this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2025
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A 57-year-old woman spent six days in the hospital for severe liver damage after taking daily megadoses of the popular herbal supplement, turmeric, which she had seen touted on social media, according to NBC News.

The woman, Katie Mohan, told the outlet that she had seen a doctor on Instagram suggesting it was useful against inflammation and joint pain. So, she began taking turmeric capsules at a dose of 2,250 mg per day. According to the World Health Organization, an acceptable daily dose is up to 3 mg per kilogram of weight per dayβ€”for a 150-pound (68 kg) adult, that would be about 204 mg per day. Mohan was taking more than 10 times that amount.

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[–] AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 3 points 11 hours ago

Commenters making blanket statements about quackery, and the dangers of the unregulated supplement industry - okay, yes, those are issues. But in this context, c'mon, Pubmed is right there. Turmeric is effective for exactly the things this social media doctor claimed it is, and a little more at that. I take half a teaspoon of the powder in my morning tea, and along with other lifestyle interventions I made a handful of years ago, the fairly significant chronic joint pain I used to experience has been a thing of the past.

This is an overdose story, nothing more.


https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30970601/

"The current study aimed to provide a comprehensive bibliometric overview of the literature on curcumin, complementing the previous reviews and meta-analyses on its potential health benefits. (...) The literature mainly focused on curcumin's effects against cancer, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Cancer types most frequently investigated were breast, colon, colorectal, pancreatic, and prostate cancers."


https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32075287/

"The use of curcumin reduces the subjective perception of the intensity of muscle pain; reduces muscle damage through the decrease of creatine kinase (CK); increases muscle performance; has an anti-inflammatory effect by modulating the pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-Ξ±, IL-6, and IL-8; and may have a slight antioxidant effect. In summary, the administration of curcumin at a dose between 150-1500 mg/day before and during exercise, and up until 72 h' post-exercise, improved performance by reducing EIMD and modulating the inflammation caused by physical activity. In addition, humans appear to be able to tolerate high doses of curcumin without significant side-effects."

Not so sure about the above line though, lol.


https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36898635/

"Curcumin supplementation significantly reduces anthropometric indices, and bioavailability-enhanced formulas are preferred. Augmenting curcumin supplement with lifestyle modification should be an option for weight reduction."


https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35979355/

"Curcumin and Curcuma longa Extract had good clinical efficacy in the treatment of Psoriasis, UC and RA, so Curcumin and Curcuma longa Extract could be used in the treatment of the above diseases in the future. The results of Meta-analysis showed that Curcumin and Curcuma longa Extract did not show efficacy in the treatment of oral lichen planus, while Takayasu arteritis, SLE, MS, AS, BD and CD did not report sufficient clinical data for meta-analysis. Therefore, large-sample, multi-center clinical trials are still needed for revision or validation."


https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36804260/

"We observed that turmeric/curcumin supplementation significantly reduces levels of inflammatory markers (...) Also, turmeric/curcumin supplementation significantly improved anti-oxidant activity (...) It seems that turmeric/curcumin supplementation might be used as a viable intervention for improving inflammatory/oxidative status of individuals."


https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37325651/

"Curcumin is beneficial for rheumatoid arthritis treatment. Inflammation levels and clinical symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis can be improved by curcumin supplementation. Large sample randomized controlled trials on the effects of curcumin on patients with rheumatoid arthritis are needed in the future."


https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34012421/

"The results showed that curcumin's anti-diabetic activity might be due to its capacity to suppress oxidative stress and inflammatory process. Also, it significantly reduces fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and body mass index. Nanocurcumin is also associated with a significant reduction in triglycerides, VLDL-c, total cholesterol, LDL-c, HDL-c, serum C reactive protein, and plasma malonaldehyde. Therefore, it can be considered in the therapeutic approach of patients with DM."

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 14 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

Is there even such a thing as a "dose" for something that isn't a medication? She got sick eating way too much of a curry ingredient lol. I imagine people have had similar experiences with ghost peppers.

[–] Hugin@lemmy.world 10 points 21 hours ago (3 children)

My chemistry phd friend often says "The poison is in the dosage". For example you can overdose on water or other necessary substances.

[–] dai@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago

Ahh my old science teacher (from Iowa, living in Australia) had a newspaper article from when he was attending university. A student had passed away after drinking I can't remember how many water shots, one including a goldfish. Decent teaching method in my eyes bringing real life consequences to stupid actions.

The same teacher, post exams would bring in a huge bag of popcorn and show us slides from his personal life. Was pressy interesting seeing snippets of his life. Up until we got a full crowning shot of his wife with their firstborn.

School was strange.

[–] stringere@sh.itjust.works 4 points 21 hours ago

Yep, water intoxication is indeed a thing. I first learned about it in a story about a clinic in England that had to install chemical toilets in a facility for treating people with water intoxication addiction issues.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 2 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Oat bran: The Silent Killer

[–] Hugin@lemmy.world 2 points 20 hours ago

I suspect an oat bran OD would far from silent. :)

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 2 points 16 hours ago

It looks like there are a few papers linking curcumin (a compound in turmeric) and black pepper to some health benefits relating to neurological diseases like alzheimers, but I don't think anything's been definitively proven yet.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0944711318302022

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10187688/

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 59 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

This is what happens when people can’t get the healthcare that they need, and when Congress deregulates supplements.

