{"id":187527,"date":"2025-06-15T23:23:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T23:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/187527\/"},"modified":"2025-06-15T23:23:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T23:23:11","slug":"why-you-should-stop-eating-these-spices-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/187527\/","title":{"rendered":"Why you should stop eating these spices right now"},"content":{"rendered":"

QUESTION:\u00a0<\/strong>Dear Dr. Zac, I\u2019ve been taking blood pressure\u00a0medication\u00a0for years without any issues \u2013 but I recently read that common spices I love and frequently use like ginger and black pepper can interfere with all types of medications<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Now I\u2019m starting to wonder: have my daily meals been affecting my meds this whole time? Or am I now just being paranoid to think my spice rack is doing more harm than good? \u2013\u00a0Warwick, 48, Canberra<\/p>\n

Dr. Zac answers a question about spices to avoid while on medications. master1305 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

ANSWER:<\/strong>\u00a0Dear Warwick, I\u2019ve got some spicy news for you \u2013 you\u2019re not being paranoid. You may have been cooking up a storm, but some of your pantry favorites might have been quietly stirring up trouble<\/a> in your bloodstream.<\/p>\n

This is one of those alarming but fascinating medical blind spots that very few people talk about. While your spice rack might look innocent, the truth is that many everyday spices pack serious pharmacological punch. That\u2019s right \u2013 your humble curry powder could be moonlighting as a biochemist, tweaking your enzyme levels while you\u2019re just trying to enjoy dinner.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s break this down.<\/p>\n

Black pepper: The enzyme hijacker<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Dr. Zac, regularly consuming 2\u20134 tablespoons of black pepper or using high-dose pepper supplements can mess with medications. lena_zajchikova \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

You know that satisfying little crack of the pepper mill? Behind that spicy pop is piperine, a compound that slows down enzymes responsible for breaking down medications. If you\u2019re on medications like propranolol or phenytoin, this could result in dangerously high drug levels in your system. While small amounts are usually safe, regularly consuming 2\u20134 tablespoons (yes, tablespoons!) of black pepper or popping high-dose pepper supplements can mess with your meds in a big way.<\/p>\n

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Garlic: Blood pressure\u2019s double agent<\/strong><\/p>\n

Garlic is known for helping lower blood pressure \u2013 but for people already on blood pressure meds, this can become a double whammy. Too much garlic can cause your BP to drop too low, leaving you dizzy, faint, or worse. It also acts as a blood thinner, making it a risky companion to Warfarin or Aspirin.<\/p>\n

Ginger, turmeric and friends: The bleeders<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTurmeric\u2019s curcumin and ginger\u2019s gingerols can thin your blood, interfere with how drugs are absorbed,\u201d Dr. Zac said. Alexander Ruiz \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Ginger and turmeric are the golden children of wellness influencers, but they too carry hidden dangers. Turmeric\u2019s curcumin and ginger\u2019s gingerols can thin your blood, interfere with how drugs are absorbed, and even raise levels of immune suppressants like tacrolimus. If you\u2019re on blood thinners, these spices could unintentionally supercharge your medication\u2019s effects \u2013 and not in a good way.<\/p>\n

Cinnamon, cloves and licorice: The silent saboteurs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cassia cinnamon, the kind most commonly found in your local supermarket, contains coumarin, which can damage the liver in large amounts. Cloves contain eugenol, which can also affect the liver and interfere with blood clotting. Licorice? That sweet little herbal tea ingredient can raise your blood pressure and cause fluid retention \u2013 definitely not ideal when you\u2019re on antihypertensive.<\/p>\n

Dr. Zac advises that small amounts of seasoning are safe, unlike taking specific spice supplements. Angelina Zinovieva \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

So, should we all be terrified of tacos now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Absolutely not. Culinary doses \u2013 what you\u2019d normally sprinkle into a stir-fry or curry \u2013 are almost always safe. It\u2019s when people start adding supplements, drinking liters of turmeric lattes<\/a>, or chewing raw garlic like it\u2019s gum, that we start to see real medical consequences.<\/p>\n

Your best defense? Have a chat with your GP or pharmacist if you\u2019re on long-term medication. Ask whether any of your go-to herbs and spices might be interfering. And please, don\u2019t panic and toss your spice rack into the bin \u2013 just use your herbs with knowledge and care.<\/p>\n

Because while spices can heal, boost, and flavor our lives, taken the wrong way they can also sabotage our health quietly, slowly \u2026 and without us realizing.<\/p>\n

So Warwick, your instincts were bang on. Your spice rack could be messing with your med -but now that you know, you can eat wisely and season with sense.<\/p>\n

Stay healthy (and mildly seasoned) \u2013\u00a0Dr. Zac<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"QUESTION:\u00a0Dear Dr. Zac, I\u2019ve been taking blood pressure\u00a0medication\u00a0for years without any issues \u2013 but I recently read that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":187528,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4318],"tags":[18187,7222,105,76914,688,4434,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-187527","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-blood","9":"tag-food-safety","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-health-food","12":"tag-influencers","13":"tag-nutrition","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114689959712672298","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187527\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}