Treatment of inflammation with turmeric is a gradual process. It may take from a week to a month to notice significant changes in inflammation while taking turmeric. It is observed that regular intake of turmeric considerably reduces inflammation as time progresses. The whole course of treatment may last from 4 weeks to 8 weeks, depending on the patient’s health condition.
Read: Why turmeric is great for inflammation?
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) though may provide faster relief, have adverse health effects. However, turmeric offers gradual but more efficient outcomes and without side effects.
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Time Required by Turmeric to Reduce Inflammation
The efficacy and time taken by turmeric to reduce inflammation depend on various factors. They are discussed in detail below:
1. The severity of inflammation/disease
There are a number of inflammatory diseases like inflammation of joints, digestive tract, and respiratory tract or other organs. Conditions may have a varying degree of severity, depending on which, the time taken by turmeric to reduce inflammation may differ.
More severe disease may take not only more time, but also a higher dosage of turmeric.
2. The dosage of turmeric/curcumin
Studies have experimented with different compositions of turmeric and curcumin and taking a higher dose may result in faster recovery.
In a study, taking about 2.8g turmeric per day in the diet for 4 weeks showed no effects or improvements in inflammation or oxidative stress in overweight or obese individuals. [1]
Among other studies, consumption of about 500mg of curcumin daily for 4 weeks has shown positive outcomes.
Thus, a high dose of turmeric or curcumin may reduce inflammation faster.
One can take a higher dose for a more profound effect, but other health conditions and tolerability have to be taken into account.
The dosage, which is specific to an individual, must be formulated by consulting with a health professional.
3. The dosage of other medications used
Turmeric is often advised as adjuvant therapy in addition to other medications and not as a sole treatment measure.
The potency and type of drugs may influence the time taken by turmeric to reduce inflammation.
4. The route of administration
Turmeric may be taken orally, topically [2] or by intranasal application [3], depending on the disease.
Topical application may provide faster relief from inflammation (within hours [4] or days [5]) as compared to oral intake (within weeks).
This may be because when applied to wounds or inflamed skin, turmeric directly comes in contact with affected cells, whereas if taking orally, turmeric has to be first absorbed by the gut and then utilised.
This takes a long time to reduce inflammation.
What is the time taken by turmeric to reduce inflammation?
Considering the above factors, one cannot say the exact time duration after which reduced inflammation may be experienced after turmeric consumption.
However, clinical trials studying the effects of turmeric report significant differences after 3 days [6] to 2 months [7] of turmeric intake in different health conditions.
Studies have reported improvements within days [8], 4 weeks [9] [10], 6 weeks [11] and 8 weeks [12] [13] [14] duration of taking turmeric.
In a study, topical application of turmeric gel in gingivitis patients resulted in significant improvement in health condition within 21 days. [15]
Although one may start experiencing differences as early as a week, the treatment should continue for at least a month or two, or longer, if inflammation persists. Studies have reported better results and improvements in condition with increasing time. [16]
One may even continue turmeric intake afterward to prevent recurrence of the disorder.
However, one should determine the proper dosage and duration of intake of turmeric by consulting with a medical professional based on health and other medications used.
How to Take Turmeric for Inflammation
There are several ways to take turmeric in case of inflammation if you are looking to take turmeric powder/spice – the two best ways are:
- Golden / Turmeric Paste – Know how to make it
- Golden / Turmeric Milk – Find its benefits and recipe here>
It is important to understand turmeric dosage, please check the detailed article on turmeric dosage here>
If you are looking for some good turmeric powder brands, here is our list of recommended brands>
While turmeric is very safe, but it is not recommended to take it in certain cases and also not in too much quantity. Understand what these situations are so that you can avoid turmeric’s side effects. Read more>
One very important thing to be considered while taking turmeric powder is its absorption. Turmeric is poorly absorbed in the body, but that limitation can be easily overcome by adding fats (oils) or Black pepper to turmeric. If you want to know more about how they help, please read here>
If you plan to take turmeric supplements or curcumin, check out the types of supplements available in the market here> and choose a good brand accordingly.
Have you used turmeric for pain and inflammation? If yes, how was your experience with it? Please share your experience and feedback by commenting below. It will be of great help to all our readers!
I have the onset of Osteo- Arthritis in both knees, and occasionally become very painful and swollen. I was using Voltarol gel (prescription) 3 times per day, this made my skin sore. I was also taking Co-Codamol up thre times per day when the pain was strong. I have been taking 2000mg Turmeric once per day for 3 weeks now, although I still have a dull ache, the severe pain has gone. I noticed the effect after 4 days. I have stopped using Voltarol and Co-Codamol.
Thank you for sharing your experience. We are glad to hear that turmeric benefits your health!
Hi everyone,
I was a little sceptical about the reported health benefits…
However my severe debilitating joint pain that radiates through both shoulders and elbows has been dramatically reduced in just 2 days…
I have been researching across the web to try and find a definitive answer as to whether i’m imagining the relief or what…
All I can say is try it, I have been using naproxen for a month and still had the severe pain, Turmeric is a wonder drug, try it and let me know if it worked for you…
Jon
Thank you for sharing your experience. We are glad to hear that turmeric benefits you.
