TGA warns consumers on turmeric and curcumin after shock death

The medicines watchdog has warned that medicines and herbal supplements with these ingredients could cause liver injury and even death.

Therapeutic Goods Administration deputy secretary John Skerritt. The TGA has released a new advisory on possible health risks from turmeric. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Australia’s medicines watchdog has put out a chilling warning to patients and consumers that two common ingredients in medicines and herbal supplements could lead to liver injury and even death.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) says turmeric and curcumin can cause injury in rare cases, releasing its verdict on Tuesday after receiving 18 reports of injuries up to June this year, including one instance of a fatality.

“Nine of these reports had enough information to suggest a liver injury that may have been caused by the curcuma longa (turmeric) or curcumin product,” the TGA said.

“Of these, in four cases there were no other ingredients likely to have contributed to the liver injury.

“Two of these cases were severe, including one that had a fatal outcome.

“In addition to these cases, there have been several Australian and overseas case reports in the scientific literature and multiple cases reported to regulators in other countries.”

A turmeric plant. Turmeric is used in some cultures as a traditional medicine.

Turmeric is a plant that has been used as a food spice for more than 4000 years and for medicinal purposes in traditional Indian and Chinese medicines.

Curcumin is a naturally occurring component in Curcumalonga (turmeric) and can be isolated and used as an active ingredient in medicines.

Medicines and herbal supplements that contained the ingredients could be purchased in supermarkets, health food shops and pharmacies without a prescription and without the advice of a health professional, the TGA said.

There are more than 600 listed medicines included in the Australian register of therapeutic goods that contain turmeric or curcumin.

The TGA’s safety investigation has concluded that the risk of liver injury is rare in medicinal dosage and does not appear to exist when turmeric is consumed in typical dietary amounts as a food.

The TGA says turmeric does not appear to present health risks when it is consumed as a food.

“People with existing or previous liver problems may be more likely to develop this rare adverse event,” the TGA said.

“However, there is not enough information at this time to conclusively identify which medicines are higher risk.

“The TGA will continue to monitor this issue and is currently considering further regulatory action, including consultation on a label warning.”

The TGA advises consumers to immediately stop taking medicines or herbal supplements with the ingredients if symptoms such as yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, nausea, vomiting, unusual tiredness, weakness, stomach or abdominal pain or loss of appetite appear.

“As a precaution, if you currently have or have had liver problems, you should avoid medicines and herbal supplements containing the above Curcuma species and/or curcumin,” the watchdog warns.