Have you noticed a sudden development of mustard or bright yellow staining under your fingernails and/or on the skin on either side of your nails?
A disease process that causes this may immediately enter your mind.
However, don’t get caught up with that kind of thinking before you answer this question:
Do you take turmeric capsules? They are filled with a stunning orange powder.
If you take turmeric capsules, there’s a very good chance that the sudden appearance of a bright yellow color beneath your fingernails or on the skin near them is from the powder in these capsules.
Turmeric capsules contain a bright orange powder. However, when this powder makes contact with the skin, it turns bright yellow, almost like the color of plain mustard.
If the capsules are tightly sealed, there’s less of a chance of the powder getting on your skin when you handle the capsules.
But sometimes the seal isn’t all that great, and the powder easily leaks out, even getting all over the inner portion of the top of the bottle.
So not only can the powder, directly coming from the capsules, get on your skin and under your nails, but the powder residue on the inner portion of the bottle cap can also get on your skin.
It all depends on how you retrieve the capsules from the bottle.
There’s also more time for the leaked powder to get on your skin if you put the capsules down somewhere before putting them in your mouth.
This entails a second handling of the capsules, giving them more opportunity to leak their contents onto your skin.
Turmeric is a potent stainer. It can stain clothes and does not rub off easily, though a simple machine wash will take care of the stain.
If it’s on your skin, including your palm, rinsing with water will not get rid of it.
In fact, several rinsings will not get rid of it. The staining is stubborn and will take several days to go away, depending on how concentrated the residue is.
I know all this because I regularly take turmeric capsules.
To avoid staining the underside of your fingernails and your skin a bright yellow, carefully handle the capsules with your finger tips, or switch to tablets.
