Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

How Exactly do I take Curcumin/Tumeric and How Much To Consume?

As of the past 2 months, I have been on high gear taking my health way more seriously then ever.

I am only 32 years old and have already had both my appendix and gallbladder removed just within a year apart.

I noticed a rapid decrease in my health over the years which led to be overweight. Not morbidly obese but enough to have a "beer gut". And no, I haven't drank in 5 years or was ever a alcoholic. I used to smoke almost 2 packs a day. I quit several years ago and have been vaping since. In the past 2 years or so my breathing feels heavier (assuming because I'm overweight). The reason I'm confident blaming the weight is due to a doctor recently telling me my breathing is at 98%.

The past two months I have started dieting. I watch my calorie intake and consume food with little to no trans and saturated fat, less sugar with half meat during the week with the remaining half of fruits and vegetables.

Let me finally get to the point why I am making this post.

I have been reading and have found mostly positive studies and research on the spice Curcumin/Tumeric. I am not going to list all of the positives found about this spice but it sounds quite promising to say the least.

I am having a difficult time finding out how exactly do I consume it? (Besides the obvious fact you mix it with specific foods). I am not looking to make a meal with it though. I just want to use it as "Vitamin" for a lack of a better word. What I am asking is, how to take it twice daily as articles have suggested? Do I just eat it as it is off of a teaspoon/tablespoon? Do i sprinkle it in my food? If so, how much exactly do i use? How long can i cook it before the spice becomes useless to consume? What is the best way so the nutrients absorb the best into my body? Can it be mixed with something like water or orange juice? If so, will it absorb properly? It it's neither, please let me know. I am just not sure how exactly it's supposed to be consumed... Please give your experiences, or what you know about this spice. I need as much advice as you are willing to provide.

