Is Turmeric OK to Take With High Blood Pressure

It’s not clear how turmeric affects your blood pressure medicine. Since it lowers your blood pressure, it might have an additive effect on blood pressure-lowering medicine. This means it might strengthen your medication and lower your blood pressure more than expected.

Does Turmeric Lower Blood Pressure? What To Know

Turmeric, with its rich, golden hue and a history rooted deep in traditional medicine, has surged in popularity as a modern wellness hero.

At Dose, we’re all about diving into the science behind nature’s wonders. So, let’s explore the potential of turmeric to not just spice up your meals but also support your circulatory health.

What Does Blood Pressure Mean?

Blood pressure is the term used to describe the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps it around your body. It’s a critical indicator of your overall circulatory health, typically recorded with two numbers: systolic and diastolic.

Systolic blood pressure, the higher of the two, measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats and pushes blood out.

The diastolic number, the lower one, measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats. These complementary numbers are usually presented as one over the other — systolic “over” diastolic — and measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg), such as 120/80 mmHg.

Why Does Maintaining Healthy Blood Pressure Matter?

Healthy blood pressure is fundamental to your overall health because it ensures that your blood flows smoothly and efficiently, delivering oxygen and nutrients where they’re needed most.

Let’s break down why keeping those blood pressure numbers in check is more than just a good habit.

Supports Heart Health

A healthy blood pressure means your heart isn’t overworking to pump blood through your arteries. This reduces wear and tear on the cardiovascular system, keeping the heart muscle healthy and efficient.

Promotes Cognitive Function

High blood pressure can also impact your brain health, hindering the crucial blood flow that keeps your brain functioning properly.

By keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range, you’re essentially helping your brain stay spry, preserving your mental clarity and memory sharpness as you age.

Reduces Risk of Vascular Damage

Consistently high blood pressure is a risk factor that can lead to the hardening and narrowing of arteries, a condition known as arteriosclerosis.

By maintaining a healthy blood pressure, you minimize the strain on your arteries, helping to keep them supple and responsive. This is important for preventing the kind of damage that can lead to severe health issues down the line.

Preserves Kidney Function

Your kidneys are vital for filtering waste from your blood and regulating fluid levels.

High blood pressure can damage the delicate blood vessels in the kidneys, impairing their ability to function properly. Maintaining a healthy blood pressure helps ensure that your kidneys continue to efficiently cleanse your blood and manage body fluids.

Supports Eye Health

By keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range, you help protect these vessels, supporting overall eye health and maintaining your vision. It’s like avoiding excessive water pressure in delicate plumbing lines — too much and you risk leaks and damage.

What Is Turmeric?

Rooted deeply in ancient traditions, especially in Indian and Southeast Asian cultures, turmeric has been a staple in cooking, medicine, and even religious ceremonies for thousands of years.

Turmeric, a member of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, comes from the root of the curcuma longa plant. It’s the curcumin — the main active component in turmeric — that gives turmeric both its distinctive color and many of its commonly-touted benefits.

How Does Turmeric Impact Blood Pressure?

Turmeric’s potential benefits for blood pressure largely come down to its main component: curcumin.

The effects of curcumin include supporting healthy blood flow by supporting the lining of your blood vessels, known as the endothelium. Besides curcumin, turmeric hosts a variety of other compounds, all interlaced to create a holistic health experience. Thanks to this, turmeric may provide well-rounded support for your overall cardiovascular health.

It’s important to note that you shouldn’t rely on turmeric alone to maintain a healthy heart or healthy blood pressure — it’s best used alongside an overall healthy lifestyle and healthy habits, and you should consult your doctor if you suspect there may be a problem with your blood pressure or heart health.

Are There Any Side Effects of Turmeric?

While turmeric boasts a wide range of potential benefits, it’s also smart to consider the flip side.

Certain turmeric supplements, especially in particularly high doses, may interact with medications like blood thinners, affecting blood clot processes, glucose, and blood sugar levels, which are crucial for those with heart health concerns or type 2 diabetes.

