Turmeric capsules are a waste of money, in most cases. The veggie-caps that most supplement companies use do not protect the effective component from being degraded by stomach acid. Researchers have measured blood levels after consuming as much as 10,000mg of curcumin, the active component, to determine bioavailability and found very little present in the bloodstream.



The same thing has been found with resveratrol, SAM-e and other specialty nutrients. If they are not protected from stomach acid by an enteric coating, they do not make it to the bloodstream.

Enteric coatings are not necessary for common vitamins and minerals, like vitamin C and calcium, or even some antioxidants like lycopene and lutein, but they are necessary for curcumin and many others. Most herbal supplements are capsules filled with powders. The maximum milligram per serving that you will see for curcumin is about 600mg. If 10,000mg do not increase blood levels, then 600 certainly cannot.

You might think that taking turmeric capsules is better than nothing. If you are concerned about digestive health, then the capsule may be beneficial. But, there are not enough studies to confirm that. Right now, we are still waiting on clinical studies to be conducted. All of the research, except for that concerning bioavailability, has been conducting using cell lines and animal models.

The historic use has been with curry powder. In some cases, the plant's roots were given raw. These powders that are present in turmeric capsules were not available in ancient times when curry was used as a traditional medicine. There is no real reason to believe that it is beneficial.

Eating curry may be good for your health, as long as you don't go overboard. But, a dosage like 600mg per day is likely to cause digestive problems. It is a very spicy plant.

For daily supplementation, your best choice is a specially designed supplement that includes moderate amounts of curcumin, resveratrol, SAM-e, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, combined in a tablet that has an enteric coating. When curcumin is combined with piperine, its bioavailability improves by 2000%. So, that's another ingredient to look for.

If you read message boards and consumer reviews, you are likely to see differing opinions on the best choice for supplementation. Not too long ago, I read a post saying that it was less expensive to buy numerous single-ingredient supplements. The man said it was a better choice, because the milligrams per serving were higher.

When you are buying turmeric capsules or any other supplement, you must remember that more is not always better. You should also remember that some supplement companies really don't know what they are doing and most consumers have little understanding of the science or they are operating under misconceptions.

Every company is going to claim that their product is the best. When you read about a supplement, make sure that the claims make sense. See what kinds of relevant research links are provided. Why waste your money on turmeric capsules, when there are so many better choices?