Turmeric - how do you take it?

[Anonymous]

I'm getting older, and despite regular exercise, sometimes some of my joints are cranky. It's been suggested I try taking turmeric.

How do you take it? Pill? Powder? If the latter, how do you consume it? How much if ground? Does it stain your teeth?

[Anonymous]

I take pills

[Anonymous]

I grate fresh in my tea- with honey, ginger and lemon.

[Anonymous]

I take pills - from Costco or Whole Foods

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I take pills - from Costco or Whole Foods

How much? Does it work?

[Anonymous]

I used tumeric tea this year for a cough and it was great with that but hurt my stomach. The tea and ginger combo was better from that perspective.

[Anonymous]

Capsules. But you need to make sure it's a good formulation. Turmeric isn't very well absorbed, so you need a variety that's been specifically developed to increase bio-availability. Look for formulations that include CurQfen or Merida, which are among the best currently available.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.2c07326

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Capsules. But you need to make sure it's a good formulation. Turmeric isn't very well absorbed, so you need a variety that's been specifically developed to increase bio-availability. Look for formulations that include CurQfen or Merida, which are among the best currently available.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.2c07326

Sorry--that's "Meriva" not "Merida".

[Anonymous]

I take it in powder form and whisk it into hot milk (non-dairy) and add sweetener. Delicious latte!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Capsules. But you need to make sure it's a good formulation. Turmeric isn't very well absorbed, so you need a variety that's been specifically developed to increase bio-availability. Look for formulations that include CurQfen or Merida, which are among the best currently available.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.2c07326

NP. I know about the concerns regarding bioavailability, but I am worried about lead contamination in prepared products. Until and unless the FDA regulates supplements, I feel safer with grinding it myself.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5415259/

[Anonymous]

Eat more Indian food. No kidding.

[Anonymous]

Be careful of the source. Tumeric is well known to be cut with lead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Be careful of the source. Tumeric is well known to be cut with lead.

Exactly. Many more spices that come from other countries have been found to be contaminated, and there are issues with US brand chocolates, etc, as well. This isn't just conspiracy theory or fear-mongering; it's a real risk.

But Consumer Reports found that brand-name herbs and spices might contain arsenic, cadmium, and lead. The nation’s top consumer organization in 2021 tested 126 such products from McCormick, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and other popular brands, finding almost one-third had heavy metal levels high enough to raise health concerns.

Levels of lead were so high in 31 products that they exceeded the maximum amount anyone should have in a day, according to Consumer Reports experts. In late 2022, Consumer Reports testing found heavy metals in chocolate from Hershey’s, Theo, Trader Joe’s, and other well-known brands.

... Lead was found in every spice tested including organic brands and those sold by grocery and specialty stores.
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/01/heartland-study-finds-spices-second-only-to-paint-for-the-lead-poisoning-of-children/

It was called the "Heartland Study." Some brands have been better than others. All spices had levels of contamination, but not all brands of every spice.

[Anonymous]

(Indian) We add it to most of our food.

[Anonymous]

I have it in a capsule