It’s also best to consult your healthcare provider before using turmeric supplements if you have gallbladder issues or if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.

It’s important to align its use with your unique health profile and consult healthcare professionals — particularly if you have existing health conditions or are taking any medications. This ensures that you harness turmeric’s benefits safely and effectively, without unintended effects on your health journey.

Who Should Consider Adding Turmeric to Their Routine?

Turmeric could be a great addition for anyone looking to enhance their wellness routine with natural elements. It’s especially fitting for individuals interested in the holistic benefits of this vibrant spice, including its ability to support cardiovascular health and manage everyday physical stress.

Loaded with beneficial enzymes and recognized for its effects, turmeric is more than just a kitchen staple — it’s a health-supporting powerhouse. Whether you’re a fan of its bold flavor in dishes or curious about its curcuminoid content, incorporating turmeric could be a wise step toward maintaining your overall wellness.

How To Get the Benefits of Turmeric in Your Day-to-Day Life

Incorporating turmeric into your daily routine doesn’t have to be a chore. Here are some simple and tasty ways to get the most out of this golden powerhouse:

Spice Up Your Meals

Turmeric doesn’t have to be confined to curries and stews. Brighten up your morning scramble or tofu with a sprinkle of this sunny spice, or whisk it into your salad dressings for an earthy twist. It’s an easy hack to boost both flavor and health benefits in one go.

Sip on Some Golden Tea

Swap out one of your daily coffees with a warming turmeric tea. Just simmer turmeric with milk (dairy or plant-based), a dash of black pepper (to enhance absorption), and a touch of honey for a comforting beverage that soothes as it benefits. It’s a hug in a cup, especially on those chilly afternoons when your energy levels might be flagging.

Get Creative with Smoothies

Add a teaspoon of turmeric into your favorite smoothie recipe. Whether it’s a berry blast or a green goddess mix, turmeric blends wonderfully and brings its heart-friendly properties to the table. Plus, it gives your smoothie a bright color that’s sure to light up your Instagram feed as well as your day.

Embrace the Power of Supplements

For those days when you’re on a sprint and cooking seems a mile away, a quick and effective way to incorporate turmeric is through our wellness shot Dose for Your Liver.

While it’s crafted to support liver health, the high bioavailability of curcumin in the formulation also aids in maintaining healthy blood flow and blood pressure levels. Think of it as having a secret weapon in your wellness arsenal that supports you without any fuss.

The Bottom Line

When it comes to your blood pressure, turmeric may play a generally supportive role in your overall wellness. By supporting smooth, healthy blood flow and offering potential antioxidant benefits, turmeric stands out not just in your spice rack but also as a part of a heart-healthy lifestyle.

Whether you’re seasoning your favorite dish, sipping it in tea, or taking Dose for Your Liver, remember, while turmeric offers great benefits, it’s not a cure-all for your health dysfunction. Always pair it with a balanced diet, regular exercise, and a chat with your healthcare provider to ensure it fits your health needs perfectly.

Is Turmeric OK to Take With High Blood Pressure?

Turmeric is an ancient remedy, a perennial plant in the ginger family. Turmeric may help lower blood pressure, but talk to your doctor if you take medication to make sure it doesn’t interact with it.

Turmeric is an ancient remedy commonly used in traditional medical systems. Today, it’s used as a supplement or as food.

Does turmeric interact with any medications, though? Turmeric supplements are likely safe, but they may interfere with some medications.

Turmeric, Curcuma longa, is a perennial plant in the ginger family. It’s native to Southeast Asia and grows mostly in India. The underground stem called the rhizome is the part you cook and eat, though usually only as a flavoring. It has a rough outer skin over yellowish-orange flesh that tastes bitter yet sweet.

Turmeric as food

You can peel a fresh rhizome, dice, grate, or mince the flesh, and add it to a dish for flavoring. Alternatively, you can add a slice of fresh turmeric to a cup of hot water for turmeric tea. Turmeric is a popular spice in Indian curry and gives it that golden color. It’s also used as yellow food coloring for butter and cheese.

