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Woman takes 10x dose of turmeric, is admitted to the hospital for liver damage

    A 57-year-old woman spent six days in the hospital for serious liver damage after daily megadoses of the popular herb supplement, turmeric, which she had seen on social media according to NBC News.

    The woman, Katie Mohan, told the outlet that she had seen a doctor on Instagram who suggested that it was useful against inflammation and joint pain. So she started taking turmeric capsules with a dose of 2,250 mg per day. According to the World Health Organization, an acceptable daily dose is up to 3 mg per kilogram weight per day-for an adult of 150 pounds (68 kg), that would be around 204 mg per day. Mohan took more than 10 times that amount.

    A few weeks later she developed stomach pain, nausea, fatigue and dark urine. “I just didn't feel good in general,” she said.

    After seeing a news item about the possibility of toxicity by turmeric, she connected her symptoms with the pills and went to urgent care. Blood tests revealed that its liver enzyme levels were 60 times higher than the normal limit, which suggests liver damage. She was admitted to a local hospital and then transferred to Nyu Langone in New York City. Her hepatologist there, Nikolaos Pyrsopoulos, said that she was “a step for full liver damage, liver failure, for which liver transplantation was needed.”

    Rare toxicity

    In general, turmeric-a golden staple from currys-not harmful, especially in foods. But because herb supplements have become popularity and doses have become larger, doctors have reported an increase in liver lesels through the herb. Although rare in general, turmeric seems to have become the most common herbal lesions in the US.