Turmeric has recently been hailed as super healthy food, but did you know that it can have some severe adverse reactions?
This, of course, applies to taking vast amounts of turmeric as a food supplement, not cooking the regular dish with it – that’s generally considered perfectly safe and healthy!
How Much Turmeric (Haldi) per Day Should You Consume?
It is generally recommended to have about a teaspoon a day, which is considered to be safe. Anything in excess may trigger specific reactions. Consuming turmeric or Haldi in its natural form promotes health, but an overdose of it can cause an upset stomach, nausea, and dizziness.
Especially if you take turmeric capsules or supplements in high amounts, it can prove to be detrimental to your health. Taking turmeric in its natural form in moderate quantities to attain its health benefits.”
Turmeric is safe for most people when ingested in limited quantities found in daily food. But turmeric can have severe side effects when taken in large doses. Some supplements contain up to 500 milligrams of turmeric extract, and their labels recommend taking four capsules per day.
Let’s Have a Look at the Possible Turmeric Side Effects:
1. Risk of Excessive Bleeding
Turmeric has been found to delay blood clotting, and this can increase the chances of bleeding and bruising and in those who suffer from flowing conditions.
Turmeric could also react with certain medications to cause excessive bleeding, so if you are on any medicines for bleeding disorders or have bleeding disorders, stop eating turmeric.
[ Read: Side Effects of Green Tea ]
2. Gastrointestinal Problems
Having turmeric cooked in curry hasn’t been related to stomach issues, but high doses of turmeric over a prolonged period have been found to aggravate gastrointestinal infections.
Adults who consume more than the prescribed amount of turmeric supplement (400 mg to 3 grams) can suffer from stomach issues– make sure you only take the prescribed dosage. Turmeric may also cause indigestion and heartburn.
3. Increased Risk of Gallbladder Issues and Gallstones
Turmeric contains the right amount of oxalate, a substance that can spike the chances of developing gallstones. According to a study in the AJCN (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition), urine showed high levels of oxalate when the subjects had ingested turmeric, in comparison to the control group.
Increased gallbladder contractions were also found when turmeric supplements of 20-40 mg were eaten. If you are suffering from gallbladder issues, it’s best to dump turmeric capsules.
[ Read: Home Remedies That Treat Gallstones ]
4. Lowers Blood Pressure
Very low blood pressure can be detrimental, and high doses of turmeric can lower blood pressure. If you take medications to reduce your blood pressure, you need to be extra careful while ingesting turmeric.
5. Increased Risk of Kidney Stones
As with gallstones, large doses of turmeric can increase the chances of developing kidney stones because of the high levels of oxalates present in it. Oxalates can bind with calcium to form calcium oxalate, which is highly insoluble, and chiefly the reason for kidney stones.
In one research, consuming turmeric led to a higher urinary oxalate excretion compared to cinnamon, so it’s wise to dump turmeric if you have kidney ailments.
6. Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women
Turmeric is safe for conceiving women to eat as a spice in food, but turmeric supplements should be avoided entirely while conceiving.
There is not much research available presently on the possible effects of turmeric on pregnant and breastfeeding women, and it’s not known if the active compounds will pass through breast milk.
7. Diarrhea and Nausea
Diarrhea and nausea are two symptoms associated with turmeric supplements, and this is because the curcumin in turmeric can irritate the gastrointestinal lining.
Even smaller doses can cause nausea in some people, so if you notice any visible symptoms after taking turmeric, stop taking it.
8. Don’t Use with Blood Thinning Medicines
The curcumin in turmeric is known to reduce blood platelet function and should be strictly avoided by those taking blood-thinning medication such as Coumadin or Warfarin.
9. May Cause Allergic Reactions
Curcumin may cause contact allergy, and some people have reported urticaria (hives) and contact dermatitis and due to skin association with turmeric. As turmeric is a member of the same family as ginger, you are very likely to react if you’re sensitive to ginger. If you are allergic to yellow foods (coloring), you may also be allergic to turmeric.
10. Could be a Factor in Infertility
If men take large amounts of turmeric food supplements, it could affect their testosterone levels and reduce sperm motility, which may lead to infertility.
11. May Cause Iron Deficiency
Recent studies have shown that some compounds in turmeric bind with iron. This leads to a reduction in the body’s ability to absorb iron from foods, which could lead to anemia.
12. Avoid if You Are undergoing surgery
If you are due to have surgery, avoid turmeric for a couple of weeks before surgical procedure. This is because of turmeric’s tendency to inhibit blood clotting. Interactions with Medicines and Herbs. Turmeric might interact with the following herbs: Ginger, Black pepper
And these medications:
Blood-thinning agents like aspirin, warfarin, clopidogrel, etc. Indigestion remedies such as famotidine, cimetidine, ranitidine, esomeprazole, omeprazole, and lansoprazole Diabetes medications.
Bottom Line
It’s important to use caution when deciding whether turmeric is something you need to use. As with any alternative therapy, talk with your physician before you use turmeric to treat any health condition that you have.