I appreciate any feedback :)
Thanks.
4 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
20923738 tn?1671110551
you can add one tablespoon of turmeric powder to a hot glass of milk with sugar if you like sweet. the other way is to use turmeric as a spice in your daily cooking. or you can also take raw turmeric,lime, ginger, and mint leaf to make turmeric tea
Helpful - 0
20895295 tn?1585904154
YOu can take turmeric mixed with milk. It is something my Indian friend told me about. Mix a bit of turmeric with some hot milk and you're good to go. It might taste a bit strong but is very beneficial for you
Helpful - 0
2 Comments
Kind of defeats the purpose.  Milk is pro-inflammatory.  Turmeric is used mostly nowadays as an anti-inflammatory, though it has several other uses.  
It's also used for digestion by some, and again, milk is the enemy of digestion for most.  
20895774 tn?1585734354
Turmeric can be taken as a supplement to complement your regular healthcare regimen. You can also take it in the form of juice. There are many supplements available in the market, you can easily get them online.
I would also recommend you to please check with your doctor first to see if turmeric is right for you.
Helpful - 0
2 Comments
Thanks MollieRhodes  Also good advice to check with our doctors first.  thanks for the info!
Can't imagine turmeric as a juice.  Can't see how you could juice it, for one thing, but this is a really hot spice with an off taste by itself.  It's great mixed into a curry blend, but I've used it in alcohol tincture form and I wouldn't want to do that again.  And again, folks, don't spill it, turmeric will stain everything yellow.  It's just a lot easier for those not used to downing hot spices in their spare time to use it a gel cap.  Used to be a funny guy on here who tried to replace his blood thinner by taking a lot of turmeric powder.  Burned a hole in his esophagus.  Also, most believe if you use it either to protect the liver or as an anti-inflammatory to use it in certain forms that have been developed to help absorption, which you can only get in gel cap form, and standardized.  Standardizing allows maximization of circumin, the active ingredient thought most responsible for its anti-inflammatory and liver protective properties.  Some don't like standardizing herbs, as it comes closer to being a drug that way and not the natural form that has been traditionally used, but it does seem to work better for this particular herb for those two purposes.  Now, if you're using it in a formula for digestive bitters, you wouldn't want to standardize it.  Peace, all.
Avatar universal
First, the herb is called turmeric.  Circumin is what they've named one active compound in the plant that they think is responsible for some of what people take it for.  How much you take and when depends on why you're taking it.  As a spice, it's used for flavor, especially in Indian food, so for that you'd use it as you'd use any spice.  I don't recommend using the powder for anything else, however.  For one thing, it's a hot spice, so it burns if you use too much powder.  For another, the powders used for spices are not necessarily tested for circumin concentration and probably isn't.  For a third, unless you're buying organically grown spices, most commercial spices are irradiated, which can destroy beneficial properties when used for health.  So to get enough of it, you want to use a supplement.  Now, next, supplements vary a lot in quality and in type.  The least potent is taking a capsule that just contains some powder.   Next is a capsule that contains a standardized amount of circumin, which is usually recommended for health purposes.  However, do know that any standardized supplement alters the natural status of it because in nature, amounts vary and the plant contains a lot of active ingredients many of which have unknown effects because they haven't been studied.  In order to standardize a supplement, one marker chemical is chosen that is believed to be the reason the supplement works, but this hasn't always turned out to be the right substance.  But it does seem to have held up with turmeric.  Next are tablets, which are harder than capsules to absorb.  Next are extracts or tinctures, which is the herb's components extracted usually with alcohol and sometimes nowadays with more expensive and better quality supplements by a combination of alcohol and what is called super critical extraction, which is better than alcohol in extracting fat soluble components.  A combination of the two methods is best.  An extract can be standardized or not.  Historically, extracts were preferred by herbalists if they wanted a strong herb and a tea for a weaker water extraction, which is, next, using the powder to make a tea.  I wouldn't recommend that with turmeric, though, nor would I recommend it taken as an extract, because again, it's a hot tasting herb that burns going down.  Confused?  You should be, because nobody can tell you exactly how much to take nor what form is the best.  Again, it depends on the purpose you're using it for.  Turmeric is used for the following purposes:  as an anti-inflammatory; as a powerful antioxidant for liver protection; as a digestive bitter; as a blood thinner; as a fat burner because hot herbs heat up the body and supposedly that helps the body to burn fat -- probably doesn't.  That's just five off the top of my head.  You haven't said why you want to use it, but I would say it's a good herb to use for someone missing a gall bladder because that puts more stress on the liver to do its job -- the gallbladder is a storage place for liver bile so you can digest fat and without it your body has no reserve to draw on and has to rely completely on the liver.  Which purpose you're using it for determines the best form and how much to take.  Often with herbs, it's more important to take it several times a day, or a least twice with a hot herb like turmeric, than how much you take, but for how much you need to consult a few good herbals and see which one you like.  As for when, again, it's a hot herb, so take it with a meal.  That will buffer it so you don't get heartburn if hot herbs do that to you.  As for your diet, I'd look into that a lot more.  Without a gallbladder, eating a lot of meat isn't a great idea.  You should go more toward a vegetarian diet because, remember, you don't have a gallbladder and all forms of meat other than wild game have a lot of fat and it's fat you're going to have the problems with.  Saturated fat isn't bad in and of itself, it's the form that's important -- fatty fish is high in fat but the body deals with it a lot better than it does meat.  Beans and nuts and seeds are good sources of vegetable protein, and the mix of fiber, fat, and healthy carbs will go down better than meat.  Whole grains are a good source of energy for you.  Lots of veggies and certain fruits supply valuable antioxidants that protect your liver and prevent fat from oxidizing and clogging your blood vessels.  I'd advise, lastly. that you consult again a good herbal and some good books on vitamins and minerals as well so you protect that liver.  Which means, stop the vaping.  I know, you like the nicotine, but your body doesn't, and your liver is a big part of what protects you from toxins and again, minus a gallbladder it has to work harder.  Peace and good health.  
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Oh, missed something -- when I said avoid the extract I mean a pure alcohol extract.  Do take an extract that is encased in a capsule.  Turmeric is usually put in a black capsule like a gel cap to protect it from light.  And if you do take the alcohol extract, don't drop it -- turmeric stains everything yellow!
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Nutrition Community

Top Healthy Living Answerers
Avatar universal
Arlington, VA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
14 super-healthy foods that are worth the hype
Small changes make a big impact with these easy ways to cut hundreds of calories a day.
Forget the fountain of youth – try flossing instead! Here are 11 surprising ways to live longer.
From STD tests to mammograms, find out which screening tests you need - and when to get them.
Tips and moves to ease backaches
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.