Turmeric Tea: Claims, Curcumin Content and Liver Cautions
Turmeric tea claims checked against NCCIH, EU herbal monograph and liver injury reports. Curcumin in a cup is not documented; most research used supplements, not tea.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
Safety first. Supplements can cause side effects and interact with medicines. Read mushroom safety and interactions before you use any mushroom product.
Turmeric products have been linked to liver injury, and the reports we read involve supplements, not tea. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says liver damage has been reported in some people using highly bioavailable curcumin products. [1] In a case series from the US Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network, ten turmeric-linked cases were found, five people were hospitalized and one died of acute liver failure. [2] NCCIH lists fatigue, nausea, poor appetite, dark urine and jaundice as warning signs and says to stop turmeric or curcumin products and talk with a health care provider. [1] See Liver Safety and Supplements.
We did not find a case report of liver injury from turmeric drunk as tea in the abstracts we read. That is not proof that tea is free of risk.
What turmeric tea is
Turmeric (Curcuma longa L., family Zingiberaceae) is a plant in the ginger family; the part used is the rhizome, an underground stem. [3][1] Turmeric tea is a drink made from that rhizome. The EU herbal medicines committee (HMPC) describes the rhizome as sold, among other forms, as a herbal tea. [4] The whole-plant profile is at Turmeric (Curcuma longa), and the spice as a food is at Turmeric as a Food. Golden milk is a milk-based turmeric drink; in PubMed we found only food-formulation papers about it, and no trial of its health effects.Traditional use
Turmeric has historically been used in Chinese, Indian (Ayurvedic), Islamic and Thai traditional medicine systems for conditions including indigestion, colds, skin infections, arthritis and liver disease. [1] That is traditional use only. The HMPC also accepts a traditional-use claim for relief of mild digestive problems such as fullness and flatulence, and says the effectiveness is "plausible" but clinical trial evidence is insufficient. [4]What research shows
| Question | What the source found | Strength of evidence | Form and population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does turmeric tea help any condition? | Proper evidence not found. We searched PubMed for "turmeric tea", "turmeric tea randomized" and "golden milk turmeric" and found no trial of the tea. | Insufficient evidence | Tea |
| Knee osteoarthritis pain | NCCIH says meta-analyses of oral turmeric or curcumin give positive initial evidence but higher-quality evidence is needed. [1] | Promising but limited | Oral turmeric or curcumin products, not tea |
| Fatty liver measures | Initial research suggests some measures may improve, but it is unclear which. [1] | Promising but limited | Oral turmeric or curcumin |
| Mild digestive problems | The HMPC considered several studies; firm conclusions could not be drawn, and only one study compared turmeric with a control group. [4] | Traditional use only (regulatory) | Turmeric preparations including tea, powder, extracts |
| Most other conditions | NCCIH says there is not enough evidence to conclude benefit. [1] | Insufficient evidence | Mixed |
How much curcumin is in a cup?
Curcumin gives turmeric its yellow color, and the health effects are commonly attributed to curcuminoids. [1] Reviews describe curcumin as poorly bioavailable because of poor absorption, rapid metabolism and rapid elimination. [5] NCCIH notes that curcumin products vary in how much curcumin they contain and are sometimes combined with piperine from black pepper to improve absorption. [1] A lab-method paper detected curcuminoids in turmeric tea samples. [6] Proper evidence not found in the sources we read for a per-cup curcumin amount, so claims that tea delivers the same effects as trial supplements are not supported here. Check blends for added black pepper: three of the seven products tested in the liver injury series also contained piperine. [2]Official statements
The EU herbal monograph (HMPC, 2018) describes a traditional herbal tea of 0.5 to 1.0 g of comminuted rhizome in 150 ml of boiling water, two to three times daily, for adults and older adults, with a doctor to be consulted if symptoms last over 2 weeks. [8] This describes a traditional herbal medicinal product, not advice for a reader. A clinician or pharmacist decides what is right for a person.Frequently asked questions
Does turmeric tea help inflammation or arthritis?
