Today we’re coming to you to answer the question; “What Turmeric Dosage Should I Take?”. If you’re reading this blog, you’ve probably heard how magnificent turmeric is for inflammation and supporting many of the body’s important processes, but not all of us are confident in their understanding of turmeric supplement dosage.
One of turmeric’s active curcuminoids is curcumin. Curcumin has been shown to reduce inflammation and increase antioxidant capacity of the body. It has also been shown to is improve the function of the endothelium, the lining of your blood vessels, which in addition to anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant behaviors may improve heart health. It may also improve brain health by increasing levels of levels of the BDNF protein. There are also signs that it may assist those diagnosed with depression by boosting brain neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. (Healthline, 2022)
One of the most common reasons people take turmeric supplements is to ease inflammation. For people living with arthritis and other inflammation-based conditions, reducing inflammation can make a world of difference to the pain they experience.
However it is important to get the right dosage of turmeric’s active curcuminoids to experience these benefits – and dosage is where it gets complicated.
Determining dosage of supplements get complicated when an ingredient has active ingredients within it. To put it simply, turmeric has curcuminoids (the active compounds) in it. Which means a supplement with 500mg of turmeric is not the same as a supplement with 500mg of curcuminoids in it.
And there are different types of curcuminoids too. Curcumin is the most potent curcuminoid in turmeric.
On top of this, there are different blends of curcumin and other ingredients to aid absorption. We’ll get into that later.
It is suggested that dosage of 500mg-1000mg of curcumin (not turmeric) per day will aid with inflammation and help provide benefits as listed above.
This is where all supplements are not created equal. Many supplements advertise a high-dosage of turmeric, when the curcumin (the important part!) is quite low in a supplement.
That depends entirely on the dosage you want to take.
It can be confusing to read the dosage on curcumin supplements because of the difference between turmeric, curcumin ,and standardized amounts.
For example:
30 Capsules, twice daily.
Ingredients: Meriva Curcumin phospholipid complex 500mg, containing Curcuma longa (turmeric) rhizome dry extract 100mg equivalent. Curucma longa rhizome fresh 16.5g (16,500mg), standardised to contain curcuminoids 100mg, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) 11.5mg, encapsulating aids
This is super confusing to understand, but to put it simply, there is total 200mg of curcumin, and 11.5mg of Vitamin C per capsule.
This is made with Meriva® Curcumin and Curcuma Longa, with Vitamin C to aid in absorption.
When taking two capsules daily, this results in 400mg of curcumin per day.
30 Capsules, 1-2x daily
Ingredients: Curcuma longa, dry rhizome extract 500mg from dry rhizome (BCM-95 Tumeric) 12.5g. Equivalent Curcumin 350mg
For this one there is 350mg of Curcumin per capsule.
Made with BCM-95® Curcumin.
When taking two capsules daily, this results in 750mg of curcumin per day.
30 capsules, 1-2 times daily.
Ingredients: Curcumin 30mg (from Theracurmin 83.4mg)
For this one there is 30mg equivalent of Curcumin per capsule.
Theracurmin is a much more bioavailable version of curcumin (your body absorbs it better) hence the small dosage. Bioceuticals claims that one capsule provides the bioequivalence of 810mg of unformulated curcumin.
When taking two capsules daily, this results in 60mg of curcumin per day.
Ingredients: Curcuma longa (Tumeric) rhizome dry extract 1.1g equivalent curucma longa rhizome dry 55g, Standardised to contain Curcuminoids 1.05g, Piper Nigrum (Black pepper) fruit dry extract 23mg equivalent piper nigrum fruit fresh 600mg Standardised to contain Piperine 6mg.
In this one there is 1,005mg of curcumin and 6mg of Piperine (active ingredient in black pepper) per capsule.
Black Pepper aids with absorption.
When taking one capsule daily, this results in 1005mg of curcumin per day.
Take one capsule, 1-2 times daily
Ingredients: Curcumin 90mg (from Theracurmin 240mg)
In this one there is 90mg of curcumin per capsule.
Theracurmin is a much more bioavailable version of curcumin (your body absorbs it better) hence the small dosage. Bioceuticals claims that one capsule provides the bioequivalence of 2430mg of unformulated curcumin.
When taking two capsule daily, this results in 180mg of curcumin per day.
Again to put it simply, they are brands of curcumin blends.
Meriva®, BCM-95®, and Theracumin are patented blends of curcumin and absorption aids. They are each different, and each have different amounts of curcumin in the total makeup of the product. Each brand of curcumin has different claims about it’s absorption, and each have studies behind their product’s increased absorption. This is something you will have to work out, and think about for yourself.
If you don’t want to read various academic papers to discern which version of curcumin is best, it would probably be safest to pick the product with the highest dosage. However, if you want to look into Meriva®, BCM-95®, and Theracurmin and decipher which option is best for you, it isn’t hard to find more information about the ingredients online..
Essentially Black Pepper has an ingredient in it called Piperine, which aids in absorption of certain nutrients (curcumin being one!). Similar to tumeric vs. curcumin, it’s important to check that your supplement has a good dosage of piperine, not just a good dosage of black pepper. A good dosage is suggested to be between 5mg-10mg of piperine.
It is important to check with your healthcare provider prior to starting any new supplement or medication. This post does not replace the need for medical advice, and does not take into consideration any personal circumstances.
