Supplements · 5 min read ·

Turmeric: miracle spice or marketing?

Curcumin from turmeric has a reputation as a natural anti-inflammatory. What holds up in summaries of studies — and why to be careful with strong supplements.

In a nutshell

1Why it is poorly absorbed

Weak evidence — a small study +2000% After 2 g of curcumin alone, blood levels were undetectable or very low. With 20 mg of piperine from black pepper, up to 2000% more was absorbed.1

Curcumin is safe even at high doses but is poorly absorbed. That is why there are forms with piperine, liposomes, nanoparticles or phospholipids.2

2Joints and arthritis

Moderate evidence 29 studies A summary of 29 randomised trials with 2,396 people with five kinds of arthritis: curcumin and turmeric extract (120–1,500 mg a day for 4–36 weeks) eased symptoms and inflammation.3
Weak evidence 69 studies A review of 69 studies of 20 supplements for osteoarthritis: curcumin and turmeric extract markedly relieved pain in the short term. But no supplement had a long-term effect, and the quality of the evidence was very low.4

3Inflammation and muscles

Moderate evidence −0.58 mg/L A summary of randomised trials: turmeric and curcumin lowered inflammatory markers in the blood — CRP by 0.58 mg/L on average, as well as TNF-α and IL-6.5
Moderate evidence After hard exercise, curcumin slightly reduced muscle soreness and creatine kinase, a marker of muscle damage, in a summary of randomised trials.6

4Watch your liver

Reported cases 10 cases The US Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network recorded 10 cases after turmeric, six of them since 2017; one person died. Three of the seven products tested also contained piperine.7

In Tuscany, seven cases of acute hepatitis after turmeric supplements were described — all involved high-dose products with enhanced absorption. Most people in a summary of further cases were also taking other medicines.8

What to take from this

Sources

Written on , based on studies available at that date. Newer research may change the conclusions.

  1. Shoba G. et al. (1998). Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers. Planta Med 64:353–356. doi.org/10.1055/s-2006-957450
  2. Anand P. et al. (2007). Bioavailability of curcumin: problems and promises. Mol Pharm 4:807–818. doi.org/10.1021/mp700113r
  3. Zeng L. et al. (2022). Efficacy and safety of curcumin and Curcuma longa extract in the treatment of arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial. Front Immunol 13:891822. doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.891822
  4. Liu X. et al. (2018). Dietary supplements for treating osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med 52:167–175. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-097333
  5. Dehzad M. J. et al. (2023). Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin/turmeric supplementation in adults: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Cytokine 164:156144. doi.org/10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156144
  6. Fang W., Nasir Y. (2021). The effect of curcumin supplementation on recovery following exercise-induced muscle damage and delayed-onset muscle soreness: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Phytother Res 35:1768–1781. doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6912
  7. Halegoua-DeMarzio D. et al. (2023). Liver injury associated with turmeric — a growing problem: ten cases from the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network [DILIN]. Am J Med 136:200–206. doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2022.09.026
  8. Lombardi N. et al. (2021). Acute liver injury following turmeric use in Tuscany: an analysis of the Italian Phytovigilance database and systematic review of case reports. Br J Clin Pharmacol 87:741–753. doi.org/10.1111/bcp.14460

This is general information and does not replace a doctor. Food supplements are not medicines; buy them from trusted sellers and talk to a doctor if you are ill or take medicines.