Walk into any pharmacy and you’ll find “95% curcumin” capsules promising more than plain turmeric. So why does the Turmeric User Group recommend ordinary turmeric powder made into Golden Paste?
What’s the difference?
- Turmeric is the dried, ground root. It’s a few percent curcumin, plus hundreds of other compounds, oils and fibre. Good-quality powders are higher in curcumin; Turmeric Life’s powder is around 8%.
- Curcumin extract is a concentrate of just the curcumin compounds, usually standardised to 95%.
Why we prefer whole turmeric
Absorption. Curcumin on its own is poorly absorbed and quickly cleared from the body. More curcumin in a capsule doesn’t mean more reaches your bloodstream. Taking turmeric with fat and freshly cracked black pepper, as in Golden Paste, is a simple way to improve absorption.
The whole plant. Turmeric contains other compounds besides curcumin, and many people in the group find the whole food works better for them than an isolated extract.
Food with food. Golden Paste is eaten with meals, little and often, which suits how quickly turmeric moves through the body.
Cost. A jar of Golden Paste costs a fraction of a month of capsules.
Animals: a clearer line
We don’t recommend high-strength 95% curcumin products for dogs, cats or horses. There’s little long-term safety information on concentrated extracts in animals, whereas turmeric powder has a long history as a food.
What about “enhanced” curcumin products?
Some products use special formulations to improve absorption. They can be useful, but they’re expensive, and the dose is very different from turmeric powder, so don’t swap one for the other without checking with your doctor or vet.
General information only, not medical or veterinary advice.
Where to get it: high-potency turmeric powder (8% curcumin) is available at turmericlife.com.au ↗
Switched from capsules to Golden Paste, or the other way? Tell us how it went.
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