Turmeric is indeed a magic spice. It does not only add better flavor and color to your food but it comes with a lot of medicinal uses and benefits that we can harness. In this article, we will talk about:

Benefits

Side effects

Dosage

Turmeric spice is traced to come from the turmeric plant. It is commonly used in Asian dishes. Turmeric for many others is better known as the main spice in curry. It has this warm, bitter taste and it is frequently used to flavor or color curry powders, mustards, butter, and cheeses. The root of turmeric is known and used widely to make medicine. It contains a yellow-colored chemical substance called curcumin, and it is often used to color foods and cosmetics.

Benefits of Turmeric

The many medical benefits of turmeric includes arthritis, heartburn (dyspepsia), joint pain, stomach pain, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, bypass surgery, hemorrhage, diarrhea, intestinal gas, stomach bloating, loss of appetite, jaundice, liver issues, Helicobacter pylori infection also known as (H. pylori) infection, stomach disorder and ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gallbladder malfunction, high cholesterol, a particular skin condition called lichen planus, skin inflammation caused by radiation treatment, and fatigue. Turmeric can also used as an enema for people with inflammatory bowel disease.

Oftentimes, we are admonished to consume a lot of colorful plant foods because of its pigments, which is strongly associated with antioxidants — the wonder nutrients set, many experts believe protects and repairs cells from the damages caused by free radicals and also possess important anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin is a vital compound found only in turmeric, appears to be the major magic ingredient.

Turmeric can be used for so many things, some of which are:

1. Turmeric can be used to brighten your pearly whites

Turmeric is widely known for its stain removing prowess, it is also commonly used for whitening stained teeth – it is advisable that it doesn’t get in contact with the enamel or stay long enough to change the color.

2. Turmeric can be used to customize face beauty foundation

Women often use turmeric in face creams and body scrubs to boost the glow factor; you may also sprinkle in a bit at a time until you have the proper tone.

You may add turmeric to homemade soap to dial up its color and boost its skin-friendly benefits.

3. Turmeric can be used spice up your soap

Turmeric offers a lot if you into making homemade soap, you may try adding several teaspoons of turmeric to it, when you do this you will not only dial up its color, but it will boost its skin-friendly benefits as well.

4. Turmeric can be used to save your scalp

The combination of olive oil and turmeric help to deter dandruff and to improve the overall condition of the scalp. You can make a mix of turmeric and the oil of your choice, then massage into your scalp and leave on for about 15 minutes, then introduce shampoo and style as usual.

5. Turmeric can be used to embellish temporary tattoos

Turmeric can be used to create golden Mehdi on the temporary tattoos made with henna. It can be used to add a pretty second color to an extant henna tattoo.

6. Turmeric can be used to tame swimmer’s ear

Natural remedy aficionados recommend the use of warmed garlic oil in order to help push the water out of ears affected by swimming; adding turmeric to the mix has also been proven to always be of help as well.

7. Turmeric can be used to soothe sick stomachs

A 2013 research study has proven that taking 500 mg of turmeric a few times a day can help to treat stomach upset. Turmeric is associated with an age-long use of quelling bellies that aren’t behaving properly.

8. Turmeric can be used to ease achy arthritis

For osteoarthritis, a 2010 research study shows that a specific turmeric extract like Meriva or Indena can help to relieve even joint pain.

9. Turmeric can be used to help your liver

According to some in-depth experimental research at the Medical University Graz in Austria, the curcumin that turmeric contains may delay liver damage, in other words, it helps prevent complications that may eventually have led to a case of cirrhosis.

10. Turmeric can be used to inhibit skin cancer

Turmeric has been researched to be a help for skin treatments, it may also be of help in inhibiting certain forms of cancer. Among other research studies, some researchers at the University of Texas are of the opinion that curcumin inhibits the growth of melanoma and therefore may also impede the spread of breast cancer to the lungs.

11. Turmeric can be used to battle other forms of cancer

Researchers have found that curcumin can be used to kill certain cancer cells in laboratory dishes and also slows the growth of the surviving cells.

12. Turmeric can be used to minimize Alzheimer’s symptoms

A clinical trial that made use of curcumin extract published in the Journal of Neurochemistry found some 30 percent decrease in the size of Alzheimer’s-associated brain plaque in treated mice — in only one week.

TURMERIC SIDE EFFECTS

Just like everything else, turmeric has its advantages as well as its disadvantages. The Most Common Turmeric Side Effects are:

1. Blood-thinning

According to the National Institutes of Health, turmeric is said to be capable of slowing blood clotting. So it is advisable to avoid combining turmeric with anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet drugs. Also, if you take blood-thinning medication, you may consult with your health provider before eating turmeric in food or taking turmeric supplements on its own.

Examples of such medications that act as blood thinners include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.), warfarin (Coumadin), naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, etc.), and other drugs. It is advisable that you don’t take turmeric with these or related drugs.

Due to blood thinning side effects of turmeric, it is recommended that one stops taking turmeric at least two weeks before any surgical procedure.

2. Diabetes

Turmeric may lower blood sugar level. It is advisable to avoid turmeric if you take diabetes medications since turmeric could cause the blood sugar to fall even further. This, therefore, could result in hypoglycemia.

3. Gallbladder

The NIH also recommends avoiding turmeric if one is experiencing problems with the gallbladder. If one has gallstones or a bile duct obstruction, turmeric may cause the condition to worsen.

4. Pregnancy

Turmeric should be carefully avoided during the pregnancy period. According to the NIH, turmeric is capable of stimulating the uterus or promoting a menstrual period. NIH also recommends not taking turmeric during the period of breastfeeding.

5. Stomach Complications

Turmeric may cause increased stomach acid if taken with antacid drugs such as Tagamet, Pepcid, Zantac, Nexium, or Prevacid. Although research shows turmeric may be effective as a treatment for upset stomach, it may aggravate gastric reflux disease.

Turmeric Dosage

So what is the Recommended Turmeric Dosage?

The recommended turmeric usage in order to avoid overdosage is:

Ground Turmeric: 1 Teaspoon (2 grams) which amounts to about 2,000mg. This is the maximum amount of standardized turmeric curcumin recommended that you should take per day.

When cooking with ground turmeric powder, the University of Maryland research recommends 1 to 3 grams per day. In which case, one gram of ground turmeric powder is about ½ teaspoon. Three grams is therefore about 1½ teaspoons of ground turmeric powder.