Woman takes 10x dose of turmeric, gets hospitalized for liver damage

A 57-year-old woman found herself hospitalized for six days due to severe liver damage after consuming high doses of turmeric, a herbal supplement that had been heavily promoted on social media. Katie Mohan, the patient, recounted that she was influenced by an Instagram doctor who claimed turmeric could help with inflammation and joint discomfort. Following this advice, she began ingesting turmeric capsules at a staggering dose of 2,250 mg daily. According to the World Health Organization, the recommended daily intake for turmeric is a maximum of 3 mg per kilogram of body weight. For someone weighing around 150 pounds (68 kg), this would equate to approximately 204 mg per day—far less than what Mohan was consuming. Soon after starting her regimen, she began experiencing troubling symptoms, including stomach pain, nausea, fatigue, and dark urine. "I just did not feel well generally," she shared. After hearing a news report discussing potential toxicity linked to turmeric, Mohan realized her symptoms might be related to the supplements. She promptly sought urgent medical attention, where blood tests revealed her liver enzyme levels were alarmingly 60 times higher than the normal range, indicating significant liver damage. Initially treated at a local hospital, she was subsequently transferred to NYU Langone in New York City. Her hepatologist, Nikolaos Pyrsopoulos, warned that she was on the brink of severe liver damage, which could have necessitated a transplant. While turmeric is generally safe when consumed as part of a diet, the increasing popularity and larger doses of herbal supplements have led to a rise in reported liver injuries associated with the spice. In fact, although rare, turmeric is now noted as the most common herbal cause of liver damage in the United States.