Turmeric & Curcumin: Effects and the Bioavailability Trick

You don't just want to use turmeric as a curry spice, but specifically its most valuable molecule – curcumin. In that case, there's one point on which everything hinges and which most people overlook: it's not the milligram figure on the packaging that matters, but whether your body can absorb the curcumin at all. That's exactly what this is about.

In short: Curcumin is the characteristic yellow plant compound of the turmeric root, but it makes up only a small proportion of pure turmeric powder and is poorly absorbed on its own. The decisive lever is bioavailability: combining it with piperine (from black pepper) and a little fat – or using specially prepared forms. How exactly this works and what to look for in terms of quality, you'll read here.

For context: Turmeric is a plant (botanical). No health claims are currently authorised for plant substances in the EU. We describe origin, properties, absorption and quality – and make no claims about effects.

The most important points at a glance

• Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a member of the ginger family; the yellow rootstock is used.
• Curcumin is the most important curcuminoid plant compound – pure turmeric powder contains only a small proportion of it.
• Curcumin is poorly absorbed on its own. The well-known trick: combining it with piperine (black pepper) and a little fat.
• Standardised extracts transparently state their curcumin content (e.g. 95%).

What is turmeric?

Turmeric, also known as yellow root, is a tropical plant from the ginger family and is botanically closely related to ginger. What is used is the rootstock (rhizome), which, once dried and ground, yields the familiar golden-yellow powder – the main ingredient of many curry blends. In traditional Indian cuisine and Ayurvedic teaching, turmeric has been valued for many centuries and is deeply rooted in everyday life there – for example in "golden milk", in curries and in countless spice blends. This centuries-old culinary tradition is one of the reasons why so many people bring turmeric into their daily lives today, too.

Curcumin – the characteristic plant compound

The intense colour and character of turmeric come from the so-called curcuminoids, first and foremost curcumin. Important to know: pure turmeric powder contains only a relatively small proportion of curcumin – roughly in the low single-digit percentage range, depending on the root. Anyone who specifically wants to take in curcumin therefore often reaches for standardised extracts that are adjusted to a high curcumin content (e.g. 95%). The difference between spice and extract is thus enormous: for the kitchen, natural powder is ideal, while a targeted curcumin intake requires concentration.

Why so many people use turmeric

Turmeric is not a new trend, but a millennia-old part of everyday life across large parts of Asia. In India, the golden-yellow root is an indispensable part of the kitchen – it colours curries, rice dishes and the famous "golden milk". In Ayurveda, the traditional Indian teaching on health, turmeric has always had a firm place, as it does in many Southeast Asian cooking traditions. This cultural rootedness explains why turmeric is so popular worldwide today: people have known and valued the spice for generations and bring it – whether as a kitchen spice or as a capsule – quite naturally into their modern everyday lives. Added to this is the practical appeal of being able to use a spice with such a distinctive colour and history in a compact, pre-dosed form. We deliberately describe here what people do – not that a particular health effect follows from it.

The bioavailability problem – and the trick

Curcumin has a peculiarity that determines everything: the body absorbs it only poorly on its own. It is poorly water-soluble and is also rapidly metabolised. This is precisely where the decisive lever lies. Two simple principles have proven their worth:

• Piperine: The pungent compound from black pepper is a classic topic of bioavailability and can improve the absorption of curcumin. This is why many high-quality products contain piperine.
• Fat: Curcumin is fat-soluble – together with a little fat (or formulated on an oil base) it is better absorbed.

In addition, there are specially prepared forms (e.g. micellar curcumin or curcumin as a phytosome) that likewise aim at better availability by distributing the poorly soluble molecule more finely. So you recognise a well-thought-out product less by the pure milligram figure than by the clever combination or formulation. What bioavailability actually means, we explain to you in Bioavailability simply explained.

Turmeric powder, extract or combination product?

Whether capsule or powder suits you better, we put into perspective in Turmeric: capsule or powder?.

What research is investigating

Curcumin is one of the most intensively studied plant compounds worldwide – a glance at scientific databases reveals an enormous number of publications. The focus here is very much on the topic we are dealing with: the poor bioavailability and approaches to improving it (piperine, fat, micellar and phytosome forms). To be honest about it: despite this wealth of research, no health-related claims are currently authorised for turmeric and curcumin in the EU. We therefore may not and do not wish to promise you any particular effect in the body. What we can say factually is: absorption is the crux of the matter, and that is exactly what the well-thought-out product concepts revolve around.

