Turmeric

“Cinnamon and turmeric. Jamaican traditional use is not documented in the notes. Cinnamon: cassia carries coumarin (liver risk with high long-term intake), Ceylon only traces, larger amounts of Ceylon unsafe in pregnancy, never swallow dry powder. Turmeric (SRC project): liver injury with highly bioavailable curcumin supplements, supplements may be unsafe in pregnancy, food amounts fine.”

“Pain. Headache: leaf of life on the forehead (not in pregnancy or for children), peppermint oil on the skin. Joints: guinea hen weed, ginger and turmeric, the bay rum rub. Toothache: pimento. Chest pain is an emergency.”

“Ukon (turmeric). Aki-ukon (autumn, Curcuma longa, the yellow kitchen one), haru-ukon (spring, C. aromatica), murasaki-ukon (purple, C. zedoaria). Curcumin is highest in aki-ukon, reportedly over 10 times haru-ukon. Ukon tea (ucchin-cha) is drunk daily and as a hangover drink.”

“Capsules are the island's safety flag. Japanese reporting names turmeric the most frequently reported cause of supplement-related liver injury (expert quote, unverified against the hepatology society). A lung injury case is reported. Italy 2019: 28 reports of acute, mostly cholestatic hepatitis in six months, contaminants excluded, individual susceptibility suspected. Tuscany: 7 cases with high-dose, high-absorption curcumin. Food amounts and capsule amounts are different worlds.”

“The cord: some families put fried turmeric on the umbilical stump. Never. The midwife shows how to care for it, and a red, swollen, smelly or oozing stump goes to her or the GP the same day.”

“Adasi, the winter lentil bowl. A simple, thick soup of lentils cooked soft with onion and a little turmeric, eaten warm on cold mornings and evenings (typical home practice). Lentils, onion and turmeric are all on the garm side of the household lists, which is why it belongs to winter and to someone who feels cold. A spoon of yoghurt or a squeeze of sour lime beside it keeps the bowl balanced.”

“Turmeric. In the pot and the evening milk: hers. As a capsule or curcumin extract, above all with black pepper extract (piperine): not hers. In the United States ten people were found with liver injury from turmeric supplements, one of whom died, and in Italy more than twenty cases of hepatitis followed curcumin supplements, many with piperine, so Italy now puts a liver warning on the label. France counted more than a hundred reports. The warnings concern supplements, not turmeric in food. With a blood thinner, the pharmacist first even for a daily cup of turmeric milk.”

“Her line. "Turmeric in the pot, yes. Turmeric in the evening milk, yes. Turmeric in a capsule, no."”