Turmeric in Traditional Chinese Medicine - Benefits, Uses and Safety

Overview

Turmeric (Curcuma longa), called Jiang Huang in Chinese, is a golden-yellow rhizome in the ginger family. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it is classified as warm, acrid and bitter, entering the spleen and liver meridians. Its active compound, curcumin, has been studied extensively in modern research for its anti-inflammatory properties.

Traditional Uses in TCM

• Moving blood and qi: turmeric is a classic herb for stagnant blood and qi, used where there is fixed stabbing pain, painful periods or chest discomfort.
• Joint and limb pain: it is traditionally applied to sore shoulders and arms, and taken internally for rheumatic aches that worsen in cold weather.
• Digestive support: small amounts are used for abdominal pain and food stagnation.

How to Use

Typical daily amounts are 3 to 10 grams in decoction. Turmeric powder can be stirred into warm milk (the popular golden milk), added to curries and rice, or taken with a pinch of black pepper, whose piperine substantially improves curcumin absorption. Taking it with a little fat also helps, since curcumin is fat soluble.

Safety and Cautions

Food amounts are safe for most people. Concentrated extracts can upset the stomach and, because turmeric mildly thins the blood and stimulates bile flow, it should be avoided before surgery and by people with bile duct obstruction or gallstones, and used with medical guidance alongside anticoagulant medication. High doses are not recommended in pregnancy. In TCM terms, turmeric is contraindicated where blood is deficient without stagnation.