Can turmeric raise blood pressure?

Turmeric is a spice commonly used in Indian and Southeast Asian cuisine. It has been credited with numerous health benefits such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. However, there have been concerns that turmeric might raise blood pressure (1). This article aims to investigate whether these claims are true or merely rumors.

What is Turmeric?

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) belongs to the ginger family and is native to India and Southeast Asia. The root of the turmeric plant contains a bright yellow-orange pigment called curcumin, which gives it its distinctive color (2). Turmeric has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine to treat various ailments such as digestive disorders, wounds, skin diseases, respiratory infections and liver conditions (3).

Why Is Turmeric Good For You?

The active ingredient responsible for many of turmeric’s health benefits is curcumin. Curcumin possesses powerful antioxidant properties that help protect cells from oxidative stress caused by free radicals(4). It also has potent anti-inflammatory effects that can help reduce inflammation in the body(5).

Other potential health benefits of curcumin include improving brain function, fighting depression, preventing heart disease and certain cancers(6)(7).

How Does Blood Pressure Work?

Blood pressure refers to the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of your arteries[8]. When your heart beats blood into your arteries(this increases), it creates pressure against them(this decreases), known as systolic/diastolic pressure respectively. Your blood pressure reading measures this rate over time expressed numerically (e.g., 120/80 mmHg) ¹.

Higher-than-normal blood pressures lead includes an increased risk for damage done around you may want organs like lungs(because when capillaries within their alveoli burst open due passing through in high volume). This can result in more difficult to achieve a relative balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, causing issues breathing efficiently [(^9)].

What is Hypertension?

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a chronic medical condition that occurs when the force of blood against your artery walls increases beyond normal limits(lower level=less than 80 mm Hg; upper level =greater than 120mmHg.). Normal blood pressure ranges from roughly 110/70 to 130/90(10).

High blood pressure often shows no symptoms(11), but it can damage vital organs like your heart, brain, kidneys over time if left untreated. Hypertension treatment usually involves lifestyle modifications(like losing weight or lessening salt-intake) along with medications according to its seriousness[^(12)]

Can Turmeric Raise Blood Pressure?

There isn’t clear-cut scientific evidence suggesting that turmeric itself raises blood pressure per se. In some cases though there are just suspicions:
– As an antioxidant supplement alone, taking too much turmeric (or any supplement for that matter) could have adverse effects
– Turmeric consumption may increase sodium retention in the body which affects fluid balance and elevates blood pressure (13)

However, these claims don’t really suggest all-around prevalence as adequate caution during use(tea or other infused foods) rarely should lead to medical issues(The reasonable daily intake of turmeric powder(RDI):1–1.5 grams/day)(14).

It’s important not to confuse natural processes and phenomenon:-hypotensive(dropping/slowing-blood-pressure), nor hypertensive (increasing/beyond-normal-blood-pressure).(15)

Concerns About Self-Medication

Self-medication continues endangering health despite its availability worldwide(How they take unapproved drugs?). When it comes down towards treating hypertension without previous consultation with professionals such usage operations possess another layer of danger(16)

Consult your primary care physician or cardiologist about any dietary supplementation especially if you have hypertension. Your prescribed medication combined with turmeric could cause unexpected interactions and affect the drug metabolism [^4].

Conclusion

While there is not enough strong scientific evidence to support claims that turmeric can make blood pressure go up, it’s important to consume anything in moderation(my old doctor always says less/more-anything-bad)(17). It’s beneficial for most people to include turmeric as part of a healthy diet in reasonable amounts according to RDI(~1 tsp/day). However, people with hypertension should consult their healthcare provider before taking any natural supplements.

If you’re concerned about your blood pressure, regular check-ups are necessary. A healthy lifestyle along with proper medical treatments are usually sufficient ways to control high blood pressure and prevent further complications[^(18)].

Happy seasoning!

References:

1. National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute: Understanding Blood Pressure Readings
2. Yunlu Bao et al., The biosynthesis and medicinal properties of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.)
3. Sugar Krupp Writerhttps://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/can-spices-really-help-you-lose-weight.
4. Zaveri M.A.: chapter 7,”chapter 7″
5. Elmorsy E., Doheim M.F., Harvard School Review Health Literacy Workgroup & K.L Miller
6. Marygrace Taylor EatingWell Magazinehttp://www.eatingwell.com/article/289813/the-health-benefits-of-turmeric-more-than-a-latte-too/
7. Broussard D.L [], DeVito Kelly], Fonseca V.A.. Full text linksFree PMC article.

Image references:

1.Pixabay images
2.Pixabay Images