Studies of knee osteoarthritis used oral turmeric or curcumin products rather than tea, and NCCIH says the evidence is initial. [1] Trials of the tea were not found.
Is turmeric tea bad for the liver?
Reports of liver injury involve turmeric and curcumin products, especially highly bioavailable ones. [1][7] We found none for tea alone. People with liver or bile conditions should ask a clinician first. [8]
Does black pepper in turmeric tea matter?
Black pepper's piperine is used to improve curcumin absorption, and three of seven products in a liver injury series contained it. [1][2] Whether it changes risk for tea is not described in our sources.
Can I drink turmeric tea while pregnant or breastfeeding?
The EU monograph does not recommend turmeric preparations in pregnancy and lactation, and NCCIH says supplements may be unsafe in pregnancy. [8][1] Ask your clinician.
Is turmeric tea the same as curcumin capsules?
No. Capsules are concentrated extracts and many are formulated for absorption. NCCIH warns about those. [1] See Turmeric vs Curcumin.
More details: evidence, limits and cautions
The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.
Safety
- Liver. The Italian reports described liver injury with high-bioavailability, high-dose curcumin products. [7] In the US series, most patients carried a particular immune gene variant (HLA-B*35:01), and injury typically began one to four months after starting. [2] The HMPC says turmeric is not recommended with bile duct obstruction, cholangitis, liver disease, gallstones or other biliary diseases. [8]
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding. NCCIH says turmeric supplements in pregnancy may be unsafe and little is known about amounts above food levels while breastfeeding. [1] The HMPC says use in pregnancy and lactation is not recommended because safety has not been established. [8]
- Children. The HMPC says use under 18 has not been established. [8]
- Side effects. NCCIH lists nausea, vomiting, acid reflux, stomach upset, diarrhea and constipation. [1] The HMPC lists dry mouth, flatulence and stomach irritation. [4]
- Medicines. The HMPC monograph reports no interactions. [8] NCCIH advises talking with a provider before using any herbal product with medicines. [1] Effects on blood thinners, diabetes medicines or before surgery are not described in the sources we read; ask a pharmacist. See How Interactions Work.
- Contamination. A study of 356 turmeric samples from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal found 14 percent with lead above 2 μg/g, with markers of lead chromate adulteration in some. [9] Our sources do not say how common this is in tea sold elsewhere; see Quality Testing and Certifications.
References
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Turmeric, last updated April 2025 Read 2026-10-23.
- Halegoua-DeMarzio D, Navarro V, Ahmad J, et al. Liver injury associated with turmeric: a growing problem. Ten cases from the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN). Am J Med. 2023;136(2):200-6 Read 2026-10-23.
- GBIF Secretariat. Curcuma longa L., GBIF Backbone Taxonomy Read 2026-10-23.
- European Medicines Agency (EMA), Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). Curcumae longae rhizoma – herbal medicinal product (turmeric): overview and public summary Read 2026-10-23.
- Anand P, Kunnumakkara AB, Newman RA, Aggarwal BB. Bioavailability of curcumin: problems and promises. Mol Pharm. 2007;4(6):807-18 Read 2026-10-23.
- Yang L, Xie LY, Chen X, Bai XH, Hu S. Solvent terminated natural deep eutectic solvent microextraction for concentration of curcuminoids in Curcumae Longae Rhizoma and turmeric tea. J Sep Sci. 2022;45(13):2252-61 Read 2026-10-23.
- Lombardi N, Crescioli G, Maggini V, et al. Acute liver injury following turmeric use in Tuscany: an analysis of the Italian Phytovigilance database and systematic review of case reports. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2021;87(3):741-53 Read 2026-10-23.
- European Medicines Agency (EMA), HMPC. European Union herbal monograph on Curcuma longa L., rhizoma (EMA/HMPC/329755/2017), 25 September 2018 Read 2026-10-23.
- Forsyth JE, Mistree D, Nash E, Angrish M, Luby SP. Evidence of turmeric adulteration with lead chromate across South Asia. Sci Total Environ. 2024;949:175003 Read 2026-10-23.