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Info Sheet: Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs And Supplements
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Information, questions and answers related to: Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs And Supplements.
I am keen to know about anyones experience with turmeric. A quick search of the web for RA and turmeric provides a huge amount of information that it has massive anti inflammatory benefits. My mum has a brand new RA diagnosis and as yet none of the meds have provided relief. She tried 2 teaspoons of turmeric paste (simply 1 part turmeric to 2 parts water boiled on stove to make a paste and then cooled and rolled into balls to swallow) and she can't believe the relief. Has anyone else out there had any experience with this herb? I tried it years ago when i was at my worst and felt that it definately helped too. Its not pleasant and it stains everything it comes into contact with but its practically free and has no side effects so id love to know what other peoples experiences are.
I have taken turmeric mixed with several other supplements but never straight like this. I will have to give it a try. Thanks for the information Holly.
I took tumeric capsules a while back but never kept tabs on this individual item (I introduced fish oil, Bowellia, and Ginger at the same time.) Holly, I love your suggestion of making a paste and drying it out, I'm going to try this method as I am sure it's much more affordable than buying the capsules!
No worries! Good luck, the recommended dose from Herbal Defense book written by Karta Purkh Khalsa (which is where we got the paste recipe and the first info on tumeric) was two tablespoons of paste per day for RA - not an easy task though! Im going to give it a try again also. Heres hoping!
There are easier ways of eating turmeric. How about a delicious Indian curry. It could be vegetarian or with meat. The principles are the same.
Egg and lentil curry:
Heat a little olive oil in a pan (or wok). Add black mustard seeds. When they go "chut chut" add finely chopped onion and crushed garlic. At this stage some crushed cardamon pods and a little whole star anise won't go amiss. Brown the onions for about 5 minutes.(If you have meat, fry and seal in juices at early stage, alongside onions. For three people (one medium onion, three cloves of garlic is about right). Don't burn the garlic....medium heat. Chop a celery stick, a carrot, a red bell pepper, some chopped tomatoes (maybe some red chilli if you are feeling brave). Add with some chopped fresh ginger and THEN add, at least a teaspoon of ground TURMERIC (who's stopping you from adding more), about a teaspoon of Madras curry powder, whilst adding water. Add salt and boil with about 75g of orange lentils (or green-brown). Then simmer. It will take 25 minutes for the lentils to be soft. Before serving add halved freshly boiled eggs, a little yogurt, and add denya (coriander leaves/cilantro leaves). Serve with boiled rice or hot buttery chappattis. Delicious.
Does any one have any thoughts about glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM? I see them advertised for joint pain quite regularly, however, the pills are GIGANTIC...and quite hard to take. Has anyone had luck with these? I also take vitamin D and the other usual supplements, but haven't seen much info on the Glucosamin combo. Pretty new to this board and to Rheumatoid Arthritis, so any info is welcome. Hope everyone is having a great weekend. xoxo
Goldiespawn,
I am treating my RA with alternative methods. I have been using this product for several months which includes glucosamine and MSM. I am also doing other things but I have had a lot of improvement in the last few months.
http://www.vitacost.com/Pure-Essence-Labs-Joint-4-Way-Support-System
Good luck!
Cathy
Further to the tumeric discussion, I drink a tea... haven't got yellow teeth yet, but it does stain the pot. Basically tumeric (powder/root - whatever you can get hold of), with lemon, honey, ginger oh and some ground black pepper (apparently "activates" the tumeric). You can also add rosemary, and a variety of other common herbs. I am about to experiment with Nettle and lemon verbena.
I mix it up in a portable container and take it to work, put the boiling water in there. I get a few jokes, but some people are interested enough in the path I'm on that we have some cool conversations.
It has the downside of lots of trips to the bathroom, but I feel like I am finally drinking enough water in the daytime at my desk, because it is right there. I started this on the recommendation of a naturopath, who has 40 years experience, I will let you know how I'm getting on later because I know diet changes are gentle and can take months to show any change.
I have pills I'm supposedly taking, but I just forget.