Is Turmeric The Next Super Supplement?

Photo: Trunk

I wouldn’t say that I’m a big believer in supplements. But I am a big believer in experimenting with supplements. If I’m feeling out of balance in any way that can’t be fixed by a fairly clean diet and exercise, I’ll do a few hours of research on the web to see what kind of natural remedy might be able to cure my ailment. For instance, when I was working out like crazy with a trainer and suffering from constant muscle soreness, I tried Bromelain. (It didn’t, I’m sad to say, perform.) When I went through a particularly stressful work period this past spring, I popped a couple PharmaGABA. (I’m really not sure if it helped or not, because I started meditating around the same time.)

However, there are supplements I swear by. Most importantly fish oil, which helps with everything from headaches to hangovers by reducing inflammation, and also seems to aid in concentration. Additionally, I take a multivitamin—because why not?—and kelp, which helps regulate metabolism. I’m well aware that I can get these food supplements in real food, and I often do. But I just don’t see the harm in using supplements as backup. (My doctor’s happy with my self-prescribed regimen.)

Even after all of that, I’ve never felt such a dramatic difference as I have with turmeric, which I started using a few weeks ago. After six months of non-stop traveling, I was super puffy, bloated and zitty, regardless of how much water I drank before and after a flight. An Internet wormhole led me to turmeric, which my supplement-obsessed mother-in-law’s guru, Dr. Mercola, swears by. “Research shows that turmeric has powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and antioxidant properties,” he writes. Dr. Lipman and Dr. Oz like it too.

Since I started popping two certified-organic turmeric pills each morning, I’ve felt way less puffy and my skin and flaky scalp have cleared up significantly. Is it all due to this Indian spice? Who knows, but I feel better. And that’s all the evidence I need for now.