I’ve been taking turmeric supplements for 5 month and have not experienced any bad side effects. I’ve been feeling great overall, joint inflammation went down, no mire enxiety, and great digestion. Only one small thing is that my monthly periods been more thin and leaked more than usual. But that’s minor
Hi. Thank you for sharing your experience. We are really glad to hear that turmeric benefits you! However if the changes in the menstrual cycle are persistent and causing discomfort, please consult a doctor about the same.
I am taking Turmeric Paste for about 5 Years now ( 3 tsp a day ) and got rid of all kind of pain which affected my daily life.
I thought i can reduce it but No !!! Wrong
Osteoarthritis is attacking my pinky toe after something felt on it.
Pain stiffness and swelling You should have seen me running and making Golden Paste again and back to 3 tsp.
Sometimes laziness gives you a lesson the hard way
People take it its natural stuff !!!!
I have been using turmeric tea, golden milk using powder for two weeks. I have also applied it topically on my knee pain caused by arthritis. My pain has decreased considerably and I am now able to take my daily walks as before. I attest to this treatment and I will continue to use for another one to two months and may continue for prevention of inflammation.
Magdalena i do the same
Applying Turmeric mixed with Honey on my toes now ( Arthritis )
Don’t we love Turmeric
Hi all. I have been taking 2500mg tumeric twice daily to help with vocal cord dysfunction as nothing else seems to have much of an effect and i can’t pinpoint the trigger. I can honestly say that taking this improved my symptoms (breathing issues due to inflammation in the throat) so much within days and i really thought that i had finally found something to help and even stop this condition.
However, 3 weeks in i started getting palpitations, missed heart beats and an errata unstable pulse resulting in a trip to A&E and many tests. As all my test results have been okay and nothing else had changed in my tablet consumption i can only put this down to the turmeric.
I’m gutted as it had made such a difference and am now going to try a much lower dose like 500mg twice a day as soon as it’s out my system. After not taking it for 1 day, the day i had to go to A&E, my condition worsened so there is no doubt that it was helping that. Unfortunately messing with my heart is not a good thing though! 🙂
The other problem is that it is not a drug and so the hospital staff know nothing about it, how it works or what effects it can have. I must have mentioned it about 10 times to different people including a cardiologist last week but nothing.
I was struggling with severe allergies and nothing was working. I was taking 20-30mg of citrizine in a day, also tried similar dosages of loratadine- no help. I was losing sleep due to intense sinus pressure and congestion, constant runny nose and itchy throat. This went on for over a year! Finally, a friend recommended turmeric. She bought me a big bottle of turmeric tablets and, although I was skeptical, after about 2 months I realized my allergies were subsiding. As the weeks went on, my allergies continued to disappear until I was completely allergy free. I’m so so thankful for this natural remedy, and that I’m no longer popping Claritin after Claritin with little to no results! I highly recommend turmeric, and just a reminder to stick with it and be patient as it builds up in your system. 🙂
Hi Katie. Thank you for sharing your experience. We are really glad to hear that turmeric helped you. Wish you great health!
What strength were you taking Katie?
I m fasting first week of Jan 2018, despite good results as no need to use CPAP for sleep apnea and very good blood sugar results, I have hit plateau, so thinking of possible intestinal inflamation, I started to take 4 spoons of turmeric powder bought from a Pakistani grocery store. After a week or so I noticed One thing that my tailbone inflammation …pinching pain or discomfort while sitting by certain position….is gone..for last two weeks I forgot about it until read your article. Feel good now. Still using 2 to 5 spoons/day for three weeks now
Hi. Glad to hear that turmeric benefits you! 5 spoons/day may be bit too much, please consider reducing the dosage.
Can I take turmeric capsules along with sage capsules? Or am I best sticking to one or the other? I am currently taking 1 sage menoforce tablet daily and wondered if adding turmeric would her with inflammation I suffer in my back and hips. Thank
This is a really interesting topic. Turmeric is often associated with inflammation reduction but the discussion tends to be more theoretical than practical. It seems to strongly depend on the underlying cause of the inflammation and other practices in a person’s life. And, of course, the effects always vary from one person to another, just like for any supplement or medication.
clarification -two to three times PER DAY for two to three weeks
inflammation of sacro-iliac joint and iliac crest eliminated by taking one level teaspoonful two to three times of 95% curcumin mixed with flaxseed oil and black pepper for about two to three weeks
Glad to hear that turmeric benefits you, Ross!
I originally heard about turmerics many health benefits early in 2015 as golden paste taken internally. At the time I was suffering from a host of symptoms from Lyme disease. I was in agony every day and taking over the counter pain meds like it was candy. Any relief was short lived. I made my first batch of Turmeric paste and began with a few teaspoons per day, I gradually took an extra teaspoon full instead of taking other pain relievers. Possibly 5-6 tsp/day. Within 2 weeks I had weaned myself from pain relievers and was only taking Turmeric paste with much better results. I began feeling much better. As I began healing my body from lyme disease I was able to gradually decrease my dose of Turmeric paste. Today I still take 2 TSP/day for maintenance and good health. Unless I accidentally injure myself then I reach for my Turmeric paste instead of pain relievers. I believe Turmeric paste gave me my best chance at combating and reclaiming my life from the clutches of Lyme disease.
Thank you very much for sharing your experience Mitzy. We are really happy to know that turmeric contributed to your health on such a great scale. Wish you great health!