Golden Remedy: How Turmeric Tames Inflammation Naturally
Curcuma Longa
📜Ancient Use of Turmeric
Turmeric, a plant long revered for its medicinal properties, is native to India and Southeast Asia. Known for its vibrant golden-yellow rhizomes, it has been a staple in Ayurvedic, Chinese, Siddha, and Unani medicine for centuries and remains a key ingredient in South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. Traditionally, turmeric has been valued as a powerful anti-inflammatory remedy, used to relieve joint pain 🦵, muscle soreness 💪, heart health ❤️, digestive issues 🍛, and even for cancer prevention 🎗️. While some modern physicians remain skeptical, research comparing turmeric’s phytochemicals to modern anti-inflammatory drugs reveals significant potential.
🦵🏽Relevant Pathophysiology
Inflammation is at the core of nearly all chronic diseases, including Alzheimer’s 🧠, heart disease 💔, and asthma 🌬️. Autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Psoriasis, and Lupus occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues, causing persistent inflammation.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) primarily affects the joints, leading to pain, stiffness, swelling, and irreversible damage. The images below illustrate a healthy knee joint 🦵 vs. an arthritic knee (right side of the second image) with signs of arthritis including damaged synovial membrane, joint space narrowing, loss of cartilage, and bony abnormalities.
When the immune system mistakenly identifies tissues as threats, it releases cytokines, which fuel inflammation and progressive tissue damage. To combat this, modern medicine uses monoclonal antibodies to block TNF-alpha (e.g., adalimumab) and IL-6 (e.g., tocilizumab), reducing inflammation and improving symptoms. Monoclonal antibodies like adalimumab block TNF-alpha, which reduces inflammation and protects joints in RA. These drugs have been so successful that the global monoclonal antibody market reached nearly $180 billion in 2021 (and is still growing) 💰.
A key marker of systemic inflammation is C-reactive protein (CRP), which is measured in blood tests to help diagnose and monitor rheumatoid arthritis (RA). High CRP levels are linked to obesity, atherosclerosis, heart disease, infections, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
While acute inflammation (e.g., fighting infections🦠) is beneficial, chronic inflammation—as seen in RA—causes long-term tissue damage if left untreated.
🌱Major Phytochemical: Curcumin
Curcumin, a polyphenol, is turmeric’s primary active compound, responsible for its bright yellow color and potent anti-inflammatory properties. If curcumin is as effective as traditional medicine suggests, it should reduce key inflammatory markers like TNF-alpha and CRP.
🧪 Indeed, a large meta-analysis (91 studies, 5,870 participants) found that curcumin significantly reduces IL-6, TNF-alpha, and CRP while improving joint pain and swelling (2).
🩹Curcumin and TNF-α
A meta-analysis of 8 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) found that curcumin lowered TNF-alpha by an average of 4.69 pg/mL, showing strong anti-inflammatory effects (3).
A notable trial on 80 cancer patients found that TNF-alpha levels dropped from 28.03 to 15.74 in the curcumin group.📉 In contrast, the placebo group only saw a minor decrease (27.05 to 25.33). These results strongly support curcumin’s ability to lower TNF-alpha and reduce inflammation (4).
🦵🏽Curcumin and CRP in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Several Randomized Controlled Trials (5,6,7,8) studied curcumin (250-500 mg/day for 8-12 weeks) and found:
✅ Significant reductions in CRP
✅ Improved Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS-28), a key RA measure
The results of the studies are shared below:
💊 The study by Chandran et al. used a BCM-95 curcumin formulation, which has higher bioavailability. They found curcumin was:
✅ More effective than diclofenac (NSAID) in relieving RA pain
Given that chronic NSAID use can cause kidney damage , liver dysfunction, and stomach ulcers, curcumin offers a promising natural alternative.
🔬Other Notable Studies with Curcumin
Curcumin's anti-inflammatory effects extend beyond Rheumatoid Arthritis, benefiting patients with a wide range of inflammatory conditions:
🦠Sulfur Mustard Intoxication: 500 mg of curcumin 3x/daily reduced TNF-alpha and IL-6 in veterans with pulmonary toxicity from sulfur mustard exposure (9).
🦵Knee Osteoarthritis: 500 mg of curcumin 3x/daily for 6 weeks improved pain and physical function (10).
😰Anxiety: 1 g/day for 30 days reduced anxiety in obese individuals (11).
🩹Plaque Psoriasis: 600 mg/day combined with UVA radiation improved moderate to severe cases (12).
