Is Your Turmeric Supplement Free of Lead?

[Zebra]

Greetings!

I recently re-purchased a bottle of Turmeric Phytosome Curcumin that I have been taking for a year or so.

When I unpacked it, I noticed it had a NEW warning label stating it contains chemicals know to the State of CA to cause cancer, etc.

I phoned the customer service number on the bottle, and was told that the Turmeric in the supplement MAY contain lead.

The customer service person was UNABLE to verify where the Turmeric was sourced (India, Bangladesh, etc.)

I did a little research online, and it appears that sometimes lead is added to Turmeric to enhance it's color. Additionally, it can also be found in the soil in which the plants are grown.

So, my reasons for creating this thread are two fold:

1. I know a lot of us take Turmeric/Curcumin, so I urge you to investigate your current brand of choice. Especially if you are taking high doses on a daily basis.

2. Any recommendations on a lead-free brand? It takes so much brain power for me to choose a supplement, I am really dreading having to make a change. Thank you!!!

PLEASE NOTE:

"Meriva Turmeric Phytosome" was recommended to me by an M.D. at the Stanford University CFS Clinic.

This thread is intended for those who are interested in Turmeric/Curcumin supplementation. It is NOT a place for negative feedback. Thank you.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

This thread is intended for those who are interested in Turmeric/Curcumin supplementation.

Thank you for posting this...

Curious about the brand I take, here in the US, it comes from the largest Catelogue Supplier...and according to Wikipedia, they do "test" but per a citation, only 25 products out of 26,000 had been tested as of 2016.

Thats: not much testing.

It would appear to be pretty tough to: really know whats going on with most Supplements.

For what its worth, the Chinese traditional herbs I take are obtained from a wholesaler who tests for heavy metals and radiation.

Its important to understand that in order to "test for" something...you have to "look for it". So specific tests are required to find specific things.

Then you have: lots (batches), where did a specific product come from, how representative is the "sample"...etc etc. Just sampling something, in a valid manner, is subject to considerable potential for not being representative.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

When I unpacked it, I noticed it had a NEW warning label stating it contains chemicals know to the State of CA to cause cancer, etc.

Curious about the State of CA warning label.....Was you item purchased directly here in California?

I just looked at several quality brands here...I found none display a CA warning label like you describe...(all were purchased in CA)

GMP quality assured is the main label I see on several brands here (not on Swanson). Non GMO label is common.

A Solar-Ray brand product indicated "Lab Verified"...with a magnifying glass and nifty leaf label..

Quality Assured may not mean: We Tested For Lead

Lab Verified: may not mean- we Tested for Lead.

 

[Carl]

Curious about the State of CA warning label.....Was you item purchased directly here in California?

I just looked at several quality brands here...I found none display a CA warning label like you describe...(all were purchased in CA)

GMP quality assured is the main label I see on several brands here (not on Swanson). Non GMO label is common.

A Solar-Ray brand product indicated "Lab Verified"...with a magnifying glass and nifty leaf label..

Quality Assured may not mean: We Tested For Lead

Lab Verified: may not mean- we Tested for Lead.

I have seen that CA label in the past and I do not live in the States therefore it is not specific to purchases in CA.

There is a lot of undeclared chemicals in supplements. How many think about consuming Hexane solvent when they consume supplements. Hexane is used to perform extracts from herbs and it is almost always used in the manufacturer of lecithin. That is unless you pay the high price for a brand which does not use hexane. I have some hexane free lecithin and it cost me around 2.5x the price of regular hexane ridden lecithin.
You take your choices and pay the price accordingly.

 

[Zebra]

@Rufous McKinney,

Thank you very much for your kind and helpful response.

I purchased my supplement through Vitacost.com, an online retailer. I think the sticker got slapped on because they were sending to me in CA, where I currently reside.

I hope this thread will get some traction over the weekend, not for my own sake, but for all those who take high doses of Turmeric/Curcumin.

As @Carl said, perhaps I unknowingly chose a less reputable brand.

However, I am a smart person, and I do my due diligence when choosing what to put in my body, as do many others on this forum.

I just wanted to get the word out to "my peeps" on Phoenix Rising to check your Turmeric/Curcumin supplements for lead, so we don't inadvertently make ourselves sicker.

 

[Tammy]

I like Mountain rose herbs. You can go to their website and read about their background.........and call if you have any questions. www. mountainroseherbs.com

 

[Rufous McKinney]

I like Mountain rose herbs. You can go to their website and read about their background.........and call if you have any questions. www. mountainroseherbs.com

This company seems impressive, very comprehensively Organic and Sustainable etc.... but when I tried to download the catalogue, they Cannot send to CA due to the absence of Prop 65 warnings...its says you CAN still place online orders.

It said this:

**Unfortunately, we are unable to send catalogs to California residents. We apologize for any inconvenience, but due to new Proposition 65 laws, we are required to inform California customers of Proposition 65 warnings before a purchase is made. Because these warnings are not present in our catalog, we are unable to send paper or electronic catalogs to California residents at this time. You can always visit our website to place an order online, or give us a call (800.879.3337) and one of our customer service representatives would be more than happy to assist you! We can be reached Monday - Friday from 8AM - 4PM Pacific Standard Time.

I wonder if this is saying...they HAVE Prop 65 info but not in their catalogue. Thats unclear.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

I like Mountain rose herbs. You can go to their website and read about their background.........and call if you have any questions. www. mountainroseherbs.com

Their American Ginseng supply line and disclaimers are impressive! Sounds like a type of sustainable wildcrafting...We want our ginseng, alive in our forests...thank you!

 

[gbells]

I emailed C3 and Long Vida curcumin. Will post responses if I get them.

 

[Tammy]

I wonder if this is saying...they HAVE Prop 65 info but not in their catalogue. Thats unclear.

You might give them a call for clarification.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

I just wanted to get the word out to "my peeps" on Phoenix Rising to check your Turmeric/Curcumin supplements for lead, so we don't inadvertently make ourselves sicker.

So online, info suggests that India produces millions of tons of tumeric, about 80% of the worlds tumeric is raised in India if I got that correct.....so the chance the tumeric you've purchased came from some organic field untainted by regional air pollution (ie: sources of lead...)....doesn't look too good.

And the price just fell substantially, due to a bumper crop, and the farmers are upset they aren't getting the $$ they were getting.

 

[pamojja]

Since I take loads of Indian Ayurvedics herbs, and not only turmeric, I've been concerned too. Therefore did yearly hair tissue mineral analysis (which wouldn't show old exposures, but very likely recent exposures), and in my case most heavy metals declined during that time. I must assume that my detox pathways are working efficiently. Maybe is better to go sure and also test?

 

[gbells]

According to the manafacturer, Long Vida curcumin tests for lead.

Thank you for reaching out! While I understand your concerns, I am not able to work with consumers as we are a business to business ingredient manufacturer. I urge you to reach out to the finished product manufacturer that you are purchasing from to confirm that the entire product has clean label initiatives in place. However, I can assure you that we have strict quality assurance and quality control protocols, which includes heavy metals – every batch of Longvida® Optimized Curcumin® is tested for heavy metals.



I hope that this helps to address your concerns and I am sorry that I cannot be of the utmost assistance here!



Regards,

Kristen Marshall
Verdure Sciences
+1.317.776.3600

 

[Zebra]

Hi, @gbells,

Thank YOU so much for taking the time to do that leg work and for sharing your findings with me and the entire forum.

I REALLY appreciate it!
Z