Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to make turmeric available on the NHS to treat Lyme disease.

The Department currently has no plans to make turmeric available on the National Health Service for the treatment of Lyme disease and is not aware of any peer reviewed evidence which supports the use of turmeric as a therapy for Lyme disease.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recently published its clinical guideline on Lyme disease, which provides the latest information for clinicians in diagnosing and managing Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection and most people recover completely with prompt antibiotic treatment that reduces the risk of further symptoms developing and increases the chance of complete recovery.