Are there drug interactions with curcumin or turmeric?

Written by Tod Cooperman, M.D.

Updated August 01, 2017 ⓘ

Answer:

Curcumin/turmeric supplements may increase the effects of several drugs, including blood-thinning and blood-sugar lowering medications, as discussed in detail in the Concerns and Cautions section of ConsumerLab.com's Curcumin and Turmeric Supplements & Spice Review.

Curcumin may also reduce iron absorption from foods.

Also, be aware that piperine (from black pepper extract) found in many curcumin supplements may also increase the effects of a number of medications, just as it increases the bioavailability of curcumin.

Turmeric itself has a lower concentration of curcumin than the purified forms used in curcumin supplements. Although diets high in turmeric tend to provide far less curcumin than found in such supplements, adding a very large amount of turmeric spice to food was reported in one case to cause a serious drug interaction.

For more details, see the Cautions and Concerns Section of the Curcumin and Turmeric Supplements & Spices Review >>