The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Allergies
Posted by Carolyn (Northwest, Ohio) on 09/08/2008
★★★★★
I vote "yea" for Turmeric as a cure for allergies:
I suffered from hayfever type allergies seemingly constantly since we moved to our new house in Jan of '07. During that summer, my symptoms were so severe I couldn't be outside for 5 minutes without having a severe hayfever attack. I took OTC meds daily but they were getting harder to buy as they all got moved behind the pharmacy counter, plus they took hours to start working.
I sought out earth clinic and wrote down my top 5 cures for allergies, thinking I would start trying them in the spring of '08. But in the Winter of '07 I rescued a rabbit that needed to eat hay twice a day. Of course I was allergic! I decided to try Turmeric as it was the cheapest remedy. I started taking 2 capsules a day (720 mg caps) in February '08. Within 5 days I noticed a great improvement. After a few months with this regime, I started noticing my allergies getting less severe and less frequent. After 4 months, my husband told me, "You don't have allergies anymore!"
Now, 7 full months later (and past pollen season), I am down to 1 capsule per day as maintenance, and take an extra one if I have congestion. I am so thankful for this simple cure! The world is open to me again: I can go outside without bringing a snot rag. I can brush my cats daily with no symptoms. I can clean the cat litter without having a reaction to the dust. I can feed my rabbit and not suffer. I was able to bring my feather bed back out of storage and use it with confidence cause I'm not allergic to it anymore! I do still have problems with mold when it rains, but just clogged sinuses not the severe reaction I used to get. An extra turmeric capsule and I'm fine. Gotta love it!
Arthritis and Joint Pain
Posted by Sonja (Swanley, UK) on 09/03/2008
★★★★★
I had knee pain for years. My knees were so swollen I could not even see them. The doctor prescribed NSAIDS, but I am not sure how much difference it made. I bought various things for arthritis, but nothing really helped. It did no harm. Then I started to read up on it, and most things i took contained Ginger, tumeric and others. I started taking Tumeric on its own 3 capsules a day and within 7 days my knees were almost pain free!!! i would recommend tumeric to anyone..
Bunions
Posted by Pamela (Charlotte, North Carolina) on 08/29/2008
★★★★★
Turmeric cure for bunion pain. Rub dried turmeric spice directly on the bunion for relief. You can also take turmeric pills internally to reduce inflammation but I have not tried that yet. It is a bit messy to rub it on so I do it over the bathroom sink and use a plastic glove so that my hand does not turn yellow. I need to reapply every few days to keep the pain away. It is an easy remedy. You can buy Turmeric cheaply in bulk at the health food stores or in the spice aisle of the grocery store.
Diarrhea
Posted by Matt (Omaha, NE) on 08/29/2008
★★★★★
I had the worst Diarrhea of my life for two days. Pepto Bismol and Kaeopectate were completely ineffective against the problem. Having used Apple Cider Vineagar prior for various cures based off reccomendations on this site with great success I turned to that. I took 2 Tbls for 2x's a day for a day and a half and while it cured my rumbling stomach instantly it did little if anything to cure the Diarrhea.
So I turned to the Turmeric remedy listed here. Went to the store and paid a whole .99 for a little bottle of the spice. Filled up a small glass of water with 1 teaspoon of the spice, stirred it in and took it down. Insta-cured. It stopped the problem from the moment I took it. Keep stirring or sloshing the spice around in the glass when you drink it so it doesn't build up and get really hard to take down during the bottom of the glass.
As a sidenote, my mom got sick with the same symptoms a day later, and again nothing was working. She took the same stuff as I did and again, she was cured instantly.
I'm amazed!
Turmeric Side Effects
Posted by Whitters (Yorkhire, UK) on 08/27/2008
Hiay
I was trying natural Hymalain Turmeric for my folliculitis and general inflammation due to my CFS/FM. When I got 2/3 down the bottle and after about 4 weeks of soreness the entire length of my GI tract, bloating and stomach pains, I realised that it may be the cause. I gave it the benefit of the doubt before stopping because I am on lots of supplements and also get wierd symptoms as I am on new thyroid supplements.
However after about a week stopping the Turmeric and introducing honey to try and heal myself I feel a little better now. So watch out for intestinal upsets with this herb. Even though the science looks great and some people may tolerate it better.
Chronic Polypoid Cystitis
Posted by Sandy (Cape May, New Jersey) on 08/19/2008
★★★★★
In January I was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst, in May with chronic polypoid cystitis of the bladder. I had general discomfort throughout my abdomen, flank and pelvic area- not sure what condition was causing what pain. Also had what I believe was arthritic pain in my hip. Only remedy for polypoid cystitis that doctor recommended was painkillers- I declined- or ibuprofen, which I did not want to take on a regular basis. Did some reserch on natural anti-inflammatories, and found lots of info on turmeric. I just went to my local drug store, and bought turmeric capsules, I think they are 500 mg. I started taking 2 pills 2x a day, for a couple of days, then decreased to 2 pills 1x a day, and after just a week or so I stopped taking them altogether. Amazing, but all of my aches and pains disappearred! No bladder pain- no flank pain- no hip pain! If I feel a twinge of anything, I take 2 turmeric, and that does the trick. I am hooked!
