The Downside of Turmeric Powder That No One Talks About
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve already heard about all the amazing health benefits of turmeric powder. In case you missed it, here are just a few things this miracle powder can do for you:
When taken internally —
- increases antioxidants in your body
- helps lower cholesterol
- prevent and treat Alzheimer’s
- relieve arthritis
- control weight
You can also use turmeric topically on your skin. Here is what it claims to do:
- brightens your skin
- helps reduce scars
- great for acne
- great for age spots
I mean, look! Turmeric is like a magic powder. It does all sorts of amazing things to you. You can put it in a mask for topical use, or you can toss some in your food for other amazing health benefits.
But…
Here’s the thing.
While we are all on our quest to find the one magic product that makes us new again, too many of us forget to check the side effects because, let’s face it, everything has side effects.
My Experience With Turmeric
After reading about all the amazing health benefits of turmeric powder, I had to try it. I started putting one teaspoon in my morning smoothies. Because my smoothies contained so many other yummy things, they masked the not-so-great flavor of the powder.
It was a win-win. Sneak some turmeric powder into my daily diet without having to taste it and reap the health benefits. About six months in, I noticed something really odd.
A smell. A really foul smell. A really foul smell that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get rid of it, not to mention that I had no idea why this was happening.
I Tried Everything
I researched the heck out of this. It was driving me crazy! Was this just part of getting older? Do all your body parts start smelling bad?
Seriously? Is this what I have to look forward to now past 60? Sweet baby geezus. I just can’t.
So I Googled until my eyes bled. I tried absolutely everything, ok almost everything my Google search results told me to do.
I tried to determine the cause. I mean….what…the…hell??? What is happening to me?
Nothing I read made sense. Months and months of dealing with this horrific odor and no further ahead with what it’s from OR how to get rid of it.
Nudda.
So I should probably let you in on where exactly this foul odor was coming from before I tell you what I tried using to make it go away.
My freakin armpits. I know, weird, right??
The smell just would not go away ever. Even right out of the shower, freshly washed, they still smelled so bad.
I smothered baking soda on them (and that was slightly uncomfortable btw..lol), I tried coconut oil and an essential oil mixed together. I changed my deodorant a million times.
I tried everything!!!! And nothing worked. At all. Ever.
I was embarrassed to go out in public in case someone smelled me and thought I forgot to shower. It was just so bad.
And Then This Happened
Every morning turmeric went into my smoothies. For months. But then, one day, I ran out of turmeric and simply forgot to buy more.
And then, a few weeks later, I noticed something. Something peculiar and wonderful, and I had a light bulb moment, and it was a beautiful thing (you can go ahead and picture The Grinch here when he had his beautiful moment..go ahead, I’ll wait)
My armpits stopped smelling. I mean, they still have a slight odor, of course, but a more normal one like the rest of the world. That toxic, make-you-wanna-gag smell was gone. Finally, my armpits smelled normal.
And it occurred to me that I had stopped using turmeric recently, and suddenly my pits don’t stink anymore. Coincidence? I think not.
So back to Google, I went. I literally typed in, “Does turmeric make your armpits smell.” The result? No.
I call BS on that one. Actually, out of all my Google searches, not once did it say turmeric can cause a foul body odor of any kind.
Google, you’re lying.
Turmeric Information
I posted my story on Medium, and the replies I received blew my mind. Here’s some interesting info for you. Did you know that consuming turmeric raw is absolutely not recommended? Who knew? You’re supposed to cook with it.
I discovered a few other people had some weird-smelling parts, too, from consuming raw turmeric. Thank God I wasn’t the only one.
I had no clue. So I got a lesson on how to use turmeric powder, and I no longer eat it raw. And my pits don’t smell like 5 feral cats just sprayed in them.
Hallelujiah.
xo iva xo
