Back Pain and Turmeric

I have heard that "turmeric" is good for back pain. Is this true? How much should I take?

Turmeric has a strong anti-inflammatory action, so would be helpful for the inflammation involved in back pain.
The dose is 500 mg, about half teaspoon of the powder, two to three times daily. Do not take longer than 4 weeks. You can take a 2 week break from turmeric and start the treatment again if needed.
Turmeric is better absorbed into the blood stream if taken with hot pepper. You can add a sprinkle of powdered cayenne to each dose.