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\nKatie Mohan, 57, began taking turmeric supplements to help with joint pain and inflammation, but soon began to notice she was jaundiced and did “not feel well”After seeing a news report about the dangers of herbal supplements, she sought medical care where blood work found her liver enzymes were 60 times the normal amountMohan, who was taking more than twice the recommended amount of turmeric, was hospitalized for nearly a week to receive IV treatment while her liver healed from damage caused by the pills<\/p>\n
A woman was hospitalized \u2014 and nearly needed a liver transplant \u2014 after taking too high a dose of a popular herbal supplement.\n<\/p>\n
Katie Mohan, 57, started taking turmeric<\/a> pills after seeing it promoted on social media as a remedy to help with wrist pain and inflammation, the New Jersey resident told NBC News.<\/a> But instead of pain relief, she said, \u201cI just did not feel well generally.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n She told the outlet that \u201cmy urine was darker<\/a>\u201d even though she was drinking \u201ca lot\u201d of water daily. Mohan said she noticed \u201ca hint of yellowness<\/a>\u201d in her skin \u2014 a sign of jaundice, which can indicate liver problems. When Mohan saw an NBC News <\/a>report on the dangers of supplements, \u201cA light bulb went off in my head and I said, \u2018Oh, my gosh! I wonder if this is what\u2019s wrong with me.\u2019 \u201d\n<\/p>\n Stock image of turmeric pills.<\/p>\n Getty<\/p>\n The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate supplements and they could \u201ccontain other ingredients that could be harmful,\u201d Harvard Health<\/a> says, pointing out that ground turmeric has been linked to lead poisoning. Although it\u2019s\u00a0 considered generally safe, \u201cturmeric is likely to cause abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea when taken in high doses.\u201d The maximum dose that Harvard lists is one 500 mg capsule of curcumin extract \u2014 the active ingredient that gives turmeric its signature color<\/a> \u2014 twice a day for arthritic pain.\n<\/p>\n Mohan was taking 2,250 mg of the supplement daily \u2014 more than twice that.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI had no idea, like, that I could cause that much harm that quickly to my body,\u201d she told the outlet. After seeking help at urgent care, blood work showed her liver enzymes were 60 times the normal amount. She was first admitted to a local hospital, then transferred to New York\u2019s NYU Langone, where she underwent six days of IV treatment while her liver healed.\n<\/p>\n \u201cKatie actually was one step before full liver damage, liver failure, requiring liver transplant<\/a>,\u201d her doctor told NBC.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cTurmeric appears to have become the most common cause of clinically apparent, herbal-related liver injury in the United States,\u201d the National Library of Medicine<\/a> says, explaining that initial symptoms include \u201cfatigue, nausea and poor appetite followed by dark urine and jaundice.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll never put another supplement in my body again,\u201d Mohan told NBC.\n<\/p>\n