You may wonder if you can use the food-grade Turmeric powder from your kitchen spice rack to achieve the therapeutic benefits you’ve heard about Turmeric.On average raw Turmeric root contains 2-6% of the active ingredient (the ingredient that gives the therapeutic effect). Research has shown that in order to get enough of the active ingredient to achieve the full benefits of Turmeric root you would need to consume 26.3 grams (26,300mg) of the root on a daily basis, that’s a lot of Turmeric! As a culinary spice, Turmeric is not rigorously quality controlled. In quality Turmeric supplements on the other hand, the content is standardised to contain a guaranteed amount of the active constituents, these are called Curcuminoids.

What is the importance of Curcuminoids?

The major active constituent of the Turmeric root are collectively referred to as ‘Curcuminoids’, which are also responsible for the intense yellow pigment of Turmeric roots. Nature’s Sunshine Turmeric Curcuminoids 500 uses a particular blend of concentrated Curcuminoids known as the C3 Complex®, which provides a quantified 95% of Curcuminoids making it much more effective than the powdered root. This means that the therapeutic benefits that you can expect from these supplements are reliable. In other words every time you take the capsule you will be getting the same expected dose that the clinical trials have based their studies on. The same cannot be said of food-grade Turmeric powder. It is important to look for products that specify the amount of Curcumin or Curcuminoids on their label, as a true indicator of therapeutic potency.

How much Turmeric do you need to get health benefits?

For a therapeutic effect from your supplement look for a capsule that specifies it contains the active component Curcumin. You only need a low dose of Curcumin to obtain therapeutic results, approximately 500mg to 2g per day.

A tip for greatest absorption

For greater absorption and assimilation of your Turmeric supplement take it with a meal or your fish oil supplement as Turmeric absorbs best when consumed alongside fats. Ask the staff at Mr Vitamins for Nature’s Sunshine Turmeric Curcuminoids 500, which contains the C3 Complex® with no less than 95% Curcuminoids per capsule. It is a potent and quality Turmeric supplement. See also our article Turmeric: Helping achieve your exercise goals