5 Ways Turmeric Can Benefit Your Health, From Easing Pain to Reducing Inflammation

It’s also important to know how much to consume if you want it to make a noticeable difference in your health. Bergner says that a standard dose of turmeric powder is one teaspoon. If you want to consume turmeric for a specific health reason (like to relieve joint pain), he recommends consuming that dose three times a day.

Volpe says that even less than that can have a noticeable impact. “According to a meta-analysis, a daily dose of 1,000 milligrams (⅓ teaspoon) of curcumin is likely effective in the treatment of arthritis,” she says. Just don’t go beyond eight teaspoons a day, which is when Schiff says it consumption starts to backfire and can cause nausea and diarrhea.

While turmeric supplements can be beneficial for getting your daily dose one and done, all three experts advocate for getting the herb through diet, if you can. Volpe explains that the curcumin in turmeric is fat-soluble, so you’ll get more of its benefits by integrating an element of fat into your meals or snacks featuring turmeric. For example, using it in a tofu curry or on top of eggs or avocado toast. While you’re cooking, she says to add some black pepper too, which has been shown to increase curcumin’s bioavailability and potential benefits by up to 2,000%.

Something Bergner has seen first-hand is that people who start consuming turmeric regularly eventually develop an aversion to its taste or dryness. It is pretty potent, after all. This is why, he says, golden milk lattes in their many forms are so popular; they cut the dryness and bold taste. While golden milk lattes have only recently began appearing in trendy cafés across the US, Bergner says that this is one of the traditional ways turmeric has been consumed medicinally, specifically in Unani medicine of Pakistan, where turmeric lattes have been consumed for centuries. Bergner says that pairing turmeric and ginger is also popular, both for the taste and also because they complement each other medicinally.

The bottom line is this: The hype behind turmeric is real, but you’re better off integrating it into your diet and pairing it with other anti-inflammatory foods than taking it in supplement form. When consumed regularly, it lowers inflammation, benefitting your entire body: brain, heart, guts, and joints included.