Each review contains information about the ingredient’s clinical applications, formulations, dosing & administration, adverse effects, and pharmacokinetics. Learn more about our critical appraisal research or contact us for initial guidance and more information.

Curcumin

Curcumin is a plant chemical found in turmeric (Curcuma longa), (2) a root often used to make curries, teas, and other drinks, mustard sauces, cheese, butter, and chips. It is also used as a colorant and as a preservative. (9)

Main uses

Anti-oxidant applications
Cardiometabolic conditions
Inflammatory conditions

Formulations

Form	Bioavailability
Unformulated	2 g produced no change to bioavailability in humans (19)
Longvida®️ (solid lipid particle structure with improved solubility)	↑ 100x bioavailability compared with unformulated curcumin (10)
Meriva®️ (phospholipid micelle formulation)	↑ 29x bioavailability compared with unformulated curcumin (4)
Theracurmin®️ (highly dispersible, water-soluble & low aggregability)	↑ 27x bioavailability compared with unformulated curcumin (17)
Curcumin-Bioperine®️ (combined with piperine)	↑ 21x bioavailability compared with unformulated curcumin (19)
BCM-95®️ (micronized curcumin in turmeric essential oils)	↑ 7x bioavailability compared with unformulated curcumin (2)
C3 Complex®️ (95% concentration combination of three curcuminoids)	No bioavailability data currently available

Dosing & administration

Arthritis
General outcomes from A-level evidence	No data currently available.
Dosing & administration	Curcumin: 1000 mg per day
Outcomes	↓ joint pain (5)
Class of evidence	A

Metabolic syndrome
General outcomes from A-level evidence	No data currently available.
Dosing & administration	Curcumin extract: 630 mg 3x per day for 12 weeks
Outcomes	↑ HDL-C ↓LDL-C, TG (21)
Class of evidence	B
Dosing & administration	Turmeric: 2.4 g per day for 4 weeks
Outcomes	↓ BMI, WC, BF% (1)
Class of evidence	B

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
General outcomes from A-level evidence	No data currently available.
Dosing & administration	Curcumin formulation: 500 mg per day
Outcomes	↓ liver fat content, BMI, TC, LDL-C, TG, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, glucose, and HBA1C (16)
Class of evidence	B

Osteoarthritis
General outcomes from A-level evidence	No data currently available.
Dosing & administration	Curcumin: 180 mg per day
Outcomes	↓ knee pain (12)
Class of evidence	B

Peptic ulcer
General outcomes from A-level evidence	No data currently available.
Dosing & administration	Turmeric: 600 mg 5x per day for 4 weeks
Outcomes	↓ ulcer prevalence, abdominal pain and discomfort (14)
Class of evidence	C

Rheumatoid arthritis
General outcomes from A-level evidence	No data currently available.
Dosing & administration	Curcumin: 500 mg per day
Outcomes	↓ tenderness and swelling (3)
Class of evidence	C

Type 2 diabetes
General outcomes from A-level evidence	No data currently available.
Dosing & administration	Nano-micelle curcumin: 80 mg per day for 3 months
Outcomes	↓ HBA1C, FBG, TG, BMI (15)
Class of evidence	B
Dosing & administration	Turmeric: 2 g per day for 1 month w/ metformin
Outcomes	↓ HBA1C, FBG, LDL-C, non-HDL-C and LDL/HDL ratio, hsCRP, lipid peroxidation, MDA ↑ total antioxidant status (18)
Class of evidence	B
Dosing & administration	Curcumin: 150 mg, 2x per day for 8 weeks
Outcomes	↑ endothelial function malondialdehyde, ET-1, IL-6, & TNFalpha (20)
Class of evidence	B

Adverse effects

Curcumin is considered safe and non-toxic with good tolerability. (6) Diarrhea, headaches, nausea, rash, or yellow stool may occur. However, the prevalence of these adverse effects was not dose-dependent between doses of 1,000 to 12,000 mg. (7)(11)

Pharmacokinetics

Absorption

Limited bioavailability (13)
Low absorption caused by retention and rapid conjugation of curcumin in the intestinal mucosa, and possible efflux from enterocytes back into the intestinal lumen (8)

Distribution

Low uptake provides limited distribution but to a wide variety of tissues (13)
Curcumin and its metabolites may be found in the intestinal mucosa, blood, urine, bile, liver, spleen, kidneys, heart, lungs, brain, muscle, and fat. (8)

Metabolism

Phase I hepatic metabolism rapidly reduces the compound’s double bonds via enterocyte oxidoreductases with involvement of CYP3A4 or alcohol dehydrogenase in liver microsomes. (8)(13)
Phase II metabolism rapidly conjugated via sulfotransferases (SULTs), glucuronosyltransferases, and glutathione S-transferases (GST). (8)(13)

Excretion

Low absorption contributes to high amounts of curcumin found in feces. (8)
Curcumin may be excreted unchanged or as conjugates in urine. (13)