Theracurmin Pain Relief

Choosing a form is the easy part. These are the questions our naturopaths ask in store with every curcumin, whatever form it comes in.

A good fit if

• You're an adult wanting curcumin for mild joint aches and stiffness
• You'd rather take a smaller daily dose than plain curcumin needs
• You want curcumin that mixes into water
• You're comfortable that the headline absorption figures come from small studies, one of them linked to the product's developers

Check with us first if

• You take any prescription medicine. Curcumin slows liver enzymes that clear many medicines, although results vary between studies.
• You take warfarin or another blood thinner, or you have surgery coming up. Turmeric reduced how platelets clump in lab studies, and there's no clinical trial either way.
• You're aged 2 to 17. Daily curcumin is capped by age in Australia, and an adult product may go over it.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. Supplement doses have only been shown to be safe in animals, not in people.
• You already take another turmeric or curcumin product, including a joint or multi-herb formula. The daily total adds up.
• Your stomach upsets easily. Stomach upset is the main side effect reported.

• Theracurmin (submicron particles, water-dispersible). Best known for: The smallest trial dose of any curcumin form, with a placebo-controlled knee trial behind it. Absorption: Highest blood levels against BCM-95 and Meriva in one small, developer-linked study; not a standout in an independent 8-formulation trial. Typical use: Low-milligram capsules, compared on milligrams of curcumin per day.
• Plain curcumin extract (about 95% curcuminoids). Best known for: The baseline, and the cheapest per milligram. Most of the joint meta-analyses pool it with enhanced forms. Absorption: Poor. Serum levels after 2 g alone were undetectable or very low. Typical use: Higher-milligram capsules, around the doses used in the joint trials.
• Curcumin with black pepper (piperine). Best known for: The cheapest absorption upgrade. Absorption: Piperine slows clearance. A 1998 study reported a big rise; a 2021 head-to-head didn't reproduce it. Typical use: Widely stocked. Piperine also slows a pathway many medicines use, so it has its own caution.
• BCM-95 / Curcugreen. Best known for: Pairing curcumin with turmeric's own essential oil instead of black pepper. Absorption: Came last against Theracurmin and Meriva in the same small, developer-linked study. Typical use: The piperine-free choice; its main knee trial was open-label.
• Curcumin phytosome (Meriva). Best known for: The deepest branded clinical file, including an 8-month joint study. Absorption: Bound to lecithin; measured well above unformulated curcuminoids. Typical use: Low-looking curcumin numbers on the label, because the lecithin complex does the work.
• Liposomal curcumin. Best known for: The liquid, premium presentation. Absorption: Promising data on one novel product, but liposomes didn't stand out in the independent head-to-head. Typical use: The thinnest oral outcome evidence in the family.

Reference values. None. Curcumin isn't a nutrient, so the NHMRC sets no recommended intake for it.

Typical supplemental range. Theracurmin's knee trial used an amount providing 180 mg of curcumin a day for 8 weeks. That's the lowest curcumin dose of any clinical trial we've reviewed. Joint trials with plain curcumin centre on roughly 1,000 mg a day, and that gap is the whole reason this form exists. When you compare products, compare milligrams of curcumin per day.

Upper level. There's no NHMRC upper limit, and Australian rules set no adult maximum. For children, daily curcumin is capped by age, and it isn't permitted at all under 2. You'll find the exact wording in the Australian status section. A safety review reports that 6 g a day of plain curcumin by mouth was tolerated for 4 to 7 weeks.

Worth knowing. Absorption figures from different studies use different comparisons, doses and measurements, so one brand's number can't be lined up against another's. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• Turmeric root, fresh or dried and ground: where curcumin comes from. It's a cooking spice across India, China, South-East Asia and beyond, and no reliable per-serve curcumin figure's been established from our sources
• Turmeric as a food and medicine colour: permitted in Australian medicines as a colour only. That's colouring, not a therapeutic amount
• The practical limit of food: the curcumin doses used in joint trials are far above anything cooking with turmeric gives you

This list is the part of the page we will not shorten. If any of it applies to you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before starting.

• Children under 2. Not permitted (Determination, items 1647 and 1650).
• Children 2-17. Daily curcumin capped at 36 mg (2-3 years), 48 mg (4-11 years) and 123 mg (12-17 years).
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Safety at supplement doses shown in animals only.
• Liver symptoms: yellowing skin or eyes, dark urine, fatigue, nausea, appetite loss, abdominal pain, itching. Stop and see a doctor, per the mandatory label warning.
• Rare turmeric-associated liver injury. 10 adjudicated US cases, 5 hospitalised, 1 death; latency 1 to 4 months.
• Prescription medicines. Curcumin inhibits CYP450 enzymes; herb-drug interactions should be considered.
• Warfarin, antiplatelets, upcoming surgery. Reduced platelet aggregation in vitro only.
• Easily upset stomach. Gastrointestinal upset is the main reported adverse effect.
• Stacking with other turmeric or curcumin products.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before starting.