Turmeric vs Curcumin: What Is the Difference and Which Is More Effective

Author – Phoebe Chan  – BSc (Hons) Nutrition and Human Health

Turmeric is a bright yellow spice that is both fresh as a small-finger sized root, or more commonly available as a ground spice after being boiled, sun-dried and ground into a powder. Turmeric has many different compounds, but curcumin is the compound which gives the spice its colour and promotes health benefits (1).

What Is Turmeric?

Turmeric is a spice made from grinding the roots of the Curcuma longa plant. It is a prime ingredient in curry powder, which is common in Indian and Asian cuisine. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which can be spotted by its distinctively rich, vibrant yellow colour (2). Turmeric has also been used in holistic and medicinal healing in South Asia for centuries. It is now considered to be one of the most studied medicinal plants (3). More specifically, it has been used to treat skin disorders, painful joints and respiratory conditions. Today, it is commonly used as a dietary supplement to remedy arthritis, liver disease, digestive issues and more (4).

What Is Curcumin?

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It is a bioactive compound and is what gives turmeric its bright colour. It was first isolated by scientists around the turn of the 20^th century, and its antibacterial properties were first demonstrated in 1949. Subsequent research showed it to have anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidant properties and several other marked benefits (5). It actually has stronger anti-inflammatory properties than turmeric and has been researched more in a large number of clinical trials.

Key Differences Between Turmeric and Curcumin

Turmeric is a whole root containing many compounds, including curcuminoids, of which curcumin is the most biologically active. Curcumin represents about 2-8% of turmeric, meaning turmeric provides a relatively small amount of curcumin.  

Turmeric and curcumin differ in terms of their solubility. Although they are both poorly absorbed in the body, this is due to different reasons. Turmeric’s limitation is primarily due to its low curcumin content, which restricts the amount available for absorption. In contrast, curcumin has low bioavailability due to poor water solubility. As the digestive system is a watery environment, most of it ends up being excreted by the body (6). As a result, both turmeric and curcumin are poorly absorbed, but for different reasons: turmeric is limited by low curcumin content, while curcumin is limited by its chemical properties.

Health Benefits: Turmeric vs Curcumin

The curcumin found in turmeric possesses potent anti-inflammatory properties. This means it helps to interrupt the process of inflammation at a molecular level, blocking molecules that initiate inflammatory responses.

In addition to this, turmeric may aid digestion and alleviate symptoms of digestive disorders due to its anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric can help to reduce gut inflammation and improve gut permeability. 

As curcumin is considered the most active ingredient in turmeric, researchers began to isolate it and examine whether it could benefit certain conditions on its own. It has been shown to specifically lower inflammatory markers such as tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), which are key contributors to type 2 diabetes (7).

Curcumin has also been shown to help with the painful symptoms of both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis due to its anti-inflammatory properties, which are stronger than the properties in turmeric (5).

Moreover, curcumin may also reduce osteoporosis risk. One animal study found that rats who received turmeric extracts enriched with curcumin-like curcuminoids had preserved bone mass. Those who had a lower amount of added curcuminoids showed no effect (7).

While turmeric provides a range of health benefits due to its combination of bioactive compounds, curcumin is responsible for most of turmeric’s potent anti-inflammatory effects. When isolated and consumed in higher concentrations, curcumin demonstrated stronger and more targeted benefits for inflammatory conditions than turmeric alone.

How To Choose Between Turmeric and Curcumin

Turmeric is a good choice if you want overall support, enjoy incorporating herbs into your cooking, or prefer a gentle, whole-food option. Whereas curcumin supplements may offer more substantial targeted benefits if you have a specific health concern such as joint pain, metabolic issues or chronic inflammation (8).

Whichever supplement you choose to take, it is important to keep these tips in mind:

• Look for turmeric or curcumin supplements with black pepper extract or Piperine to help increase the bioavailability.
• Look for companies that follow cGMP manufacturing practices and do third party testing.
• Get familiar with a company’s extraction methods. Chemical solvent extractions are a cheap way to make turmeric and curcumin supplements and can leave behind chemical residues. Instead, look for gentle extraction methods such as water or ethanol (10).

When choosing a supplement, whether it turmeric or curcumin, you should be especially cautious if you’re prone to kidney stones, take antidepressants, antibiotics, antihistamines, anticoagulants, cardiac medication, diabetes medication or chemotherapy treatments, or if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding (11). In addition, past research warns individuals who have an iron deficiency to stay clear of these supplements as it may limit iron absorption (12).

Conclusion

Turmeric is an Indian spice that contains potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. However, the spice does not absorb well into the body, making supplements a smart choice for anyone who wants to see health benefits.

As many of turmeric’s health benefits have been attributed to curcumin, its main ingredient, you may consider taking a curcumin-only supplement. Curcumin supplements have been shown to benefit those with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis by acting as a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.

Ultimately, turmeric may be more suitable for general wellness, while curcumin supplements may be preferable for those seeking more targeted therapeutic effects.

FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions)

References

1. https://www.freedomhealthinsurance.co.uk/blog/turmeric-and-curcumin
2. https://healthtree.org/myeloma/community/articles/turmeric-delicious-spice-powerful-anti-cancer-benefits?tm=tt&ap=gads&aaid=aday6D5nb77fp&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22364878793&gbraid=0AAAAADe6c8uJfO79aIA_c-l-kcdORHOPQ&gclid=CjwKCAiA1obMBhAbEiwAsUBbIhSUjtIznWtkzsubRXfiYft5nVcZuxmkGPQFi-CWGyBrGpdFQZZz_BoCWnsQAvD_BwE
3. https://lifeandhealth.org/food/nutrition/turmeric-the-golden-spice-of-india/095295.html?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22424464928&gbraid=0AAAAAC7gUNfDzvxaQdEqYSPC-YnrDFC-x&gclid=CjwKCAiA1obMBhAbEiwAsUBbIrSndV5R5tAsLAM1CZxJYl_5hLVcppbTnHEjAVgZG71P8xzJjmcimxoCQC8QAvD_BwE
4. https://blog.heynutrition.com/the-most-effective-turmeric-supplements-in-2022-a-buyers-guide/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_id=20513480053&utm_content=152875428693&utm_term=curcumin%20benefits&creativeId=672241839737&adgroupid=152875428693&targetid=kwd-13845163351&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20513480053&gbraid=0AAAAACLAzMz6A6MdYGx0oDXzBTYFh-U5g&gclid=Cj0KCQiAy6vMBhDCARIsAK8rOgmkrYU1Wv-PeJeHOrHep3OFSyq199i80QEFC8k_g5eX7BkBaAglnf8aAj7vEALw_wcB
5. https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-curcumin
6. https://www.metagenics.co.uk/news/why-is-curcumin-so-difficult-to-absorb/#:~:text=We%20also%20know%20that%20turmeric,for%20the%20body%20to%20use.
7. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/turmeric-vs-curcumin#which-to-choose
8. https://www.verywellhealth.com/turmeric-vs-curcumin-11805244
9. https://www.gaiaherbs.com/blogs/seeds-of-knowledge/curcumin-vs-turmeric?srsltid=AfmBOoovNqN7pVTRg7PCV7wcyXOwhmCOPf0S-FdJtyvrKm_c4DRh14Vn
10. https://www.gaiaherbs.com/blogs/seeds-of-knowledge/curcumin-vs-turmeric?srsltid=AfmBOoovNqN7pVTRg7PCV7wcyXOwhmCOPf0S-FdJtyvrKm_c4DRh14Vn
11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28734960/
12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18651292/