Intake & tips

In practice, curcumin absorption can be supported with a few simple steps. What matters is whether you are working in the kitchen with spice powder or using a finished preparation:

• Take curcumin products preferably with a meal that contains some fat.
• Look for a combination with piperine, unless it is already included.
• When cooking: add a pinch of black pepper and a little oil to the turmeric.
• With capsules, follow the manufacturer's recommended intake – more is not automatically better.
• Plan for yellow staining: curcumin stains strongly – be careful with light surfaces and textiles.

Why pepper and fat are so often mentioned together, we go into in more depth in Taking turmeric properly: with pepper & fat. How much turmeric is usually used per day is put into perspective in Turmeric: how much per day?.

Turmeric and its relatives

Turmeric does not stand alone: botanically it is closely related to ginger – both belong to the ginger family, and both are used via their rootstock. Anyone weighing up the pungent, spicy root against the golden-yellow one will find the differences in Turmeric or ginger?. In many recipes and cuisines the two are combined anyway, for example in golden milk.

A second neighbour is black pepper with its piperine – not as a spice, but as the classic absorption partner we described above. And finally, curcumin often crops up in the same breath as other plant-based antioxidants, such as resveratrol or quercetin, which – like turmeric – are among the secondary plant compounds and are to be classified similarly neutrally. What connects this group of substances, you can read in What are antioxidants?.

What to look for in terms of quality

• Standardised curcumin content (e.g. 95%) and transparent labelling.
• Combination with piperine and/or an oil-based formulation for absorption.
• Organic quality & laboratory testing – especially with roots, testing for heavy metals is important.
• Made in Germany for traceable standards.

What else matters with root extracts is explained in Recognising turmeric quality. One important safety note: in the case of gallstones or diseases of the bile ducts, concentrated turmeric should be avoided or clarified with a doctor, and anyone taking blood-thinning medication, who is pregnant or breastfeeding, should please clarify the use of concentrated amounts with a doctor beforehand.

An honest assessment

Turmeric is a fascinating, centuries-old kitchen spice and curcumin is one of the most studied plant compounds of all. The one point you should really take to heart is bioavailability: without piperine, fat or a special formulation, even highly dosed curcumin does little for the body. We may not promise any specific health effect for turmeric, because no authorised claims exist for it – regardless of how extensive the research is. For your purchasing decision, this means: pay attention to the clever combination and tested quality, not to the largest possible numbers.

Matching products from Scheunengut

In the Turmeric category you'll find turmeric capsules and powder in tested organic quality – some already combined with piperine, made in Germany and laboratory-tested. We carry further plant-based classics in the Ginger and Bitter substances categories. Good further reading:

• Taking turmeric properly: with pepper & fat
• Turmeric: capsule or powder?
• Turmeric: how much per day?
• Recognising turmeric quality
• Turmeric or ginger?
• Bioavailability simply explained

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Why is curcumin absorbed so poorly?

Curcumin is poorly water-soluble and is also rapidly metabolised in the body. This is why, on its own, it only reaches the bloodstream to a small extent. This can be improved by combining it with piperine and a little fat, or through special formulations such as micellar curcumin.

How much curcumin is in turmeric powder?

Pure turmeric powder contains only a relatively small proportion of curcumin, roughly in the low single-digit percentage range. Anyone who specifically wants to take in curcumin therefore often reaches for standardised extracts that are adjusted to a high content (e.g. 95%).

Do I always have to take pepper with turmeric?

When cooking with spice powder, the combination of pepper and fat makes sense and has tradition behind it. With finished preparations, it's worth a look at the label: if the product already contains piperine or an absorption-optimised formulation, you usually don't need to add anything.

How do I recognise a good curcumin product?

By a transparently stated, standardised curcumin content (e.g. 95%), a well-thought-out absorption strategy (piperine, fat or a special formulation), organic quality with laboratory testing for heavy metals, and traceable manufacturing. A large milligram figure alone says little.