Is turmeric for dogs safe? Tumeric can be used as a natural food coloring in dog treats, but it also has health benefits for dogs that you may not know about!
Turmeric gives home-made dog treats a deep yellow color. However, beyond food coloring, the herb can enhance your homemade dog treat recipes with spicy flavoring and natural healing properties.
Other names for this ancient herb are curcuma, tumeric, Indian saffron and yu jin.
If you live in India or China, you already know what curcuma, Indian saffron or yu jin is. However, most Americans are not familiar with it.
Mostly known as a spice, turmeric is the main ingredient in curry. It has been used in India as a tonic for the whole body, as a diuretic (water pill), and to promote the flow of bile into the intestines.
In China, healers prescribe the spice for liver problems and colic (soothes the stomach and reduces excess gas)–and, externally (applied to the skin), to reduce the pain and itching of small wounds and ringworm.
Turmeric is a natural food coloring that can be used in dog biscuits.
Today, herbalists in the US recommend using Indian saffron for reducing the pain and inflammation of arthritis, enhancing liver function and preventing gall bladder disease.
Animal studies have confirmed turmeric’s positive effects on the liver. (American Pharmaceutical Association)
Turmeric as an Organic Food Coloring
Tumeric is a deep yellow spice that contains an orange-yellow oil. The oil, possessing curcuminoids, is responsible for its deep yellow color and also its medicinal effects.
In fact, turmeric is the coloring used in the mustard that you probably put on your hot dogs and hamburgers.
To use this yellow powder as a food coloring, simply add 1-2 teaspoons to your homemade dog cookie recipes.
Medicinal Properties of Curcuma
Intestinal Disturbances
Curcumin or turmeric is often prescribed for dog arthritis and dog pain, but there is more…
This herb has been used traditionally to calm an upset stomach and to reduce flatulence or gas. In addition, one of its curcuminoids—curcumin–fights a number of bacteria, and the protozoans that are responsible for infectious diarrhea.
German health authorities endorse curcumin for indigestion. And the herb has also proven, in animal studies, to have a protective function on the liver.
Cancer
There have been a number of test tube studies, and some animal studies, that have shown that tumeric may help to prevent tumors and cancer. It is believed that curcumin and other substances found in the spice serve as antioxidants, helping to remove toxic substances from the system.
Although these studies have been positive and hopeful for cancer prevention, the research is still in the early stages.
If you live near a big city, you will find tumeric in an Indian or Chinese grocery store–or you can just order some online at Amazon.
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