Turmeric supplement – any users?

Evening all, as I approach birthday 46 I am not as elastic and have less bouncebackability!

I’ve a dodgy shoulder after a flare up following an incident skiing a few weeks ago where I got taken out by the MIL!!

ALSO bruised hips from that incident and also an OTB last week!!

Ibuprofen works but I would rather not take this longer term!

I’m working with a physio but thought that I’d ask on here if anyone has had results from taking daily Turmeric too counter pain and inflammation?

Wife took it when she put her back out and wasn’t convinced it helped.

It’s an anticoagulant so beware if you’re on any other blood thinners.

I’m not 👍🏻 but thanks for the heads up on that one

There is no good quality research confirming any positive effects.

We use it for the dog. She seems to benefit from it. Did well for the last dog as well. Really helped with his arthritis.

@airvent hence asking for anecdotal responses here..

It’s dirt cheap as far as supplements go and I’m persuaded by the ‘research’ (/bro science) I’ve read about it.

Make sure you get curcumin rather than turmeric (curcumin being the active ingredient, which you need more of than you can realistically get from standard turmeric ), and get a tablet with black pepper extract in as well which aids absorption.

Completely anecdotal but I drank a turmeric and ginger drink every morning when I was in Bali (called jamu) and it was both delicious and definitely helped with my general sense of wellbeing. Could have been being on holiday for three weeks which did that too though I guess.

Yes mate – take them regularly (when I remember). Felt like I was getting the onset of arthritis in my hands – seemed to abate after prolonged intake of turmeric, also red krill oil capsules

Don’t take spice, m’kay?

I take it. As mentioned above it’s much better absorbed when taken with black pepper according to the research available in Google. I decided to take it because I have arthritis in my fingers which I notice in cold weather. This winter however I haven’t noticed the arthritis. My mother also takes it and she claims it helps her arthritis. I buy mine from https://autoimmune-institute.com

My understanding is that it is good at reducing inflammation in the body.

Grated some fresh turmeric root to make turmeric and ginger tea. Didn’t notice much for my joints, but my grating fingers looked like my granddad’s who smoked 80 players a day

If you listen to Tim Spector and the likes, there is no evidence for any supplements working (except vit D I think). If a substance isn’t consumed in its natural form (i.e as turmeric) then the body can’t process it.

But DYOR

Why do you want anecdotal responses? By definition they are representative of individuals beliefs of the outcomes of a treatment and give no indication of whether a treatment is in anyway beneficial, or indeed, detrimental. These provide no evidence of efficacy.

Signed

Frustrated scientist

Really though, who is going to fund proper trials of turmeric?

Signed

Ex-academic married to an academic, both very familiar with the research bid-writing process…

If a substance isn’t consumed in its natural form (i.e as turmeric) then the body can’t process it.

That makes no sense whatsoever. Does ibuprofen only work if I consume it in its natural ibuprofen berry form?

It definitely has effects on mental health… I took it for years (Nature’s Best one-a-day) and it helped my mood, but also seems to have contributed to my high blood pressure.

My daughter, who is autistic and on sertraline, took a single dose and it sent her a bit manic; came back from town with over £200 worth of books from Waterstones she never intended to buy and vowed never to take it again.

Isn’t this much like an pro-biotic supplements, in theory if they get into your system they might help, but they’re all actually broken down in your stomach as you digest them.. added to the fact that you physically can’t get enough into your system in high enough dosage that would do any good IIRC with Tuneric.

But the placebo effect is a strange old thing, so crack on.

There is some evidence it works. Radio 4’s just one thing had an episode from it. It matched what I’d read elsewhere. It’s widely used in India. I dare say there are loads of papers from Indian universities on it but I’ve never looked.

It needs to be taken with black pepper and some sort of fat. So I took Holland & Barrett capsules with dinner. The tablets aren’t cheap. Presumably adding a teaspoon of turmeric.and a grind of black pepper would be the same. I guess buying turmeric from a proper spice shop rather than a supermarket might be fresher and cheaper?

There are several other factors that effect inflammation – there was a Just one long thing episode on it recently.

Ibuprofen and stronger versions gave me stomach cramps and liquid ass after prolonged use for an injury 15 years ago. I cant even take one ibuprofen now without have issues

Mrs P is a big believer in Turmeric.  I didn’t know it was used for short-term traumatic injury like the OP described, but this review suggests it can have uses there too:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664031/     (of course small studies etc)

Mrs P used it for long-term chronic stuff.  Since using it daily she stopped taking amitriptyline (after a couple of weeks – and has not gone back a couple of years later).  Her mother who has had similar issues for decades also started using it and has cut out diclofenac and amitriptyline for chronic pain / neck mobility issues.  I don’t think either would say it solved the problem but neither did the “drugs” which for them at least had some side effects.  It could all be placebo effect, but so could the benefits they thought they were getting from pharmaceuticals.

If you listen to Tim Spector and the likes, there is no evidence for any supplements working (except vit D I think).

But of course, you do need a healthy dose of cynicism whenever you listen to Tim.  He just happens to have a commercial solution for the markets which the other commercial solutions he criticizes fail to address.  The real product he is promoting is actually Tim Spector – there’s some science behind his claims, but I’m always a bit skeptical when someone claims to be an academic and at the same time has their foot heavily in a commercial solution they are promoting.

If a substance isn’t consumed in its natural form (i.e as turmeric) then the body can’t process it.

Do you need to eat the bark of a willow tree to get the pain-releaving and blood-thinning benefits of aspirin?   He does discuss turmeric (in a not too negative light here: https://zoe.com/learn/podcast-can-spices-improve-your-health ) and I think, as his message is very much “eat natural” he is saying whole spices are good – but not because of a body processing problem, because there are other active ingredients that might also be good.   I would say if you were to actually eat enough turmeric for the sort of dose most people who take the supplements consume – you would have a very monotone diet!

Just try and avoid the stuff contaminated with Lead, apparently it gets added as it improves the colour…

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/9/20/23881981/bangladesh-tumeric-lead-poisoning-contamination-public-health

Just eat more curry

Like many other similar products, placebo is as good as you can expect. But this is a real thing so if you believe it’s helping you, it probably is, just not in the way you think.
For the various commonly available supplements, and particularly things like turmeric which are used all the time, I’m of the mind as a scientific type that if there was any scientically reproducible benefit then someone would have proven it long ago.

For the various commonly available supplements, and particularly things like turmeric which are used all the time, I’m of the mind as a scientific type that if there was any scientically reproducible benefit then someone would have proven it long ago.

There are numerous studies in the published literature that mostly suggest there’s more than a placebo effect.  There are criticisms of the study designs, scale, independence, academic credentials etc.  But let me counter your suggestion, if there’s a credible, suitably independent, and funded group around whose outcomes you would accept as “proof” of a positive effect, why have they not done the study that proves the null hypothesis which given the prominence of turmeric in the nutritional supplement world would be just as academically interesting.

its enough to get referenced in “Dr Greger’s Daily Dozen”

https://nutritionfacts.org/?s=tumeric

with plenty of referenced stuff in his “how not to die” book….

Not sure I’ve ever heard someone admit to seeking anecdote!

https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/how-to-make-golden-paste.html

I tried it in a glass of milk but it just gave me wind like I had had a curry the night before.

But as long as you don’t have something contaminated and it’s affordable but gives you a placebo effect, then it is worth it anyway.

Tried it for a month and had no effect. Mate says it works wonders for him so horses for courses I guess.