{"ok":true,"entry":{"slug":"curcumin","kind":"supplement","name":"curcumin","aliases":["turmeric","Curcuma longa","C3 Complex","Meriva"],"brands_sg":["California Gold Nutrition","Doctor's Best","NOW Foods","NatureWise","Thorne"],"class":"polyphenol","tags":["bone-joint","general"],"use_for":"knee osteoarthritis pain — initial evidence only (nccih)","use_after":"daily","use_duration":"nccih: standard forms likely safe 2–3 months","take_with":"piperine (black pepper) is one way to raise absorption","pros":["meta-analyses on knee oa: initial evidence positive","nccih: standard forms likely safe for 2–3 months","7 systematic reviews exist on knee oa alone"],"cons":["umbrella review: those 7 reviews are low quality","bioavailable forms have been linked to liver damage","nausea, reflux, stomach upset, diarrhea reported"],"dose_note":"no dose is given by nccih or by the 2026 umbrella review; oral curcumin products vary in how much curcumin they actually contain and often add piperine, and the umbrella review found the type of curcumin, the duration and the dose differed widely between trials — so a label figure is not comparable across products","dosage":{"ul":null,"unit":"mg","fda_dv":null,"rda_ai":null,"ul_status":"none_established","population":"general adult","hsa_max_daily":null},"ul_status":"none_established","sg_class":null,"cautions":["pregnancy — nccih: turmeric supplements may be unsafe","breastfeeding — little known above normal food amounts","high-absorption forms — liver damage has been reported; nccih says stop and speak to a provider if jaundice or dark urine appear","on any medicine — nccih: speak to a provider before any herbal product"],"clashes":[],"sources":[{"id":"nccih_turmeric_oa","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/turmeric","label":"NCCIH — Turmeric (What Have We Learned: osteoarthritis)","quote":"Several meta-analyses have evaluated oral turmeric or curcumin for osteoarthritis measures related to relieving knee pain and stiffness … The initial evidence is positive; higher-quality evidence is needed to reach definitive conclusions","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_turmeric_howmuch","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/turmeric","label":"NCCIH — Turmeric (How Much Do We Know)","quote":"We don’t know enough to definitively conclude if turmeric or curcumin is beneficial for any health purposes.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_turmeric_safety","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/turmeric","label":"NCCIH — Turmeric (What Do We Know About Safety: duration)","quote":"Conventionally formulated oral turmeric or curcumin (not modified to enhance bioavailability) is likely safe in the recommended amounts for up to 2 or 3 months.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_turmeric_adverse","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/turmeric","label":"NCCIH — Turmeric (Safety: side effects)","quote":"Oral turmeric can cause adverse effects such as nausea and vomiting, acid reflux, stomach upset, diarrhea, or constipation.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_turmeric_liver","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/turmeric","label":"NCCIH — Turmeric (Safety: liver damage from bioavailable formulations)","quote":"Many curcumin products with increased bioavailability are on the market, and liver damage has been reported in some people who have consumed these bioavailable formulations.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_turmeric_variability","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/turmeric","label":"NCCIH — Turmeric (What Have We Learned: product variability and piperine)","quote":"Oral curcumin products vary in how much curcumin they actually contain, and they often contain substances from other plants, such as piperine from black pepper. Combining curcumin with piperine is one way to improve the bioavailability","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_turmeric_pregnancy","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/turmeric","label":"NCCIH — Turmeric (Safety: pregnancy and breastfeeding)","quote":"The use of turmeric supplements during pregnancy may be unsafe. Little is known about whether it’s safe to use turmeric in amounts greater than those commonly found in food while breastfeeding.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_turmeric_keepinmind","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/turmeric","label":"NCCIH — Turmeric (Keep in Mind: medicines)","quote":"If you take any type of medicine, talk with your health care provider before using any herbal product; some herbs and medicines interact in harmful ways.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"chen2026","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC12813030","label":"A critical review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of curcumin for knee osteoarthritis (Chen et al., Front Pharmacol 2026)","quote":"Seven SRs met inclusion criteria. Curcumins demonstrated potential efficacy and safety advantages over control treatments in KOA management. However, these reviews were of extremely low methodological quality, with poor reporting and significant information gaps.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"chen2026_grade","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC12813030","label":"Chen et al., Front Pharmacol 2026 — GRADE assessment of 48 outcomes","quote":"a total of 37 outcome measures had critically low quality evidence, 6 had low quality evidence, and only 5 had moderate quality evidence. Notably, there was no outcome measure with high quality evidence.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"chen2026_protocols","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC12813030","label":"Chen et al., Front Pharmacol 2026 — variance in intervention protocols","quote":"The review identified a large variance in intervention protocols among the included SRs, attributed to differences in the types of curcumin, treatment durations, and doses, which significantly affect outcomes.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_prohibited_2025","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-chp-prohibited-restricted-ing-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev 001 (Oct 2025)","quote":"The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list [curcumin / Curcuma longa not listed in Annex A or B]","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"iherb_sg","url":"https://sg.iherb.com/c/turmeric-curcumin","label":"iHerb Singapore — Turmeric & Curcumin category (default order, 1 - 48 of 357 results)","quote":"California Gold Nutrition, Silymarin Complex … California Gold Nutrition, Curcumin C3 Complex® with BioPerine® … Doctor's Best, High Absorption Curcumin … NOW Foods, CurcuBrain™, 400 mg … NatureWise, Organic Turmeric Curcumin … Thorne, Curcumin Phytosome","accessed":"2026-08-27"}],"brand_certs":[{"brand":"Thorne","example":"Thorne Curcumin Phytosome","programme":"NSF Certified for Sport","matching_products":1,"brand_total_certified":66}],"updated_at":"2026-08-30T17:59:38.376296+08:00"},"disclaimer":"kozen-x is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. it lists what published sources have written down. absence of a record is not the same as safe."}