🧁Pre-Diabetes: 1.5 g/day for nine months significantly reduced diabetes progression (0% in the curcumin group vs 16.4% in the placebo group) (13).
🍩Diabetic Nephropathy: 500 mg/day for two months reduced urinary protein loss (14).
❤️Coronary Artery Disease: 4 g/day for three days pre- and five days post-bypass surgery reduced heart attack risk (13.1% compared to 30% with placebo group) (15).
🚫Challenges with Curcumin: Poor Bioavailability
Despite its promising effects, curcumin has poor bioavailability (only 1–10%), meaning that when consuming standard turmeric, only a small fraction is absorbed into the bloodstream. Golden milk🥛✨ has been a staple in India for thousands of years, traditionally given to children with fevers or mild illnesses to aid recovery. To enhance curcumin absorption, golden milk typically includes black pepper and a fat source. Black pepper contains piperine, which can increase curcumin absorption by up to 2,000% (16). Since curcumin is fat-soluble, adding a fat source also enhances absorption.
🥇🥛 Golden Milk Recipe
📝 Ingredients:
✅ 6-8 oz. milk (any kind)
✅ ½ tsp turmeric powder
✅ A pinch of black pepper
✅ ½ tsp ginger
✅ Fat source (Choose one):
Ghee (½ tsp) 🧈
Coconut oil (1 tsp) 🥥
High-fat milk 🥛
✅ Optional: Cinnamon, honey 🍯, and/or nutmeg 🌰 for flavor & added benefits!
💊Curcumin Supplements:
BCM-95 Formulation: This contains 86% pure curcuminoid extract with ar-turmerone oil, increasing bioavailability by 700% compared to standard turmeric extract (18).
To ensure maximal absorption, ideal curcumin supplements will include black pepper. It is also preferred if they document the specific amount of curcuminoids (as opposed to just saying it is turmeric root).
⚠️Potential Side Effects
✅Turmeric is generally well tolerated and has been used safely for thousands of years.
🩸Bleeding risks: When combined with blood thinners or antiplatelet agents, turmeric may increase the risk of bleeding. Turmeric has properties similar to aspirin, affecting thromboxane, platelets, and mildly influencing PT/PTT. While it does not significantly increase bleeding risk on its own, combining it with medications like warfarin or other antiplatelet agents may heighten this risk. If you take anticoagulants, consider using turmeric in smaller doses or avoiding it altogether, and monitor for signs of bleeding (19).
☠️ Contamination risks: Turmeric from untrustworthy sources may contain lead, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic dyes. To minimize risk, choose third-party tested brands certified by USP, NSF International, ConsumerLab, or Eurofins. Opt for organic sources and buy from reputable companies.
🛑 Turmeric is not recommended for individuals with biliary obstructions, such as gallstones (20).
🏥Use and Recommendations
🤧During Upper Respiratory Infections: During the early COVID-19 waves, the post-infection inflammation often caused more damage to lungs than the virus itself. I recommended golden milk to patients, family, and friends to combat post-viral inflammation. Many reported quicker symptom relief and I have since seen notable success when recommending it for multiple other respiratory infections (Flu, RSV, etc.)
🔥For Daily Inflammation Prevention: Golden milk can be consumed daily, or curcumin can be taken in capsule form. A reputable, third-party-tested supplement with a bioavailable formulation (like BCM-95) is ideal. A daily dose of 250-500 mg can be increased to 1,000 mg over time, if tolerating without issue. You can also add curcumin to foods that have a source of fat and a bit of pepper (i.e. curry).
🦵For Managing Inflammatory Diseases: RA patients may benefit from doses between 250 mg and 1,500 mg/day. As with any supplement, consult a physician to avoid interactions with medications, particularly those strongly metabolized by cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP1A2, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4) (21). Regular monitoring of inflammatory markers, kidney function, and liver function is recommended.
👨🏽⚕️For those already on medication or DMARDs (Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs) for autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, be sure to talk with your doctor first to see if they agree with taking turmeric as an adjunct to your current therapy. Feel free to share this article with them as many physicians in America may not know about the extensive data that supports the use of turmeric.
🙌 Acknowledgments
Thank you to rheumatologists Dr. Jake Hutto, MD and Dr. Travis Welsh, MD for their invaluable insights and thoughtful review of this article! 🩺
References:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:907_Synovial_Joints.jpg
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As an asthmatic, golden milk has helped me speed up my recovery in the past. Thanks for sharing these insights!