10 Best

Turmeric Supplements

of December 2023

Turmeric is a spice that has been used in Asian food and in classical Indian medicine for centuries. It’s also one of the components of curry powder and is the ingredient that lends curry its distinctive color. But turmeric contains an ingredient, curcumin, which has certain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Being an antioxidant means that it can rid the body of free radicals--reactive molecules that can cause cell damage and aging. It can also improve digestion, and prevent acid reflux and irritable bowel syndrome. Turmeric milk is useful to fight the common cold and nasal congestion. Some have also recommended it for treating arthritis, and even for helping to prevent diabetes or the development of cancer.

A number of health supplement companies have realized the potential of curcumin and incorporated it into their products. You’ll see that they combine turmeric with other compounds, which are supposed to increase the absorption of curcumin. 

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a turmeric supplement. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of turmeric supplement,

• See useful tips about that particular type of turmeric supplement,

• Read reviews of turmeric supplements, and what customers are saying, 

• Select the right brand of a turmeric supplement, and 

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

• Turmeric Blend: There are supplements that contain only turmeric root powder and root extracts. An example is the Nature Made Turmeric Capsules.

Nature Made Turmeric Curcumin Capsules

• Formula with BioPerine: You can find turmeric supplements in pill form, such as Healing Solutions’ Turmeric Curcumin Ultra High Absorption Vegan Capsules. The capsules contain BioPerine, which is a patented extract of the chemical Piperine, the molecule in black pepper that lends it its pungency. Piperine is a “bioavailability enhancer”, which ensures that more of the curcumin will get absorbed in the intestines.

Healing Solutions’ Turmeric Curcumin Vegan Capsules

• Formula with BioPerine and Ginger: Ginger is a rhizome that closely resembles turmeric--and there are compounds that incorporate ginger extract as well. An example is the NatureWise Curcumin Turmeric pills, with BioPerine and ginger root extract, which is also a powerful antioxidant. 

NatureWise’s Curcumin supplement with BioPerine and Ginger 

• Dosage: You would have to take a LOT of turmeric in order for it to be too much. But, there is a recommended dosage nonetheless. The makers of Nature Made Turmeric Curcumin recommend taking 1 500 mg capsule daily with water and a meal. 

• Find pills that aren’t too big: People who have bought the BioEmblem Turmeric Curcumin Supplement say that they are not too big, and are thus easy to swallow.

BioEmblem Turmeric Curcumin Supplement

• Inexpensive: Fortunately, since turmeric is plentiful, the supplements are not very expensive. You can buy Now Foods’ Curcumin Herbal Supplement in a bottle of 120 pills for less than $30. That’s only 25 cents a pill. And most supplements are much cheaper--some as little as 10 cents a pill!

• Helps people with sciatica: There are customers who suffered from sciatica or arthritis who had a positive experience with NatureWise’s Turmeric supplement. They took 2 pills a day for 6 months and found that they could walk their quota of 10,000 steps per day without complaining of pain or needing to stretch.

• Disclaimer: You’ll notice that many turmeric health supplements will have a disclaimer, saying, “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” This is because the active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, participates in certain chemical reactions in the body--such as ridding the body of free radicals, and inhibiting the growth of tumors, that should benefit the person taking it. But, after passing through the digestive system, only 1% of the curcumin actually gets absorbed. So, medical studies have not been able to conclusively show health benefits in reducing inflammation, fighting Alzheimer’s disease, or being effective versus cancer. 

• Turmeric combined with piperine: Curcumin is not absorbed well by the body on its own. However, it is theorized that curcumin combined with piperine (a molecule found in black pepper) can increase the absorption of curcumin by 20 times! The piperine allows the curcumin to enter the bloodstream more easily and prevents it from being processed by the liver. This way, a turmeric supplement has a greater chance of being effective. Thus, you’ll see products such as Vimerson Health Turmeric Curcumin with Bioperine--which combine curcumin with piperine.

• Amount of curcumin in turmeric: The active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, only makes up 5% of turmeric. Therefore, Dr. Matthews’ Best Turmeric Curcumin with Bioperine has concentrated the curcumin content, giving you 713 mg of curcumin in every 1000 mg pill!

• Without stearates or allergens: You’ll see some supplements that are “Stearate Free”, such as NatureWise’s Curcumin supplement. Stearates are derived from stearic acid, which is typically derived from tallow. However, it can also be derived from vegetable sources as well. Compounds like magnesium stearate are added to pills and capsules to keep them from adhering together. For those who try to avoid products derived from animal sources, companies will prepare their compounds without animal-based stearates--or even without stearates altogether. You’ll also see that certain supplements note that they are free of soy, eggs, dairy, and other possible allergens.

• When not advised to take turmeric supplements: There are certain groups of people who shouldn’t take turmeric supplements. For example, turmeric milk--a drink made by boiling milk mixed with turmeric-- can cause the gall bladder to contract, which could be dangerous for people suffering from gall stones. Turmeric can also slow blood clotting, so it is not recommended for people who must undergo surgery. It is also not advisable for people with kidney stones, an iron deficiency, or who have very low blood pressure (turmeric with milk can lower their blood pressure even further).

• BioSchwartz makes dietary supplements that are free of any allergens, fillers, or binders. They make supplements for beauty purposes, weight loss, and overall health, such as multivitamins, joint and muscle compounds, immune system boosters, and more.

• Vimerson Health is based in Chicago, Illinois. They make supplements for enhancing the health of the cardiovascular system, the nervous system, the digestive system, and more. They also have a line of turmeric-based products for enhancing immune response, the skeletal system, and more.

• Healing Solutions, based in Phoenix, Arizona, are makers of organic essential oils and aromatherapy solutions. They also have turmeric oil in a number of combinations.

• New Chapter prepares multivitamins by means of fermentation of organic yeast on natural plant carbohydrates. This makes it easier to digest. Their products include vitamins, fish oil, probiotics, plant protein, minerals, and more. New Chapter was founded in 1982.