Side Effects and Health Benefits of Curry Powder

Curry powder is an essential ingredient in curry dishes. It’s typically made from a blend of spices including turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, and chile.

You can determine curry powder’s nutrition by analyzing these ingredients, some of which — particularly turmeric — are associated with a number of health benefits.

Curries are ubiquitous to East Indian cuisine. Curry is also popular in other countries, including France, Thailand, Japan, Jamaica, and Morocco. Each has its own unique take.

But there is more to curry than commercial curry powder, as mixtures can vary in the spices used. Additionally, you may also find mustard seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a curry blend. Curry powders can range from mildly spicy to hot.

While curry powder can come with health benefits, it may not agree with everyone. Here’s a closer look at the side effects and benefits of this popular spice mix.

Curry Powder Side Effects

For some people, eating spicy foods like curry powder might cause indigestion. Symptoms may include uncomfortable fullness, heartburn, gas, and bloating, according to Mayo Clinic.

If you experience these symptoms after eating a meal made with curry powder, you might need to tone down the spice level and opt for a milder version of the spice mix.

Additionally, since spices are derived from plants, they may contain potential allergens, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. If you’re allergic to one of the spices used in curry powder, you might experience symptoms like a skin rash, itching in the mouth, or coughing after inhalation.

More severe allergic reactions, like anaphylaxis, from spices are rare but can occur. If you experience reactions from curry powder, see an allergist. They can help identify your specific allergy and prescribe management strategies.

Some curry powder side effects might originate from the turmeric powder. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) notes that turmeric is generally considered safe, but it could potentially create problems like diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or constipation when taken in large doses.

The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center advises talking to your doctor about consuming foods with turmeric or taking turmeric supplements if you’re taking chemotherapy drugs. In lab experiments, turmeric was shown to inhibit the action of these drugs against breast cancer cells.

Curry Powder Health Benefits

The American Heart Association (AHA) focuses on a benefit of curry powder nutrition as being a means to add flavor to meals without adding too much salt — meaning it’s flavorful enough that you can lower or eliminate salt in a dish altogether.

Most people in the United States consume too much sodium, the AHA notes, so replacing salt in your meals with spices like curry powder is a great strategy to get down to the threshold of 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day.

Further, curry powder’s individual ingredients have specific health benefits. Turmeric powder in traditional medicine has historically been used for a variety of ailments, including indigestion, the common cold, and skin infections, according to the NIH.

Today, researchers are studying turmeric and curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, as potential treatment options for osteoarthritis, metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and cholesterol and other lipid disorders. However, more substantial research is needed to determine safety and efficacy.

Fenugreek also has purported health benefits, including being used as a dietary supplement for diabetes and menstrual cramps, and to stimulate milk production during breastfeeding. However, these claims have not yet been medically proven, according to the NIH.

Curry powder also contains chile powder. This ingredient is derived from chiles, which include a good range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Some research suggests chiles may play a role in preventing obesity and other chronic conditions like heart disease due to their anti-inflammatory properties.