08/12/2025
After hundreds (maybe thousands) of bottles prescribed, I have yet to see this in clinical practice. Have you?
That said, it’s worth knowing about. Recent reports are describing cases of acute liver injury linked to turmeric or curcumin supplementation, and many (over 70%) involve individuals carrying the HLA B*35:01 allele, suggesting a genetic predisposition in a small subset of people.
So what does this mean?
👉 Periodic chemistry screens with liver function testing (LFTs) are just smart medicine.
👉 And yes, sometimes, we may need to consider that our beloved turmeric could be the cause.
Most people recover fully after discontinuing turmeric, though rare severe cases, including liver failure and even death, have been reported.
Here’s a quick summary of what the literature shows:
✅ Turmeric and curcumin have long been considered low-risk for liver injury.
⚠️ However, rare reports describe hepatocellular injury (elevated ALT/AST) developing over weeks to months.
💊 Most cases involve enhanced bioavailability formulations — often those combined with piperine or lipid carriers.
🧬 A strong HLA-B*35:01 genetic association has been noted, suggesting an immune-mediated or idiosyncratic mechanism.
🚫 Rechallenge (restarting turmeric after suspected injury) is strongly discouraged due to recurrence risk.
To be clear, these cases are very rare, estimated between 1 in 10,000 and 1 in 100,000 exposures.
But “rare” doesn’t mean “never,” and it reminds us why functional medicine should always include:
✨ A personalized approach
✨ Ongoing monitoring
✨ A willingness to question even our most trusted tools
Have you seen hepatotoxicity from turmeric in your practice?
👇 I’d love to hear your experience.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK548561/
