartburn.
How Much Turmeric to Consume
According to Maryland Medical Center, for people who do not have medical or health conditions on the cautionary list discussed above, taking up to 3 grams of powdered turmeric root (which is about one teaspoon) per day is safe, while the dosage of cut root is 1.5 to 3 g per day for an average-sized adult.3
What’s good about turmeric is that you can use it both in fresh or ground form. The ground form is much more concentrated, and usually when converting fresh to ground turmeric, a single tablespoon of fresh turmeric root is equal to 1/3 of a teaspoon of dried turmeric.
Ideas for Turmeric Consumption
While turmeric is a powerful and effective compound for treating a wide range of diseases, studies have revealed that turmeric has low absorption and rapid metabolism that lead to relatively low bioavailability in the body. To get ideas on how to increase turmeric bio-availability in the body, read my article on how to optimize turmeric absorption for super boosted benefits.
- You can use turmeric to make this anti inflammatory drink for pain and inflammation.
- Use turmeric to make a healing drink for more than 60 diseases.
- You can use turmeric to make the Ayurvedic recipe of golden milk.
You can also use turmeric as a face mask to treat various skin conditions: Turmeric Face Mask Recipe for Glowing Skin, Acne, Rosacea, Eczema and Dark Circles