Turmeric has been well know to gout sufferers for many years due to it’s anti-inflammatory properties. There are many health-giving properties attributed to turmeric, and one of the latest is very significant for gout.

One study, Insights into the inhibition of xanthine oxidase by curcumin, stands out as presenting new hopes of a gout home remedy. Circumin is the most active component of turmeric, and this study provides new explanations of how turmeric can help gout.

Like many studies of this kind, it does not represent turmeric as an accepted gout treatment. However, it does suggest significant potential as a future gout treatment based on it’s ability to inhibit xanthine oxidase. This is the same action that allows allopurinol and Uloric (febuxostat) to lower uric acid. This study notes that, though curcumin itself is not a powerful inhibitor, some of the products that it breaks down into are.

The study is more concerned with the science behind turmeric as a uric acid lowering agent. It opens the door for research into commercial products, and there is now at least one patent applied for. Development of biochemically standardized extracts from fresh rhizomes of turmeric (curcuma longa) for treatment of diseases caused by hyperuricemia, is one example of such a patent. It has some diagrams that show the reduction in uric acid. Again, this is not quite an accepted gout treatment, as we have no information regarding dosage.

Of course, there is nothing to stop you trying turmeric for yourself. It’s most common use is Asian curries, but if you do not like hot spicy food, Moroccan cuisine features turmeric without the heat. Some people have also suggested turmeric tea, which is a simple to prepare beverage.

Turmeric tea has many different recipes, often quite creamy, but I will present a very simple option:

  1. Boil 4 cups water in a pan
  2. Add one teaspoon ground turmeric powder and reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes
  3. Strain through a fine sieve, adding honey or lemon to taste

This tea could also be flavored with ginger, or whatever suits you.

If you do not like the taste of turmeric, one GoutPal visitor recently bought curcumin capsules from Amazon, and I will be adding these to the gout store soon.

If you have used turmeric for inflammation, or to lower uric acid, please share your experience in the gout forums.

Please give your feedback

Did this page help you? If yes, please consider a small donation. Your donations help keep GoutPal's gout support services free for everyone.

If not, please tell me how I can improve it to help you more.

Please use the Feedback Form from the Donate button. Or join the discussions at:I will never reveal your email address to anyone else.
Tags: