What Is a Healthy Dose of Turmeric Powder Versus Curcumin Supplements?

By Dr. Helen Mary Thomas D.C

Turmeric supplements in whole plant powder is as effective as it's famous "active ingredient" curcumin according to nutritional research results.

Drug companies hunt down plants in the Great Amazon Basin and turn them into a pharmaceutical. Is that always more effective than the whole plant?

Turmeric supplement companies remove one active ingredient and isolate it from the rest of the natural ingredients in the plant. This is turned into a pill of the concentrate of the active ingredient. Studies prove that this is not always more effective.

Several studies done have shown that the whole spice is as or even more effective than curcumin supplement in killing cancer cells. According to nutritionfacts.org, Dr.Michael Greger describes several studies that point out that not only are there other chemical constituents in turmeric. Studies have shown the whole plant gets more effective results than the active ingredient curcumin alone.

Recorded in the Database On Medicinal Plants Used in Ayurveda compiled by the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Government of India) is the complete list of turmeric's ingredients:
"the major constituents of turmeric are curcuminoids (approx 6%) the yellow coloring principles of which curcumin constitutes 50-60%, essential oil (2-7 %) with high content of bisabolane derivatives. There is also desmethoxycurcumin, bidesmethoxycurcumin, dihydrocurcumin, phytosterols, fatty acids, polysaccharides."

Dr. Michael Greger presents his video Turmeric or Curcumin: Plants vs. Pills
Michael Greger M.D. FACLM June 24th, 2016 Volume 31

Dr. Greger presents the research findings from Anderson Cancer Center. "They pittted curcumin supplement also turmeric powder against different cancer cells. Pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, multiple myeloma, and myelogenous leukemia treatment and turmeric powder showed better results than curcumin.

Dr. Greger points out this suggest that other than the so called active ingredient, curcumin, other ingredients were needed. Even cucurmin free turmeric shows anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory effects.

Curcumin supplements or turmeric capsules is unlikely to cause side effects. In the Database on Medicinal Plants Used In Ayurveda one of the pharmacological activities is anti fertility so if you are having issues getting pregnant, turmeric's not the spice for you.,

Ayurveda recommends a teaspoon of turmeric powder a day for best results. However, curcumin supplement research is using much more than that daily recommended dosage for testing purposes

There is now the common practice of combining turmeric and black pepper or curcumin and black pepper to achieve increased bioavailability. Some of these super concentrated products result in dosages which are toxic.

One fourth teaspoon of turmeric showed contraction of the gall bladder in studies on turmeric's effect on gall bladder contraction. Keeping a healthy and well working gall bladder activity is a good idea. Using some of these products in the presence of a gall bladder stone or obstruction could overstimulate the gall bladder and cause the stone to get stuck.

Turmeric powder or capsules especially with black pepper also can affect people who tend to get kidney stones by causing them because of the high oxalate levels of turmeric supplements.

Pregnant women are not to take turmeric also.

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