Turmeric: How To Consume

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Turmeric: How To Consume

9 Aug 2021

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Dr Greger has so many videos explaining the effectiveness of turmeric for fighting cancer! He devotes 5 pages of his book HNTD (How Not To Die; 2015, 576 pages) to turmeric: pages 352-356.

Health benefits of turmeric? See Turmeric: Health Benefits.

How to boost turmeric bio-availability? Turmeric with Black Pepper: What It’s Good for and How to Take It (2022) and the underlying video Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin (2014, 4 mins) helped me grasp two ideas: (a) add a pinch of black pepper to boost turmeric bio-availability by as much as 2,000% (whoa!), and (c) add tiny amounts of fat to enhance bio-availability.

Cooked vs raw? Page 353 of HNTD says:

"There's evidence to suggest that the cooked and raw forms may have different properties. Cooked turmeric appears to offer better DNA protection, while raw turmeric may have greater anti-inflammatory effects." — Dr Greger

How to consume raw turmeric? In Indian cuisine, turmeric is often added to cooked recipes. How may we eat it raw? Some people add a small amount of raw turmeric to their daily green smoothie in the morning. Some people add turmeric and other spices to prepare 'energy balls' in which the sweetness of dates (one of the two healthy sweeteners recommended by Dr Greger; super healthy) masks the flavor of other strange-tasting additives. Some people prepare turmeric pills because they don't like the taste of turmeric. [Is turmeric powder produced by drying out turmeric at low enough temperatures that it's deemed 'not cooked'? Don't know.]

How much turmeric? Page 352 of HNTD says:

"Though traditional Indian diets can include up to about a teaspoon of turmeric daily, the average intake in India is closer to a quarter teaspoon a day. So that's how much I recommend you get as part of your Daily Doen." — Dr Greger

Curcumin extract? Dr Greger expresses multiple concerns with curcumin supplements. See pages 354-355 of HNTD.

Should everybody consume turmeric? Page 356 of HNTD says:

"If you suffer from gallstones, turmeric may trigger pains." [see book for details.]

"Too much turmeric, however, may increase the risk of certain kidney stones. [see book for details]

(2014) Spicing Up DNA Protection

(4 mins) Transcript. This video explains that turmeric is highly effective in fighting free radicals, and that we should eat it both ways: raw and cooked. An excerpt:

Now, why do I suggest cooking with it [turmeric], rather than just like throwing it in a smoothie? Well, this effect was found specifically for heat-treated turmeric. Because, in practice, “many herbs and spices are…only consumed after cooking,” they tested both turmeric and oregano in both raw and cooked forms, and in terms of DNA damage, the results from raw turmeric did not reach statistical significance—though the opposite was found for the anti-inflammatory effects. So, maybe we should eat it both ways.

(2014) Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin

(4 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Dietary strategies, including the use of black pepper (piperine), can boost blood levels of curcumin from the spice turmeric by up to 2,000%."

(2016) Turmeric Curcumin: Plant vs. Pills

(3 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Curcumin-free turmeric, from which the so-called active ingredient has been removed, may be as effective or even more potent."

This video explains that curcumin is not the only compound in turmeric that's health promoting. So we should consider consuming turmeric in its whole form instead of curcumin extract.

Companion article: (2019) The Downside of Curcumin Supplements

(2014) Who Shouldn't Consume Curcumin or Turmeric?

(5 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Just because something is natural and plant-based doesn't mean it's necessarily safe. Those who are pregnant, have gallstones, or are susceptible to kidney stones may want to moderate their turmeric consumption."

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