Turmeric supplements

Turmeric rhizomes are boiled, dried, and ground into powder to use as a spice and in supplements. Products range from powdered whole turmeric to liquid extracts to an isolated compound called curcumin.

Turmeric has high amounts of curcumin and other compounds called curcuminoids, which gives it a yellow color. Most of the research on this plant focuses on these compounds.

Does turmeric lower blood pressure?

Most of the research on the benefits of turmeric is from early animal studies, so it’s hard to say how it works for people. Early studies suggest that turmeric might help blood pressure , protect your heart, and lower your risk of heart disease.

High blood pressure happens when the force of your blood against the walls of your blood vessels is higher than normal. This can happen for lots of different reasons, but it’s often linked to lifestyle choices like insufficient activity, a high-fat and high-salt diet, and health problems like obesity or diabetes. These conditions cause an unhealthy ratio of higher bad cholesterol and fats in your blood.

As these materials build up, they harden and become plaque, which blocks your arteries and makes it harder for blood to flow through. Your heart has to pump harder to compensate, which raises the force of blood against your blood vessel walls and causes high blood pressure . Plaque can ultimately lead to heart attack and stroke.

Turmeric may help. Early studies suggest that turmeric can relax blood vessels and lower blood pressure. Turmeric might help prevent plaque buildup, too. Animal studies show that a turmeric extract lowered cholesterol and kept bad cholesterol from building up. But other studies show that taking turmeric supplements didn’t improve cholesterol levels .

Turmeric also stops blood cells called platelets from clumping together. This might help stop blood clots from building up along your blood vessel walls. But most studies are on animals, so more research is needed.

How does turmeric interact with blood pressure medicine?

It’s not clear how turmeric affects your blood pressure medicine. Since it lowers your blood pressure, it might have an additive effect on blood pressure-lowering medicine. This means it might strengthen your medication and lower your blood pressure more than expected.

Some studies suggest that it doesn’t interfere. A 2021 study treated high blood pressure in animals with turmeric and a drug called amlodipine. They found that turmeric had no effect: It didn’t affect the medication and it didn’t lower blood pressure.

Turmeric supplements are probably safe to take, but there isn’t enough research to know how it affects blood pressure in people. If you have high blood pressure and take blood pressure medicine, talk to your doctor before taking turmeric.

Does turmeric interact with any medications?

Turmeric supplements might also interfere with other medications.

Blood thinners

High doses of turmeric might have a blood-thinning effect and might strengthen your blood-thinning medication, which could lead to bleeding. You should stop taking turmeric two weeks before surgery and you should talk to your doctor first if you take blood thinners like aspirin, warfarin, or clopidogrel.

Stomach acid medication

Turmeric might block medications that lower your stomach acid, like famotidine lansoprazole. This could lead to higher stomach acid production and worsening symptoms.

Diabetes medication

Turmeric might make the effects of your diabetes medication stronger, which could cause low blood sugar.

Chemotherapy

Turmeric might block the effects of chemotherapy medications, like camptothecin, mechlorethamine, and doxorubicin. These risks come from animal or lab studies though, so it’s not clear how it might affect treatment in people.

SLIDESHOW

Is it better to cook with turmeric or take a supplement?

The problem with turmeric supplements is that you don’t absorb them very well. Your body breaks it down and gets rid of it quickly, usually without absorbing any of the compounds.

Companies try to add different compounds to the supplement to help you absorb it. A popular ingredient is piperine, which is a compound from black pepper. Studies show this raises availability to your body by 2000%, but this isn’t always a good thing.

Making it easier for your body to absorb curcumin might lead to side effects. The most common side effect is an upset stomach. Taking large doses or taking turmeric supplements for a long time can also cause:

Supplements can worsen some conditions, like gallbladder disease and bile duct obstruction. There’s no research on turmeric during pregnancy or breastfeeding, so you should avoid it if you plan to be pregnant, are pregnant, or are nursing.