[–] AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 1 points 11 hours ago

No, in this case it's literally just an overdose of something that is otherwise very beneficial. Even if we had better access to healthcare, things like systemic inflammation have a lot to do with lifestyle, and that's not something doctors can give people.

[–] Remmiaz12324567@piefed.social 20 points 1 day ago (4 children)

i dont think thats the only reason, some people believe in pseudoscience more readily than actual medicine. supplements have always been unregulated for decades.

[–] Rachelhazideas@lemmy.world 1 points 18 hours ago (3 children)

Please don't dismiss supplement users as pseudoscience fanatics.

You have no idea what it's like to live with a chronic illness, with no cure, and no treatment to eliminate the pain and suffering.

People like you harbor misconceptions about modern medicine as an infallible cure-all that isn't riddled with systemic neglect for women, PoC, the uninsured, and chronically ill people.

I take 8 supplements and 7 prescription medications a day. It fucking sucks to have to down 15 pills at night and another 7 in the morning. The only reason why I do is because those supplements are one of very few things that give a modicum of relief to the unending nightmare of pain.

And please don't start with the 'well ahktually studies shows that it doesn't work and it's just placebo.' Please don't decide for us how our own body feels. You cannot disprove our own symptoms to us, not especially when modern medicine has neglected chronic and autoimmune conditions for so long. Because these conditions primarily affect women, and women have not been treated as reliable witnesses to their own bodies, many chronic illnesses haven't even been accepted as 'real' conditions until the last few decades.

So please stop with the psuedoscience accusations. Doctors and researchers have no fucks to give about chronically ill patients, and we are left to trial and error every over the counter supplement we can do we don't kill ourselves from going insane with untreated pain and suffering.

[–] AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 2 points 11 hours ago

Thank you, I wish more people would get this. Access to healthcare is privilege, and full of it's own problems. Also, everyone crying pseudoscience in this thread is just flat out wrong in this case - turmeric is one of the most heavily studied supplements these days, and has been shown to be an effective anti-inflammatory and beneficial for autoimmune diseases, which is exactly what was claimed by the Instagram doctor referenced in the article.

I left a comment elsewhere in this post, full of studies on the subject.

[–] astutemural@midwest.social -3 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Pseudoscience is correct, as they are replicating the look of something scientific without the substance.

Feel free to try whatever you think helps you. Don't complain when people correctly point out that there is no evidence to suggest it will, or that it's even safe for you.

[–] AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 1 points 11 hours ago

Are you sure about that? You should really do some fact-checking before boldly claiming something is pseudoscience.

[–] BananaIsABerry@lemmy.zip -3 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Damn you really felt called out, huh?

[–] Rachelhazideas@lemmy.world 2 points 16 hours ago

If you're not disabled or chronically ill, please sit down and listen to people who are. Lack of 'medical evidence' does not constitute a lack of medical effectiveness. The same way that a lack of diagnosis due to medical neglect does not constitute a lack of symptoms.

THC and CBD has always been used by chronically ill people, who were dismissed as drug addicts for using 'medically unsubstantiated' herbs to treat their pain. Just because research on marijuana is finally being conducted in recent times and it is being validated as a form of treatment, it doesn't mean that it only suddenly became effective. It always has been. The only thing that has changed is public perception of it.

It's easy for able bodied people to point at chronically ill people and claim that everything they do is a hoax or just placebo when they know nothing about how chronic illness works. Listen to them, and treat them as reliable witnesses to their own body.

A medical paper doesn't dictate the reality of how supplement affects each patient individually. Every person's biochemistry is unique. It's especially problematic when modern medicine is rife with systemic bias against certain groups of people. Ask doctors over the age of 60 and ask doctors who recently graduated if they think fibromyalgia is a real disease. It's disgusting how older doctors don't even think it's a real condition and that patients are just 'faking it'.

[–] 0_o7@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 day ago (3 children)

People wouldn't believe in pseudoscience so much if they could just go to the hospital without hesitation or worry about the costs.

[–] Akrenion@slrpnk.net 8 points 1 day ago

In Germany this isn't true. The pseudoscience is thriving and in part supplemented by public health care. Homeopathy was a part of the anti-science campaign of the nazis and is still practised.

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[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 9 points 1 day ago

Or they think that something you use by the teaspoon in cooking is inherently safe when used daily.

[–] Mothra@mander.xyz 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

To add another layer to that, even if you believe in pseudoscience you should also have the basic understanding that absolutely anything and everything can be harmful if you exceed the appropriate dose. I can't understand why most people don't understand this

[–] OpenStars@piefed.social 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

But you are still using "logic" there, while she was using "trust", in the perceived authority source of a combination of "doctor" + "government" (they wouldn't allow selling of something that could be dangerous).

