Turmeric usage

[glosfrog]

Hi everyone. There was a post here recently about whether or not to take turmeric tablets. Today there is an interesting article in the Daily Mail on the subject on P38 "Ask the Doctor" who comes down strongly saying in relation to Warfarin and novel anticoagulants "it has been proven to interact" and "you must not self medicate with turmeric". Hope that helps people decide

[jennydog]

I have just read this article which is very comprehensive.

Dr Scurr is a GP who answers questions in the Daily Mail every Tuesday. In my judgment his wisdom shines through. He often covers AF and he really understands about it.

I don't buy a newspaper every day but Tuesday's Mail is always worth buying for its Good Health section.

[BobD Volunteer]

As I have been banging on for years. DO NOT take any supplements without discussing with your doctor.

[Alan_G in reply to BobD]

When it comes to herbal supplements like Hawthorn they have no idea. I asked and was told to go and speak to someone with knowledge about it. They, in turn, were unable to comment on how it might interact with what my GP had prescribed.

[PeterWh in reply to Alan_G]

What about websites for drug interactions such as drugs.com

[Alan_G in reply to PeterWh]

Tried it. No information on the majority of herbal supplements.

[SRMGrandma Volunteer]

Tumeric is great for inflammation but it interacts with anticoagulants, so it is a big NO for most of us with AF. I think people under-utilize the pharmacist, who is the real expert, the one the docs call with questions about interactions. Once anyone is on prescription meds, all supplements should be run past the pharmacist or doc before taking.

[MarkySmith in reply to SRMGrandma]

There is no scientific evidence that turmeric has any benefits in humans nccih.nih.gov/health/turmer...

[Hidden]

Thanks for that as I have been a bit heavy handed with the turmeric on occasions, thinking it was beneficial !

[Musetta]

Hi glosfrog,

Does the article mention how tumeric interacts with anti coags? Is tumeric a natural "blood thinner"? Reason I'm curious - I use it liberally & frequently in my

yummy curries

Cheers,

Musetta

[jennydog in reply to Musetta]

Musetta.

My computer skills are poor so I cannot copy the article but I can tell you how to see it.

Google Daily Mail. Find Health on the top of the page. You will then see turmeric reference 3rd down on the right hand column.

Essentially he says that it contains curcumin which is an anti inflammatory. It reduces the ability of platelets to clump together so the risk of dangerous bleeding increases.

[Musetta in reply to jennydog]

Thanks for the reply jennydog - I shall search fot it.

Cheers,

Musetta

[seasider18 in reply to Musetta]

dailymail.co.uk/health/arti...

[MarkS]

I'm not sure of the scientific evidence behind this. In this trial, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/238...

Curcumin had no effect on the anticoagulation or antiplatelet aggregation. So it would seem that turmeric in normal quantities (e.g. curries) would not be harmful.

The quantities used in this trial were very high, 100mg of curcumin per kg is equivalent to 7gm of curcumin for an average adult. At a max concentration of 3% in turmeric, this equates to 210gm of turmeric. This would have other much more significant effects on the bowel!!

[CDreamer in reply to MarkS]

I take a high potency Tumeric supplement which equates, according to the container, 10,000 mg Tumeric - as 500mg of extract - providing 95% Curcumins - which is the equivalent of 10mg of culinary Tumeric. The warnings from the company (very reputable who have great customer support, fund research and are used by most naturopaths) only say do not take if pregnant or lactating. Nothing about anti-coagulants.

I believe it has a great anti-inflammatory qualities, which is my reason for taking, and I notice a difference. I don't take it every day unless I have a flare up of arthritis and/or Mg and I am not currently on anti-platelets or anti-coagulants. Think I would prefer to take Tumeric & Omega Oils though than either! But that is me, avoid drugs if at all possible.

I asked my GP about Tumeric who didn't think there would be a problem for me but I will ask my EP his view when I see him Fri to discuss going back on anti-coagulants.

I find it interesting that doctors promote drugs over diet & supplements with no real knowledge of the efficacy of supplements. As has been said, you can bat between Doctor and Naturapath and Pharmacist I can see why - there is very little evidence and never will be because no-one is going to sanction a blind trial to test the efficacy between anti-coagulants/anti-platelets and food supplements - for obvious ethical reasons.

[Musetta in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks -CDreamer - I'll certainly continue to enjoy my curries - and I agree with you drs are not remotely interested in any alternative,naturopathic treatments. Cheers, Musetta

[barbara2]

I had commented in the old post. My pharmacist said ok to take turmeric supplement if using consistently. Will ask EP on next visit.