Eating turmeric is safe, though. If you use it as a spice or for tea, it shouldn’t cause any problems the way turmeric supplements do with your medications or some conditions. The exception is acid reflux. Turmeric might add more acid to your stomach, which can make your symptoms worse.

Bottom line

Turmeric is safe to eat and often safe to take as a supplement. It may help lower blood pressure, but it’s not clear if it interferes with your blood pressure medicine. Talk to your doctor about taking turmeric supplements.

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References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Know Your Risk for High Blood Pressure.”

Cleveland Clinic: “Cholesterol: High Cholesterol Diseases.”

Foods: “Curcumin: A Review of Its’ Effects on Human Health.”

Frontiers in Pharmacology: “Turmeric and Its Major Compound Curcumin on Health: Bioactive Effects and Safety Profiles for Food, Pharmaceutical, Biotechnological and Medicinal Applications.”

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: “Turmeric.”

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: “Turmeric.”

National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: “Turmeric.”

Nutrients: “Effect of Co-Administration of Curcumin with Amlodipine in Hypertension.”

Prasad, S., Aggarawal, B. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition, CRC Press/Taylor and Francis, 2011.

St. Luke’s Hospital: “Possible Interactions with: Turmeric.”

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Can You Take Turmeric if You Take Blood Pressure Medicine?

Turmeric is one of the most used spices in Asian cuisine. This yellow spice has been hailed for its healing properties for centuries. A turmeric latte is touted for its myriad health benefits. Turmeric contains several anti-inflammatory compounds collectively called curcuminoids.

Can You Take Turmeric with Blood Pressure Medication?

Turmeric may not react well with some medications, including blood pressure medication.

furosemide

Furosemide is a diuretic medicine that doctors prescribe to treat excess accumulation of fluid or swelling of the body (edema) caused by cirrhosis, chronic kidney failure, heart failure, and kidney disease. Common side effects of furosemide are low blood pressure, dehydration and electrolyte depletion (for example, sodium, potassium). Do not take if breastfeeding. Consult your doctor if pregnant.

garlic

Garlic is an edible bulb from the plant Allium sativum. Its medicinal properties may inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, and slow down the blood clotting process. Garlic may be used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension), high blood fat levels (hyperlipidemia), preventing coronary artery disease, enhancing circulation, preventing cancer, menstrual disorders, and other infections. Common side effects of garlic include bad breath, body odor, nausea, vomiting, gas (flatulence), heartburn, diarrhea, gastrointestinal upset, gastrointestinal irritation and burning, bleeding, nasal inflammation (rhinitis), and others.

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The yellow-orange spice turmeric may be trendy with the wellness crowd. But is it truly a super food? Here’s what it can — and can’t — do for your health.

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

High blood pressure (hypertension) occurs due to the tightening or stiffness of very small arteries called arterioles. As a result, the heart pumps harder through the stiff or narrow arterioles, leading to elevated pressure inside the vessels. Hypertension is known as ‘the silent killer’ because it often goes unnoticed and may cause serious complications such as kidney diseases, heart diseases, heart failure, and stroke.

hydrochlorothiazide

Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic drug prescribed to treat high blood pressure, edema caused by heart failure, cirrhosis, chronic kidney failure, nephrotic syndrome, and corticosteroid medications. Side effects of hydrochlorothiazide include weakness, low blood pressure, light sensitivity (rash caused by sunlight), impotence, nausea, and abdominal pain. Thiazides may increase the risk of fetal or neonatal jaundice, low platelet levels, and possibly other adverse reactions.

labetalol

Labetalol is a medication prescribed for the treatment of high blood pressure. The most common side effects of labetalol are fatigue, dizziness, nausea, headache, diarrhea, edema (fluid accumulation), and shortness of breath. Other important side effects include sexual dysfunction, abnormal heart rhythm, slow heart rate, liver failure, and allergic reactions. Consult your doctor before taking if pregnant or breastfeeding.

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