Why I Take Turmeric Each Day

After I first began seeing sufferers in Silicon Valley, I observed one thing odd. 

Lots of my South Asian sufferers had delicate yellow-orange staining, usually alongside the gumline or on the floor of molars on their tooth. 

After I requested about their diets, turmeric got here up repeatedly. I reassured them the stains weren’t a purpose to cease. In actual fact, the other—I instructed them turmeric was some of the exceptional issues they might be consuming.

On the time—within the 90s and early 2000s—turmeric was simply one other kitchen spice. It will be a couple of extra a long time earlier than it grew to become a wellness development, splashed into golden lattes and smoothie bowls. 

However lengthy earlier than wellness cafés, it was an Ayurvedic staple with a historical past measured in centuries. What fascinated me was how a spice so extraordinary on the dinner desk may have such extraordinary results contained in the physique?

Turmeric vs. Curcumin

Right here’s the place many individuals get confused: turmeric is the spice you prepare dinner with, and curcumin is among the lively compounds inside it. They aren’t precisely the identical factor, though individuals usually use the phrases interchangeably.

Curcumin alone isn’t straightforward to your physique to make use of. Its bioavailability is poor. That’s why nearly each efficient formulation pairs it with black pepper extract (piperine), or binds it to phospholipids (a kind known as phytosome). With out that, the capsule in your cupboard could also be near nugatory. 

Right here’s the massive shock in the case of turmeric tea: the curcumin content material is so negligible you’d must drink dozens of cups a day to get even one efficient dose. That blows lots of people’s minds—most turmeric teas are extra advertising than medication.

Purity Issues

Turmeric is affordable to develop and course of. That makes it ripe for adulteration (aka contamination or chopping with cheaper components):

• ConsumerLab has discovered manufacturers with nearly no lively curcuminoids.
• Some are contaminated with heavy metals like lead.
• Dietary supplements bought on Amazon are sometimes problematic—many have been discovered with weak doses or heavy steel contamination.

It’s a reminder that sourcing issues. A product that appears good on the shelf can cover critical dangers if it isn’t examined. That is one more reason why I really like manufacturers like Momentous, BIOptimizers and Pique Tea—they check for purity.

I used to be by no means taught about turmeric—or any Ayurvedic observe—in dental college…

 Tongue scraping, oil pulling, turmeric… these lived exterior the curriculum. But sufferers stored bringing them up. When practices survive throughout centuries, it often means they labored.

That behavior of listening to patterns additionally formed how I take a look at mouth respiration and cavities—patterns I started noticing in sufferers lengthy earlier than anybody was speaking about it on-line. In actual fact, I used to be one of many first dentists to lift the connection publicly, just because I paid consideration and shared what I noticed. A variety of what issues in well being doesn’t begin with randomized managed trials. It begins with noticing patterns, listening to sufferers, and connecting the dots earlier than the analysis catches up. Turmeric isn’t any completely different.

Some advantages of turmeric are properly established, whereas others—like cognition—are promising however nonetheless rising.

What the Analysis Says

Excessive‑high quality proof spans each oral and systemic well being:

• Osteoarthritis: Meta‑analyses of randomized trials present curcuminoids cut back knee OA ache and enhance perform vs placebo and carry out equally to NSAIDs, with fewer antagonistic occasions (systematic critiques 2021; 2025).
• Ulcerative colitis: As an adjunct to mesalamine, curcumin elevated medical and endoscopic remission in delicate–average UC (RCT, Scientific Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 2015). A 2024 evaluation helps profit with good security whereas calling for bigger trials.
• Despair: Pooled RCTs report modest however important reductions in depressive signs vs placebo (meta‑evaluation, Journal of Affective Problems, 2020).
• Allergic rhinitis: Oral curcumin improved nasal signs and airflow in contrast with placebo over 8 weeks (RCT, Annals of Allergy, Bronchial asthma & Immunology, 2016).
• Gingivitis/periodontitis: Curcumin mouthrinses or subgingival gels diminished plaque and gingival irritation and carried out equally or higher than chlorhexidine when used as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (RCTs: J Indian Soc Periodontol, 2017; J Contemp Dent Pract, 2019; overview in BDJ Group, 2021).
• Mechanisms: Researchers have discovered that curcumin calms irritation at a mobile stage. It turns down alerts like NF‑κB that drive persistent irritation and reduces professional‑inflammatory molecules within the physique (akin to TNF‑α, IL‑1β, and IL‑6).
• Meta-analyses in Phytotherapy Analysis and Crucial Critiques in Meals Science and Diet report that curcumin supplementation considerably lowers markers of systemic irritation like CRP and IL‑6.
• A scientific evaluation within the Journal of Medicinal Meals highlighted turmeric’s function in managing ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis, with enhancements in symptom scores and high quality of life.
• Rising analysis in Frontiers in Getting old Neuroscience suggests curcumin might enhance reminiscence and a focus in older adults, supporting its popularity as a brain-healthy compound.

Turmeric isn’t a blunt anti-inflammatory. Analysis reveals it modulates irritation—dialing down pathways like NF-κB and reducing professional‑inflammatory cytokines, whereas preserving the traditional immune responses your physique nonetheless wants. 

In different phrases, it quiets the persistent, low‑grade fireplace that drives illness with out shutting off your immune system’s pure defenses.

Who Ought to Be Cautious

Turmeric isn’t for everybody. In excessive doses, it might probably trigger GI irritation or muscle cramps. It could actually work together with drugs and have an effect on GLP pathways. Youngsters want pediatric dosing. And if purity isn’t assured, the dangers outweigh the advantages. In case you’re on prescription meds, it’s at all times finest to ask your physician first.

How I Use It

I take mine with breakfast—eggs and olive oil—or with dinner, at all times alongside fats for higher absorption. The one I take contains curcumin plus piperine, and it’s third-party examined for purity. That’s non-negotiable.

In case you’re buying to your personal:

• Search for a minimum of 500 mg curcumin per serving.
• Be certain it contains black pepper extract or a phytosome formulation.
• Keep away from fillers and synthetic colours.
• Select a model that assessments each batch.

I take advantage of this turmeric for precisely that purpose. They check like few others do. I selected them due to their transparency and rigorous batch testing, which stood out in comparison with different manufacturers.

I additionally prepare dinner with turmeric at any time when I can. It provides heat and depth to meals—and sure, it might probably stain your fingers and counters, nevertheless it’s value it.

TRY THIS: Golden Scrambled Eggs: whisk 2 eggs with a pinch of turmeric, black pepper, and a splash of milk. Cook dinner slowly in olive oil or ghee till comfortable and simply set. The fats and pepper increase curcumin absorption, and the flavour is heat and earthy with out being overpowering.

Backside Line

Turmeric isn’t hype. It’s a low-risk, high-upside approach to assist therapeutic and cut back irritation. Whether or not it’s your joints that ache, or your gums that bleed just a little whenever you floss—the science is obvious: calming irritation modifications how you are feeling as we speak and the way you age tomorrow.

What I’ve discovered from sufferers is that a lot knowledge got here lengthy earlier than trendy dentistry—and infrequently, essentially the most highly effective medication is sitting proper there in your kitchen drawer. I’d love to listen to the way you’ve used turmeric in your individual life—reply and share your story.

P.S. Know somebody who would respect this info?
Ahead it to them & inform them to join future emails right here.