What is turmeric supplement good for?

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant. However, the curcumin content of turmeric is not that high... it's around 3%, by weight  The rhizome (underground stem) of Curcuma longa, a member of the ginger family, yields the yellow spice turmeric. It has long been used in India and Asia as an herbal medicine and food and has played an important role in Eastern cultures.

Traders introduced turmeric to Europe in the 13th century, where it was called Indian saffron because it looked similar to the spice saffron. It is responsible for the color of curried dishes and American mustard.

It has a warm, bitter taste and is frequently used to flavor or color curry powders, mustards, butters, and cheeses. But the root of turmeric is also used widely to make medicine. It contains a yellow-colored chemical called curcumin, which is often used to color foods and cosmetics.

Turmeric is available in powdered form as a culinary spice, and in tablets and capsules as medicinal extracts. It should be labeled as standardized turmeric extract or the compound, curcumin.

In India, where turmeric is a mainstay of the national cuisine, Alzheimer’s appears to be less common than in the U.S., Cole says. Genetics and other lifestyle factors make it tough to credit curcumin alone. But again, the evidence is promising.

So why isn’t every doctor from Memphis to Mumbai telling her patients to take a curcumin supplement? First of all, there’s no expert consensus on how much of the stuff you’d have to get into your system to see health benefits. Both Aggarwal and Cole say effective dosages will likely vary from person to person and wouldn’t be the same when it comes to the treatment or prevention of various diseases.

“I tell people to take 500 mg a day in capsule form to keep the doctor away,” Aggarwal says. But that’s more of an educated guess than an evidence-backed finding, he adds. (You’d have to swallow a teaspoon or more of ground turmeric to get that much curcumin.)

Cole says your body may struggle to absorb curcumin if you’re ingesting it on its own. “It’s not water soluble, so 99% of it goes right through you,” he explains. Mixing curcumin with fat seems to supercharge absorption rates. And Cole’s National Institutes of Health-funded experiments have led to the development of a commercial curcumin supplement called Longvida (for which Cole and UCLA receive royalties.) He says another supplement, called Meriva, also has a lipid component and seems to be effective.

Here are the most popular turmeric supplements for you to compare

Me First Living Premium Standardized Turmeric Curcumin With Bioperine. ...

• Dr Tobias Turmeric Curcumin With Bioperine. ...
• Dr. Danielle Turmeric Curcumin with Bioperine. ...
• Nature Wise Turmeric With Bioperine. ...
• Swanson Turmeric Curcumin.

Is turmeric safe?

Turmeric is safe for most people when consumed in amounts found in food. But turmeric can have side effects when taken in large doses. Some supplements contain up to 500 milligrams of turmeric extract, and their labels recommend taking four capsules per day.  

High doses of turmeric can lower blood sugar or blood pressure, Ulbricht said, which means people taking diabetes or blood-pressure medication should use caution while taking turmeric supplements. People preparing for surgery should avoid turmeric supplements because turmeric can increase the risk of bleeding. Turmeric may also interfere with how the liver processes certain drugs, so it is best to consult a doctor before taking large doses of turmeric alongside medication.

Blood thinners can interact with large doses of turmeric, as can drugs that reduce blood clotting. People may experience bleeding or bruising when combining large doses of turmeric with aspirin, warfarin, anti-platelet drugs and NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen. Turmeric also increases the blood-thinning effect of herbal remedies, including angelica, clove, Danshen, garlic, ginger, ginkgo, Panax ginseng, red clover, and willow, Ulbricht said. Other medications, such as those for reducing stomach acid and diabetes, can also have their effects affected by turmeric supplements.

Other preliminary lab studies suggest that curcumin or turmeric might protect against types of colitis, stomach ulcers, and high cholesterol. Based on  studies, turmeric and curcumin might also help treat upset stomach, diabetes, depression, HIV, uveitis, and viral infections.

But it’s important to keep in mind that most of these studies have been done in the laboratory. Researchers haven’t yet conducted significant studies on the benefits of turmeric and curcumin. So it's too early to say what health benefits turmeric might have.