Turmeric as a Possible Treatment for COVID-19-Induced Anosmia and Ageusia

A Bert Chabot; Margaret P Huntwork

doi:10.7759/cureus.17829

Turmeric as a Possible Treatment for COVID-19-Induced Anosmia and Ageusia

Cureus. 2021 Sep 8;13(9):e17829. doi: 10.7759/cureus.17829. eCollection 2021 Sep.

Authors

A Bert Chabot¹, Margaret P Huntwork²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, USA.
² Department of Clinical Immunology, Allergy & Rheumatology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, USA.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a calamitous perturbation of society worldwide. Anosmia and ageusia (or hyposmia and dysgeusia) have been recognized as two common expressions of COVID-19 infection that linger for days to weeks, and in rare cases are thought to be immutable. Time alone has hitherto proven most effective in their restoration, but turmeric, long believed by some to have medicinal properties, may be a swifter and surer alleviator of anosmia and ageusia. This case series reports the speedy and consequential restoration of taste and smell in two subjects infected with COVID-19 following ingestion of one 1000 mg dose of a turmeric supplement. In view of this, we propose that turmeric be considered in the treatment of anosmia and ageusia caused by COVID-19 infection.

Keywords: ageusia; anosmia; coronavirus; covid-19; curcumin; dysgeusia; hyposmia; sars-cov-2; turmeric.

Publication types

Case Reports