Turmeric—sold as a spice and in supplement form—has become a highly promoted super-ingredient. But despite promises that it can do everything from eliminating chronic pain to curing various diseases, a new study—which focuses on postsurgical inflammation—suggests that the marketing has gotten slightly ahead of the science.
Dozens of animal studies and small human trials have indicated that curcumin (the medically active compound in turmeric) has some anti-inflammatory properties. That’s why it has become a popular remedy for conditions such as arthritis, colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
But the first large-scale human trial, published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, has found no evidence that curcumin—taken in this study in the form of supplement capsules—reduces inflammation in humans.
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