Get pain relief with turmeric

By Dr Tracey-Ann Brown

Turmeric, also known as jiang huang, is a herb widely used for medicinal purposes and also as a seasoning across the Caribbean and Asia.

It is what gives curry powder its vibrant yellow colour, popular in many Indian, Chinese, Thai and West Indian dishes. Notably, most Jamaicans have at least a minor love affair with curried goat and many Indian women use a turmeric-based scrub to give the skin a radiant glow. As a medicinal herb, it has several benefits, namely for pain relief, easing joint, menstrual and abdominal pain.

Joint benefits

Turmeric is a popular herb in herbal formulas for joint pain in the upper body, in particular, joint pain which is made worse with cold weather. This is because of the herb's warming nature. It can be used in combination with other herbs or by itself in teas for swellings, stiffness, heaviness and pain in shoulders, elbows and fingers. It is also used for neck pain. This herb brings pain relief by working to promote the movement of blood in these areas while warming the joint.

Menstrual benefits

Turmeric is also used for menstrual problems such as long menstrual cycles and painful menses. Again, because of the herb's warming nature, it is used in cases where pain or prolonged menstrual cycles are accompanied by a tendency towards getting cold easily. This distinguishing feature may be noted: during the menses only or generally, in the entire body, in the abdomen or just in the hands and feet. In cases where the lady is more prone to experience sensations of warmth or gets hot easily, this herb would not be indicated.

Abdominal discomforts

Mild tummyaches can also find relief with turmeric as well, as it helps to promote the movement of stagnant qi in the abdomen.

Herb selection & quality

If you use the fresh turmeric rhizome, make sure to use good-quality turmeric, free of pesticides and other chemicals which may be harmful. Good quality is columnar in shape, solid, and brownish-yellow when cut through the cross section.

Tea bags and other powdered forms are also available, which makes for easy preparation.

Tea preparation and dosage

1. Boil about 9g of fresh turmeric in approximately four cups of water for 20 minutes. Take tea three times over the course of one day.

2. If you are using a dried powdered form, such as in tea bags, steep 2g to 3g in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes. You may have three cups throughout the course of a day. Most tea bags contain about 2g of the herb.

Cautions

As with any food or herb, caution may be necessary for people with certain conditions. Persons who are very weak, frail or anaemic should avoid this herb in large amounts.

Dr Tracey-Ann Brown is an oriental medicine practitioner, herbalist and doctor of acupuncture. Email yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.