Tumeric

[pmbug]

Turmeric, a flowering plant of the ginger family, has long been prized in Ayurvedic medicine for its anti-inflammatory properties and in Asian cuisines for its earthy flavour and vibrant hue. Haldi, the spice’s Hindi name, is derived from the Sanskrit for “golden coloured”. But for the millions of South Asians who habitually consume it, turmeric’s skin-staining yellowness can be deceptive and deadly.

To heighten their colour, the rhizomes from which the spice is extracted are routinely dusted with lead chromate, a neurotoxin. The practice helps explain why South Asia has the highest rates of lead poisoning in the world. The heart and brain diseases it causes—to which children are especially susceptible—accounted for at least 1.4m deaths in the region in 2019. The economic cost is crippling; that year lead poisoning is estimated to have lowered South Asian productivity by the equivalent of 9% of GDP. Yet it turns out that with clever policies, enlightened leadership and astute messaging this blight can be greatly reduced. Bangladesh has shown how.

At the instigation of teams from Stanford University and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, a research institute, the country launched a nationwide campaign against turmeric adulteration in 2019. Rules against adulteration were enforced and well-publicised stings carried out against wholesalers who persisted in it. The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, discussed the problem on television. Bangladeshi bazaars were plastered with warnings against it. Local media also publicised it.

According to newly published data, the country thereby reduced the prevalence of turmeric adulteration in its spice markets to zero in just two years. That slashed lead levels in the blood of Bangladeshi turmeric-mill workers by about a third. ...

How to stop turmeric from killing people

Developing countries—especially India—should learn from Bangladesh

www.economist.com

I don't always consume Tumeric, but when I do, I make sure it's sourced from Bangladesh. /Most interesting man in the world.

 

[searcher]

Turmeric and Ginger have synergistic healing properties for your body. This can help your heart, arteries, eyes, lungs, liver, gut, immune system, bloating, gas, immune system, skin, sleep, and so much more. I hope you find this helpful for you and your loved ones. Blessings...Dr. Mandell 5 mins 32 secs

 

[CiscoKid]

My wife grows turmeric root every summer. Harvests it, dehydrates it, and grinds it into powder. She mixes some of it into peanut butter for the dog's biscuits to help her joints and puts the rest into empty pill capsules for our use.

 

[CiscoKid]

Couple of years ago, she asked me to make her a pill jig to make filling the capsules easier. I'm a bit of a woodworker so I went out to my shop and rummaged around my scrap bin and found a short piece of mahogany. I drilled a dozen blind holes in it that matched the diameter of the capsules she would be using. I then split the jig in two on my bandsaw. This guaranteed the holes would line up even if one were a little off. She fills the holes with one capsule half and pushes them down until they are flush with the top. Then she just dumps whatever she is filling them with on top of the board and spreads it around with a stainless steel spatula. When all the capsules are filled, she pulls the top board up and sets it down on a flat surface. This pushes the capsules halfway out of the holes and allows her to cap them off with the remaining capsule halves.

Here's the jig along with one of her turmeric capsules. You will note the lack of a bright orange color. That is because it is from unadulterated root that she grew. She's big into natural cures. She made an amazing cough syrup a few months ago. Non alcoholic, won't make you drowsy, and it works.

 

[Joe King]

How to stop turmeric from killing people

Developing countries—especially India—should learn from Bangladesh

www.economist.com

I don't always consume Tumeric, but when I do, I make sure it's sourced from Bangladesh. /Most interesting man in the world.

For anyone interested, it's relatively easy to tell if your turmeric has been adulterated with the lead chromate.

Just open a capsule and dump the contents into a glass of water and let it sit for 10 minutes or so. Do not stir. The turmeric will sink to the bottom leaving the water almost clear. It'll have a slight color to it, but you'll be able to see through it.

If the water gets cloudy and you can't see through it, it's got lead chromate in it.


There is also a palm test that can be done, but I haven't actually tried that.