Diabetes
Posted by Reid (Herrin, IL) on 08/06/2008
★★★★★
Diabetes:
I was diagnosed about a year ago. I was put on metformin. I found that taking 2 caps of turmeric with each meal dropped my sugar levels to normal after 2 hours of eating. I found that taking 4 cap. of turmeric with metforman once a day dropped my sugar levels too low around 60.
I now am off all prescription diabetes medicine. The way I did it was I took chromium normal dose for 30 days. Tumeric with food for 30 days. Ginger and cinnamon with meals for 30 days. After that I stopped the metformin.
I watch my diet and don't over eat and stopped ALL sodas. My levels I check once a week now in the morning (fasting) and they are allways under 100. Before over 130.
Boils
Posted by Havilah (Auburn, CA) on 08/06/2008
★★★★★
I have had boils and severe acne since I was ten years old. I'm twenty five now. The boils spread from my face to my back and arms, and then to my thighs and other areas in that region. I was unable to find a remedy. It was very frustrating and painful. I discovered this website last year and have used several remedies successfully for other issues. One day I discovered the section on boils and saw that many people recomended turmeric. I started taking app. 7 capsules of turmeric every day. I purchased the capsules from Wal-Mart. They are very inexpensive. Within two weeks my face cleared up. It's been four weeks now and no new boils have appeared at any place on my body. I get compliments from friends and family asking what I did to clear my face up. The turmeric not only cleared up the boils but the acne as well.
Menstrual Cramps
Posted by Liana (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) on 07/10/2008
★★★★★
Turmeric reduced my PMS symptoms substantially. I was born and raised in Central Java, Indonesia. In addition to the fact that turmeric has been used in cooking for many centuries, it is one of the common home-made herbal remedies for menstrual cramps.
This is the version that I used effectively on myself while living in Western countries where fresh turmeric root was not available:
1.Boil 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder in 1 to 2 cups of water.
2.Add lemon/lime juice.
3.Add honey (or sugar) to taste.
4. Drink this once a day.
Whenever I remembered to take this about 5 days before my menses, I had absolutely no discomfort whatsoever. And ... as a bonus, my complexion that turned itchy, bumpy and/or pimply before and during menstruation usually stayed smooth.
Now come to think of it, even though I am now post-menopausal, I probably will still benefit from this concoction. Thank you to all of those who write how turmeric root/powder cures other ailments such as colds.
Turmeric Side Effects
Posted by Sam (Atlantic City, NJ) on 07/09/2008
I drank turmeric powder 1 tsp in warm water 3xday & applying turmeric paste made with the powder & water at nite for 2 days then broke out with petechiae which is red spots caused by bleeding of superficial blood vessels!!! as a nurse i did more researach & found out turmeric can thin blood & therefore cause bleeding. you should alert people of this dangerous side effect...some people are on blood thinners & they can be harmed.
Allergies
Posted by Aster (Vancouver Island, Canada) on 07/08/2008
★★★★★
The infection is nearly gone!
I wanted to share, as well, that I have very bad seasonal allergies requiring daily anti-histamine treatment, plus eye drops and nasal spray. As a side effect of taking the turmeric capsules (I must assume as nothing else has changed), I do not have allergies today. It is very hot and dry and I was in the garden for hours today... it is the height of allergy season. I realized I had not taken anti-histamines for two days but have no allergies. I really didn't expect that!!!!
Diarrhea
Posted by Susan (Bangalore, India) on 06/22/2008
★★★★★
My mother used to grind to paste a one inch piece of raw or dried turmeric on the grinding stone, dilute it with 2 cups water, add a pinch of salt and boil the mixture thoroughly till it was reduced to 1 cup. The mixture was allowed to stand for the sediment to settle. The clear solution from the top was to be taken while still warm to stop diarrhea due to food poisoning. Turmeric is a mild antiseptic.
Diarrhea
Posted by Carol (Phoenix, AZ) on 05/24/2008
★★★★★
It really works! After trying everything I could get my hands on, and six days of constant diarrhea, I tried the turmeric - and within hours I am back on track. Thanks for saving me the Doctor bills. I used one teaspoon in an 8 oz glass of warm water. Had to hold my nose to get it down but it was worth it.
Menstrual Cramps
Posted by Tiffany (Watertown, New York) on 04/20/2008
★★★★★
I have really bad problems with menstrual cramps during my period. One day my sister suggested trying a spice called Turmeric to help relieve them. Saying she had read this on the internet somewhere. So I tried it. She was right. Mixing a teaspoon of Tumeric into a quarter cup of hot water and drinking it, followed by a small glass of milk (to help take the bitterness out of your mouth), relieves cramps in about ten minutes. I swear by it today and use it everytime I need relief.
Cystic Acne
Posted by Stephanie (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) on 04/17/2008
★★★★★
Turmeric for Cystic Acne. I have had cystic acne on my face for years and have spent thousands of dollars on acne medicine that doesn't work. I finally came upon Turmeric and so far, so good. I apply it to my acne as a paste. I mix Turmeric spice and unrefined sesame oil till it makes a paste. I have been leaving it on for an hour or more a day for the last 3 days. I immediately noticed that the acne comes to the surface and begins to drain and has reduced in size considerably. I am only on day three and had about 7-8 fairly large cystic acne on my face. It is clearing nicely and I will update as to the finished results. Turmeric does turn everything yellow, including your skin. The yellowing of the skin will go away with washing. However, traces of turmeric will be left on your face and will stain pillowcases, sheets, clothing, sinks, and countertops.
