Can You Overdo Turmeric? What Happens If You Take Too Much

Turmeric and its active ingredient, curcumin, have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that may support brain health and improve digestive issues. However, don’t expect turmeric to treat cancer or detoxify your liver like some social media users claim.

Cooking with ground turmeric is generally safe, but overusing turmeric supplements can lead to stomach ulcers or kidney stones. How do you know when you’re consuming too much turmeric?

“There’s no standard or recommended dose of turmeric you should take each day,” Debbie Petitpain, RDN, a registered dietitian based in Charleston, South Carolina, and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told Verywell in an email.

Taking up to 3 mg per kilogram of body weight, or 1.4 mg per pound, of curcumin per day is safe, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). However, this dosage is based on animal studies, Petipain said.

Can Too Much Turmeric Harm Your Health?

Ground turmeric is sometimes contaminated with low levels of lead, according to a 2021 Consumer Reports investigation.

Many turmeric supplements claim to support liver health, but experts warn that these same products can harm the liver. A 2022 report suggested that turmeric-related liver injuries are increasing in the United States, in part due to the combined use of turmeric with black pepper.

Piperine, a compound in black pepper, makes it easier for the body to absorb curcumin, but the combination may end up contributing to liver damage, according to the report.

“We have yet to prove any benefit with oral intake in supplement form, and, at the same time, we do have well-studied and published instances of significant liver injury from turmeric use,” said Akshata Moghe, MD, PhD, a hepatologist, gastroenterologist, and assistant professor of internal medicine at UTHealth Houston.

Like other dietary supplements, turmeric and curcumin supplements don’t need approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before hitting the market. Many experts say it’s best to avoid supplements since it’s hard to decide which products are safe and effective.

“As a liver specialist, I actually recommend not taking turmeric as a supplement in any form that is marketed by any brand, because none of them are FDA approved,” Moghe said.

Do You Even Need Turmeric in Your Diet?

Traditional Indian and Chinese medicinal practices have used turmeric to treat various skin, joint, and upper respiratory conditions, and the spice is a key ingredient in curry powder.

Curcumin may help with arthritis, mental well-being, and allergies, but it’s not easily absorbed by the body, and “the health effects remain uncertain,” Petitpain said.

Studies on animals and cells suggest that turmeric and curcumin have powerful health benefits, especially for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and skin, lung, and liver cancers. Large clinical trials are needed to determine if turmeric has the same health benefits in humans.

Based on the results of a few small human studies, the Arthritis Foundation suggests that taking 500 mg of curcumin extract twice daily may help reduce inflammation in people with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. A 2017 study also found that taking a supplement with 90 mg of curcumin twice per day helps improve memory and attention in older adults.

However, Petitpain said it isn’t essential to add turmeric to your diet because other whole-food dietary sources provide antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.

Should You Use Ground Turmeric or a Supplement?

If you want to take a turmeric supplement and add turmeric to your diet, you should consider your dietary habits, health goals, and convenience. If you already use turmeric regularly in your cooking, especially with black pepper, and consume other antioxidant and anti-inflammatory foods, you probably don’t need a supplement, Petitpain added.

Many nutrition experts recommend adding turmeric to your diet instead of taking a supplement. Consider using a small amount of black pepper or, since curcumin is fat-soluble, cooking turmeric with vegetable oil can improve absorption.

There are no standard nutritional guidelines for turmeric or curcumin, so deciding how much to consume may come down to personal preference or conversations with a healthcare provider.

“Yes, using turmeric in the diet is preferable. Aside from being delicious, that provides a range of compounds that work synergistically and is less likely to cause side effects,” Petitpain said.