https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/separating-turmeric-...
https://qz.com/india/883829/a-large-scientific-review-study-...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-assay_interference_compoun...
Typically, it's followed by something along the lines of "if only big Pharma/government would get out the way, we could have this valuable cure."
If something actually has efficacy, then a drug company would've made it into a drug by now. Somehow it would have gotten to a point of treatment somewhere in the world. I'm just not seeing that, so until it actually is put through real-world testing with patients, I think everyone should look at these with some doubt.
Wikipedia suggests its toxify is overblown. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead(II)_chromate
>Despite containing both lead and hexavalent chromium, lead chromate is not particularly toxic because of its very low solubility. The LD50 for rats is only 5,000 mg/kg. Lead chromate is treated with great care in its manufacture, the main concerns being dust of the chromate precursor. "Extensive epidemiological investigations have given no indication that the practically insoluble lead chromate pigments have any carcinogenic properties".
It could have been any word.
The news piece was "Indians caught using lead as food colorant".
I found a spice producer's site that contained some instructions of how to determine if it's adulterated [2]:
Metanil Test: To test for the presence of metanil yellow, place a pinch of turmeric powder in a test tube, add a few drops of strong hydrochloric acid, and violently shake it.
If the solution becomes pink, this indicates the existence of metanil. Consuming turmeric powder that is high in metanil will make you feel nauseated, create stomach problems, and cause food poisoning.
Lead Chromate Test: To test the presence of lead chromate in turmeric powder, mix a teaspoon of turmeric powder with water. It will instantly leach streaks of water-soluble colour into the solution, indicating the presence of lead chromate.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metanil_Yellow
[2]: https://www.vasantmasala.com/blog/how-to-check-adulteration-...
Sometimes for good reasons (e.g. food spoilage and parasites) that have no basis in 21st century reality.
This is very important to note and to try and understand why it is so.
The use of turmeric dates back nearly 4000 years to the Vedic culture in India, where it was used as a culinary spice and had some religious significance. It probably reached China by 700 ad, East Africa by 800 ad, West Africa by 1200 ad, and Jamaica in the eighteenth century.
