In the kitchen, the tuberous turmeric root is an orange food coloring and a curry spice. As a supplement, it is promoted for treating digestive problems, respiratory ailments and skin disorders. Science does not support all the health claims that accompany turmeric, but it acknowledges the root's nutritional value. Turmeric provides fatty acids, minerals and fiber. Vitamin K is among the vitamins the root offers. Do not supplement vitamin K or take turmeric without your doctor's recommendation.
Vitamin K Content
One tablespoon of dried and ground turmeric contains 0.9112 mcg of vitamin K. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine establishes adequate intakes for the nutrient. Based on its guidelines, the vitamin K content in one tablespoon of turmeric corresponds to 1 percent of the recommended daily dietary intake for an adult woman.
Vitamin K Functions
Vitamin K plays two vital roles in keeping you healthy: It participates in the making of proteins that form your bones and tissue. And vitamin K causes your blood to coagulate, preventing hemorrhage.
Turmeric and Coagulation
Interestingly, despite containing vitamin K, turmeric acts as an anticoagulant, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. That occurs because the root also has curcumin, a substance that prevents platelets from aggregating. Platelets are cell fragments in your blood that come together in clumps to form clots. Their action keeps you from bleeding copiously. Curcumin interferes with that action.
Precaution
If you take anticoagulant and anti-platelet drugs, such as warfarin, aspirin and clopidogrel, do not use turmeric supplements without your doctor's recommendation. As the curcumin in turmeric neutralizes vitamin K's clotting power, slowing blood clotting, it can also intensify the anticoagulating effect of the drugs, causing excessive bleeding.
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