[nutterly_uts]

Hello

Does anyone on here use Turmeric paste (aka Golden Paste) for health benefits?
It's supposed to be really good taken twice a day as a natural anti-inflammatory (among other things) and can be given to animals?
There's a good Turmeric users group on FB but I'm looking for replies that are less biased too

Thanks

[pgkevet]

Presumably this weeks magic antioxidant?

There is no question that a lot of stuff has antioxidant, free radical scavenging and antiinflammatory effects. Cumarin, most berries, lots of seed oils: evening primrose oil, safflower oil, blackcurrant oil, chillis, green lipped muscle, shark cartilage and whatever else I've currently forgotten. I also recall both tomatoes and peanuts being touted as aphrodisiacs some 20-30yrs ago. Oh, and don't forget DHEA.

Reality is that there will always be advocates.. true believers, promoters to make money, those who gained either real benefit or placebo benefit and doubtless the charlatans and snake-oil salesmen.

Often the genuine pharmacology and metabolism is avalable if one hunts hard enough and then then clues why it may work. The only one i really dug into was evening primrose oil when that was touted and it also works.. assuming you either have that initial metabolic reduction in manufacture of GLA or insufficient nutrition to make it.

In other words there will often be a subset of folk that get true benefit because of their metabolic makeup.. but it's rarely a sudden cure-all. reality is that for most folk it's always placebo or a money drain.

[nutterly_uts]

Its the cumarin that's supposed to help I think, along with something else in it but only if you take it with oil and black pepper (for the piparin)

I'm half tempted to try it, because I don't think it'll do any harm?

[ladyK]

In other words there will often be a subset of folk that get true benefit because of their metabolic makeup...

That's a very good explanation on the apparent conundrum of why some stuff works really well for some people while it has no effect (or even negative effects) on others. I have been wondering about that!

So if you don't want to dismiss possible benefits at the outset you have to try it for yourself, perhaps without expecting too much but also with enough belief in it to give it a bit of time to work before giving up.
Experiment with the dosing but don't overdo it, and watch closely for any reactions - stop if it doesn't agree with you. I always try to read up on something as much as possible and then make my own informed decision on wether it's worth a try.

Personally I haven't used turmeric internally but I swear by the antiseptic paste I make with turmeric powder & propolis - it stops any grazes, cuts and bites from getting infected - on me anyway (yes it stains everything yellow but I don't care). I gave turmeric (with oil and pepper) to my dog for a couple of week for his arthritic pains but didn't see any effect, switched to devil's claw powder and that does help him a great deal.

I think you just have to try it out for yourself if you want to know if it works for you.

[pgkevet]

.....

I think you just have to try it out for yourself if you want to know if it works for you.

The scientist in me says remain sceptical and go look up the correct theory as opposed to urban myths and hearsay and understand how something is supposed to work rather than jumping on the bandwagon.

Arthritis is a classically poor test disorder unless you really do double-blinded cross-over studies. An awful lot of sub-types of arthritic conditions are self-limiting or indeed misdiagnosed (as in there is arthritis but the patient just sprained that ankle as well). Rest alone or even just time will settle a lot down but the magic pill gets the kudos.

One of the classic early clinical trials showed how well much better red placebo 'analgesics'  worked compared to white placebo tablets.

I recall being told at college (late 60's) about sulphamez. powder being sold in 7 different colours so if the farm vets med wasn't working he could prescribe something different.

[lord flynn]

Hello

Does anyone on here use Turmeric paste (aka Golden Paste) for health benefits?
It's supposed to be really good taken twice a day as a natural anti-inflammatory (among other things) and can be given to animals?
There's a good Turmeric users group on FB but I'm looking for replies that are less biased too

Thanks

that would be the FB group that won't allow anything slightly negative on their page? As in, when it makes people ill. I keep an eye on it out of interest, I think with some of the disorders that people are using it to treat on animals (ie giant sarcoids) I do (as a horse owner) understand the need to try something. As a scientist I am very skeptical.

[nutterly_uts]

Yes that one! Hence the looking round for less biased opinions too!

Started a month trial tonight along with the slightly stiff dog. He's only 7 so we'll see how it works, he's a bit too young for starting on meds imo