Form Comparison

BCM-95 Curcumin vs Curcumin Phytosome

How BCM-95 curcumin and curcumin phytosome differ in potency, absorption, tolerance, and cost.

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Quick verdict. Both avoid piperine's drug interactions, and both have small absorption studies that cannot be compared head to head. Meriva (phytosome) has the deeper osteoarthritis trial record; BCM-95 uses turmeric oil instead of a lecithin carrier. Choose Meriva for its trial record and BCM-95 if you want an enhanced form without lecithin.

Side by Side

Curcumin with Turmeric Oil (BCM-95) Curcumin Phytosome (Meriva)
Absorption Moderate Moderate
How it is absorbed Curcuminoids recombined with turmeric essential oil. A small crossover study reported about sevenfold higher blood curcumin than standard curcumin. Curcumin bound to phosphatidylcholine. Total curcuminoid absorption was about 29-fold higher than an unformulated extract in a crossover study.
Typical dose 500-1,000 mg daily 500-1,000 mg (about 100-200 mg curcuminoids) daily
Common uses osteoarthritis pain, inflammation osteoarthritis pain
Side effects GI upset. GI upset.
Cost Moderate Moderate
Also called BCM-95, Biocurcumax, CurcuWIN Meriva, curcumin-phosphatidylcholine complex

When to Choose Curcumin with Turmeric Oil (BCM-95)

Choose BCM-95 curcumin when you want an enhanced form without piperine or lecithin. CurcuWIN uses a different water-dispersible technology; the BCM-95 data do not apply to it.

Curcumin with Turmeric Oil (BCM-95)

Choose BCM-95 curcumin when you want an enhanced form without piperine or lecithin.

What to look for: Curcumin with Turmeric Oil named on the Supplement Facts panel, with the amount per serving stated.

Find on iHerb Affiliate link

When to Choose Curcumin Phytosome (Meriva)

Choose curcumin phytosome when you want a studied enhanced form without piperine. About 20% curcuminoids by weight; compare curcuminoid milligrams, not capsule milligrams.

Curcumin Phytosome (Meriva)

Well studied for absorption and joint pain, without piperine's drug interactions.

What to look for: Meriva, with curcuminoid milligrams stated. About 20% of the capsule weight is curcuminoids.

Find on iHerb Affiliate link

Products on Titrate

5,316 of the 214,745 labels in the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database list turmeric and curcumin as an active ingredient (2,641 on market). 1,778 are sold as turmeric and curcumin products by name.

Open supplement search

Turmeric and Curcumin does not have its own search category yet. Each product above links to its full label in the NIH database.

Related

References

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Turmeric.

EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS). Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of curcumin (E 100) as a food additive. EFSA J. 2010;8(9):1679.

Shoba G, Joy D, Joseph T, Majeed M, Rajendran R, Srinivas PS. Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers. Planta Med. 1998;64(4):353-356.

Anand P, Kunnumakkara AB, Newman RA, Aggarwal BB. Bioavailability of curcumin: problems and promises. Mol Pharm. 2007;4(6):807-818.

Antony B, Merina B, Iyer VS, Judy N, Lennertz K, Joyal S. A pilot cross-over study to evaluate human oral bioavailability of BCM-95CG (Biocurcumax), a novel bioenhanced preparation of curcumin. Indian J Pharm Sci. 2008;70(4):445-449.

Cuomo J, Appendino G, Dern AS, et al. Comparative absorption of a standardized curcuminoid mixture and its lecithin formulation. J Nat Prod. 2011;74(4):664-669.

Sasaki H, Sunagawa Y, Takahashi K, et al. Innovative preparation of curcumin for improved oral bioavailability. Biol Pharm Bull. 2011;34(5):660-665.

Kuptniratsaikul V, Dajpratham P, Taechaarpornkul W, et al. Efficacy and safety of Curcuma domestica extracts compared with ibuprofen in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a multicenter study. Clin Interv Aging. 2014;9:451-458.

Daily JW, Yang M, Park S. Efficacy of turmeric extracts and curcumin for alleviating the symptoms of joint arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. J Med Food. 2016;19(8):717-729.

Nelson KM, Dahlin JL, Bisson J, Graham J, Pauli GF, Walters MA. The essential medicinal chemistry of curcumin. J Med Chem. 2017;60(5):1620-1637.

Halegoua-DeMarzio D, Navarro V, Ahmad J, et al. Liver injury associated with turmeric: a growing problem. Ten cases from the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network [DILIN]. Am J Med. 2023;136(2):200-206.