Haldi/turmeric/Curcumin drink OR curry powder - pros & cons!!

Hi,
Turmeric drink is next stuff to try on my list.
I have read many posts where members have suggested using turmeric drink.... wanted to hear abt your experience.
I was searching/reading about turmeric and found it is a natural steriod(as is garlic), it is anti-inflammatory & a blood thinner- also should be avoided during pregnancy(we are planning to start a family -so a reason to worry ) And use of turmeric over an extended period of time is not recommended...BUT at the same time it is wonderful thing....there are so many benefits of having it.
Pregnancy while on turmeric is my worry....though i love the taste of it mixed in warm milk early morning & empty stomach (as suggested by psa.delhi in one of the old posts about turmeric i was searching)
thanks!

bunny, i would have loved to continue turmeric but stopping it till i ask my gynecologist. I would suggest to go for turmeric powder and mix it in lukewarm/warm milk and have empty stomach....it forms a coating in colon. Check out old posts by PSA delhi... has suggested to eat raw turmeric roots early morning. I dnt know where to get it. When i searched for turmeric powder in stores i made sure that i went to the store which was strict about quality...many stores sell imported turmeric which has some color mixed (last thing i want to consume with my flares)...so i was careful about the quality. Once my Gyn gives me a go ahead with turmeric then i will try to find dried turmeric roots and grind them to powder myself at home - 100% sure abt its quality then

kweeks..did u eat during pregnancy!!! wow! how much i wanted someone to tell me that How much were you having... i used to take 1 teaspoon in warm milk . I know having little amount of turmeric in food is fine during pregnancy but was not sure about having 1 teaspoon daily was good during that time.
Please let me know how much you were having while you were pregnant.... was it just in food/curry or like me having it separately.
thanks a lot!

thanks! i just googled " turmeric in pregnancy" and many link opened which say excessive use may cause bleeding, abnormal fetal dev. - different stuff everywhere. At the same time i am surprised by the benefits of it.
This is one of the link (below)..check out "how safe it is?"

http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/herbs/turmeric.php

Thanks a lot for your replymaybe i will continue it in my meals atleast and also check with my doctor if its safe.

I think that using it/eating it in moderation would be fine. I would check with your GI before taking big doses, though. I mean, even though it's all-natural doesn't mean it's safe, especially in high doses.

Ellen,
we introduced tumeric into my daughter's supplementation regime almost two weeks ago and noticed an almost immediate difference. If you do a pub med search, you'll find a few studies which state the dose/weight used and that's what we've been following. I think this is the key to supplements and we've been trying to do this with others too. As for how to introduce it, it's fat soluble, so it's best to get the root and cook it in oil. Failing that, drink the freshest tumeric you can find in full fat milk. Failing that, supplement. We use one by AOR called curamin I think. They're horse pills but are supposed to be more bioavailable and have oil in the capsules.

Ellen,
Well my daughter takes two of them, so I'd imagine you'd need more according to the dose/weight used in the study we referred to. I'll try to find it and post it here. That doesn't mean that it won't work at a lower dose, but I think one of the reasons people don't get good results with supplements is the dosing and so we've been trying to use the dosages used succesfully in trials, even if they're on rats!
You can take it in any type of milk/yogurt, the main thing is that it's fat soluble and so better absorbed if taken with a fat - you could cook it oil/butter etc on rice if you want.
Kweeks, I think they recommend you don't take most supplements (even if they are food) when pregnant or breastfeeding unless they have specifically been tested and proven safe, which of course most haven't. It's precautionary, but of course, it's eaten all of the time throughout pregnany and it's even used to relieve aches and pains caused by pregnancy (or is in my family)

Can anyone expound on this? It sounds like, based on this, and what I found with subsequent searching that extended use can cause things like intestinal ulcers! I'd hate to have the supplement cause the very thing I use it to prevent. I have been taking 1,600mg/day, but would like to know what duration is recommended if anyne knows. When you get to that point should you just stop taking turmeric for a set time period?



I guess that's the thing with these supplements-there aren't any tight regulations for use. But, then again, my Asacol bottle says to only take the pills for a duration of six weeks.

@killcolitis: how do you cook fresh turmeric in oil...do u peel, cut into pieces and then fry in oil.... i guess boiling the fresh turmeric pieces in milk might also work. As of now i have stopped turmeric till i talk to my gynecologist - i used to take around 1 teaspoon powder daily with milk..yummmy!! miss it.