The Turmeric Case: To Take or not to Take

 

“Health Canada expects license holders to update the risk information on product labels for all licensed oral turmeric- or curcuminoid-containing NHPs even though they admit their cases had insufficient clinical information.”

 

Over 3,000 turmeric- or curcuminoid-containing NHPs for oral use have been authorized by Health Canada under the Natural Health Products Regulations. Now Health Canada expects license holders to update the risk information on product labels for all licensed oral turmeric- or curcuminoid-containing NHPs. They direct the manufacturers to include information about the warning signs and symptoms of hepatotoxicity (including yellowing of the eyes or skin, dark urine, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain), to advise consumers to stop using these products and consult a healthcare professional if symptoms occur, and to advise consumers to consult a healthcare professional before use if they have a liver disorder or are taking medications.

Here are the findings, the decision using the risk information was based on. “Health Canada reviewed 12 Canadian cases of hepatotoxicity in patients using either turmeric- or curcuminoid-containing NHPs orally. All 12 cases had insufficient clinical information and/or the presence of confounders (other factors that may have contributed to the occurrence of hepatotoxicity), such as underlying medical conditions and use of other medications and NHPs that are known to affect the liver, which limited further assessment. However, a link to the use of the product could not be ruled out.”[1] On the other hand, there is plenty of research that proves the safety of turmeric use. According to a meta-review of 65 systematic reviews, “turmeric was safe and well tolerated.”[2]

 

Compared to this, the reported 12 cases seem to be nothing more than flimsy evidence. Such overreach for including oral turmeric and curcuminoids yet the new evidence emerging regarding the use of Tylenol with acetaminophen seems to go unnoticed. If true, which it looks to be, could these big pharma funded studies hide this evidence of parents and children dealing with autism? Could it be one of the contributing factors to developing neurological health issues? Numbers do not lie, the statistics are alarming: greater than 1:31 children, and as high as 1:12 boys in some areas develop conditions on the spectrum of neurological conditions. What is the connection? It cannot be just one thing but multiple contributing factors, including acetaminophen, with this evidence it can not be ruled out.

I have read multiple studies and shared some in the past with previous newsletters, and I have dealt with patients and family members who were doing the things they were told by their doctor, yet the doctor does not need to raise the injured child and the show goes on. See for yourself if this drug is part of the issue. The Mount Sinai Study states it is.

The Mount Sinai-led team analyzed 46 studies incorporating data from more than 100,000 participants across multiple countries. “Numerous well-designed studies have indicated that pregnant mothers exposed to acetaminophen have children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), at higher rates than children of pregnant mothers who were not exposed to acetaminophen. (…) We identified 46 studies for inclusion in our analysis. Of these, 27 studies reported positive associations (significant links to NDDs), 9 showed null associations (no significant link), and 4 indicated negative associations (protective effects). Higher-quality studies were more likely to show positive associations.”[3]

Acetaminophen is a toxic chemical substance, even healthy persons taking can have an impact on their liver, depleting glutathione at the recommended doses but the problem runs much deeper than that: treating the body symptomatically never considers the other contributing factors. They have no clue of holistic medicine examining the core illness and causal chain that lead to sickness and death.

Health Canada released a public advisory in response to dangers surrounding pregnant women taking Tylenol, following the press release from the US stating that “there is no conclusive evidence that using acetaminophen as directed during pregnancy causes autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders. Acetaminophen is commonly used to relieve pain and reduce fever. It has been used safely by millions of Canadians for decades, including during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Acetaminophen is a recommended treatment of pain or fever in pregnancy when used as directed.”[4] Strangely enough, even the makers of Tylenol have tweeted publicly in 2017 that the drug is not recommended for pregnant women saying that they “actually don’t recommend using any of [their] product while pregnant.” Even more strange is the fact that now Tylenol’s parent company says that this reply to a customer was incomplete. Why is there gaslighting for pharmaceutical drugs that may harm pregnant women and their babies while they feel it is in the publics best interest to warn Canadians on the needle in haystack discovery that oral turmeric and curcuminoids in the rarest of occasions cause liver toxicity?

I and my family have taken turmeric orally for many years, we have produced fortified Boron containing oral turmeric and piperine with amazing results and with no side effects. Let’s see what the benefits are and weight them against the new warnings. Do the benefits outweigh the risks?

What is turmeric and curcumin?

Curcumin is the most potent component of the turmeric plant as it is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. The absorption of curcumin can be enhanced by blending in turmeric essential oil, which results in a natural substance that is highly potent in disease treatment. Curcumin’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory “benefits are best achieved when curcumin is combined with agents such as piperine, which increase its bioavailability significantly.”[5]

Enhanced Immunity

Studies suggest that the formation of a complex compound between curcumin and boron can enhance the bioavailability and biological activity of curcumin. This enhancement potentially leads to increased antioxidant capacity, which helps protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, and improved anti-proliferative effects against various cancer cell lines, indicating a potential for the prevention and possible treatment of cancer.

In a study[6] on treatments for liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC), researchers tested sodium pentaborate pentahydrate (NaB), curcumin (Cur), and piperine (Pip) separately and together on two HCC cell lines. When used in combination, NaB, Cur, and Pip worked together more effectively, increasing cell death, triggering apoptosis, and changing the cell cycle in both cell lines. Transcriptome analysis supported these findings, showing that the combination had stronger anti-cancer effects.

“In addition to cancer, curcumin has been shown to be potentially effective in a wide variety of diseases, including rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, depression and liver problems, just to name a few.”[7]

Pain treatment

According to a systematic review[8] of 10 studies, turmeric significantly improved pain and function. In the comparisons with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, turmeric was just as effective. None of the studies reported serious side effects from turmeric use.

The combination of curcumin and turmeric essential oil has been proven to be effective in pain treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients as well. “Researchers looked at the effects of 500 mg twice daily of a specialized, highly absorbable curcumin extract enhanced with turmeric essential oil compared to the prescription drug diclofenac sodium (one brand name is Voltaren®) 50 mg twice daily, or a combination of the two in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The group receiving the highly absorbable curcumin had the greatest reduction in joint pain and swelling with no adverse effects. In contrast, 14 percent of the participants in the drug group stopped the test because of the adverse effects they experienced.”[9]

The list could go on and on as the mounting evidence clearly shows that turmeric and curcumin have been proven to be effective in treating multiple conditions while showing no side effects.

 

Special Message: Shawn Buckley, Constitutional Lawyer

 

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References:

 

[1] Government of Canada. 2025/I.

[2] Rolfe, Vivien et al. 2020.

[3] Prada, Diddier et al. 2025.

[4] Government of Canada. 2025/II.

[5] Hewlings, Susan and Kalman, Douglas S. 2017.

[6] Omeroglu Ulu, Zehra et al. 2023.

[7] Lutz, Rob. 2022.

[8] Paultre, Kristopher et al. 2021.

[9] Lutz, Rob. 2022.