Are all Turmeric products created equal?

Nearly every Complementary medicine brand has a turmeric product in their range, and for good reason! It is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory which can significantly improve joint pain.

However, not all Turmeric products are created equal….

You may have noticed that some products are labelled as ‘Turmeric’, while others are labelled as ‘Curcumin’.

This can be confusing so let’s break it down.

Turmeric is a yellow spice from the ginger family (Zingiberacear) that has been used for thousands of years in Southeast Asia, China and India for cooking and making medicines.

Turmeric is made up of 3 active constituents known as curcuminoids. These curcuminoids are Curcumin, Desmethoxycurcumin, and Bisdemethoxycurcumin.

The whole Turmeric plant is Traditionally used for its therapeutic effect, however modern medicine has identified that Curcumin is the most potent component with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions. This has led to many companies removing the rest of the active constituents in turmeric and isolating Curcumin through standardisation to a specific potency. Some brands have added enhancers to their turmeric product to promote more absorbability.

Nevertheless, including the whole plant in formulation provides a synergistic effect of all components of the plant. This is why Nature’s Sunshine Turmeric 34000+ contains all 3 curcuminoids with no added enhancers:

• Curcumin C3 Complex 80%
• Desmethoxycurcumin 16%
• Bisdemethoxycurcumin 4%

Each capsule contains 500mg of Curcuminoids; with approximately 80% being Curumin being (the most potent component) as well as the other two curcuminoids to assist Curcumin to work more effectively.

Warning: Always read the label, follow directions for use, if symptoms persist, contact your health care practitioner.