[–] Mothra@mander.xyz 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

People can die of drinking too much water, I see your point but I die on my hill

[–] OpenStars@piefed.social 1 points 1 day ago

As too did she.

Misinformation is dangerous. Disinformation even more so.

Capitalism sometimes kill, literally.

[–] FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

And we have β€œwellness” influencers convincing you all you need is random supplements and to eat healthy and β€œbrain retraining” and you’ll feel great TM.

[–] wraithcoop@programming.dev 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Can't wait for the chubbyemu video to explain the science of what happens here

[–] foggianism@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

He's probably in the emergency room now, writing down all that is happening. "Hyperturmeremia - hyper- for high, turmer for turmeric, and -emia for presence in blood."

[–] morgunkorn@discuss.tchncs.de 23 points 1 day ago (1 children)

daily megadoses [...] Mohan was taking more than 10 times that

that's a decadose at best

[–] Tehdastehdas@piefed.social 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Also microdoses are usually decidoses, but that's irrelevant because in this use mega means large and micro means small. Microcar. Microcomputer.

But what size are microplastics when also mentioning nanoplastics? Are they still "5mm and smaller"?

all very valid questions! also kilograms but never mega- or gigagrams?

[–] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 33 points 1 day ago

she had seen a doctor on Instagram suggesting it

Yeah.

[–] Zier@fedia.io 20 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Stop following Dr Oz, he's a quack!

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I have to have taken that dose in the form of curry before

[–] mriswith@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Oh yeah, it's basically a big teaspoon. Which isn't uncommon in a recipe of turmeric curry for two.

The issue here is that she took it straight in capsule form, every day, for several weeks.

[–] treefrog@piefed.social 15 points 1 day ago

The Instagram Doctor didn't bother to read the Wikipedia article on tumeric. I did yesterday because my mom has been taking it and heard about this.

It's not an anti-inflammatory and is a mild allergen. Some folks have immune systems that don't like it in other words. And liver failure is what happens to those folks when they take to many tumeric supplements.

[–] Chip_Rat@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (4 children)

In my bathroom cabinet I have 6250mg tumeric gummies, which I take in the morning with my multivitamin for inflammation. I bought this well known brand (Jamieson) from a reputable source.

Am I not supposed to be able to trust that a basic suppliment from Shoppers is safe? This isn't "magic sleep improvement concoction" or some underground fad wellness brand selling mushroom infusions.... This is a large and old company that makes half the shit in my cabinet....

[–] AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 3 points 11 hours ago

You should read the article in full, and keep an eye on the listed symptoms. Your dose does sound pretty high, but it also sounds like some people conditionally react to turmeric worse than others do.

I've read elsewhere that turmeric also reduces the absorption of some minerals. So I have it with my tea, as opposed to in my food.

[–] astutemural@midwest.social 5 points 17 hours ago

NO, you cannot, because they are NOT regulated in any way. 'Supplements' are not FDA approved. They are not tested to ensure safety. They basically do whatever they want until someone else proves it's unsafe.

[–] dangrousperson@feddit.org 18 points 1 day ago (2 children)

googling for 3 seconds I found that Jamieson Tumeric Gummies only have 250mg Tumeric per Gummy, which is apparently equivalent to 6250mg of dried Tumeric. That is basically the recommended maximum daily dosage.

In general, no you can't trust 'basic' supplements, since they are poorly regulated. I'd also recommend getting supplements only for things that you actually need supplemented, i.e. a blood test shows you are deficient.

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1143270524?ft=nprml&amp%3Bf=1143270524

[–] Chip_Rat@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Thank you for doing that. I found this out first thing in the morning and am now on my first work break, I hope I would have figured this out eventually but it was bothering me already today. My workmate had the rational thought "it's got to be a factor of 10 difference or something, you should reread the label when you get home."

But again, thanks, now I have a little peace in my head until I can do some more research. I poison my liver with alcohol. I don't need extra help....

As for why I take it, I was instructed to by my family doctor as well as my (far more trusted and who I've known far longer) Massage therapist, who explicitly said "I can't legally tell you to take supplements because laws and such, but go ask your doctor about x,y,z." Which I did.

[–] astutemural@midwest.social 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Massage therapists aren't licensed. Do not take medical advice from them. They know exactly as much about medicine as your plumber.

[–] Chip_Rat@lemmy.world 1 points 16 hours ago

Massage therapists are fully licenced where I live (Canada) They are not, however, licenced to give advice about supplements. Which is why she told me to go to my doctor. But since she went to school for years and takes annual courses to keep up to date on human bodies and how they function, and she spends every day of her life literally hands on hundreds of different human bodies for the past 25 years so far, I'd say she has a much better grasp on how supplements affect people than my plumber, if I had a plumber.

[–] peetabix@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

So you're saying I shouldn't take one of those supplements then go have a curry?

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[–] peteyestee@feddit.org 2 points 1 day ago

Did she get it from onnit?

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