Now turmeric and its main ingredient, curcumin, a polyphenol that has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and other neuroprotective effects, are starting to be investigated as possible adjunctive treatments for schizophrenia, among other mental health disorders. RELATED: 13 Herbs and Spices for Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptom Relief
Preliminary Research Suggests Turmeric May Have a Role in Treating Mental Illness
In a study published in the July–August 2019 issue of Clinical Neuropharmacology, 38 people with chronic schizophrenia were treated with either 3,000 milligrams (mg) per day of curcumin or a placebo, in addition to their regular antipsychotic medications, for 24 weeks. Those who took curcumin showed greater improvements in the negative symptoms of schizophrenia (apathy, flat affect, poverty of speech, and the like). Similarly, in a study published in the March–April 2019 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 12 people with chronic schizophrenia were assigned to take 300 mg of curcumin or a placebo each day, in addition to their antipsychotic medication, to see if the curcumin improved their cognitive function. After eight weeks, the researchers found that “compared with placebo, add-on curcumin treatment significantly improved working memory” among those with chronic schizophrenia. (For the record, there were no adverse effects from curcumin in either study.) RELATED: How Sleep Protects Thinking and Memory
Brain Function, Diets, and Supplements
This isn’t the first time curcumin has been linked with improved cognitive function. Older adults who take curcumin supplements experienced significant memory improvement, according to a review published in the March 2019 issue of Phytotherapy Research, and the supplement was found to be safe and well tolerated. Indeed, in a review of medical literature published in a 2018 issue of Current Drug Metabolism, researchers analyzed the potential for interactions between 10 herbs and spices and modern medicines used to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders, and found that no significant or adverse issues occurred with curcumin. RELATED: What Life’s Really Like With Schizophrenia: A #NoFilter Memoir
While Potentially Beneficial, Turmeric Isn’t Considered a Treatment for Schizophrenia
Even so, “the use of curcumin [as a treatment] is not accepted right now in the field of psychiatry,” says Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, MD, the chair of the department of psychiatry at the Medstar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. “There’s some promising research, but these are small, preliminary studies.” Still, one of the reasons these findings are particularly promising, she says, is that while antipsychotic medications do a good job of treating the “positive” symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations and delusions, the negative symptoms “are resistant to all psychotics.” These studies found that curcumin helped with the negative symptoms. RELATED: Can Marijuana Cause Schizophrenia?
Turmeric and Curcumin May Help Health Conditions by Reducing Inflammation
While the exact mechanisms behind these improvements aren’t known, there’s a hypothesis that inflammation makes mood and psychiatric disorders worse, so when inflammation is reduced, the disorder improves, Dr. Ritchie explains. Indeed, research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology in 2015 found that when people with major depressive disorder took two capsules containing 1,000 mg of curcumin per day for six weeks, along with their current antidepressant medication, they experienced a significantly greater antidepressant response, as well as significant decreases in inflammatory markers and increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (which enhances brain function); the same effects did not occur among those assigned to the placebo group. RELATED: 10 Foods I Eat Every Day to Beat Depression
It’s Too Soon to Recommend Turmeric, but You Can Ask Your Doctor About It
The upshot: If you have schizophrenia or another psychiatric disorder and you’re interested in learning more about whether curcumin supplementation could help you in addition to your prescribed medications, talk to your physician, Ritchie advises. “It’s too early to recommend it, because we need more research from larger trials.” Also, it’s important to consider your overall health before taking curcumin, she adds, because curcumin could interact with anticoagulant drugs, aggravate gallstones, and lower blood sugar levels.
Don’t Forget to Use Turmeric or Curcumin in the Kitchen
This doesn’t mean you can’t use turmeric or curcumin in your cooking. So consider adding the fragrant spice to curries, soups, and stews, eggs and omelets, roasted vegetables, or even warm milk. For a soothing treat, consider making a golden latte with unsweetened almond milk, grated ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, and a drop of honey.
