Form Comparison

Curcumin Phytosome vs Curcumin with Piperine

How curcumin phytosome and curcumin with piperine differ in potency, absorption, tolerance, and cost.

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Quick verdict. Piperine raises curcumin levels by inhibiting drug-metabolizing pathways, which raises levels of other medications too. Meriva gets its absorption boost from phosphatidylcholine instead, without that interaction mechanism, and has its own osteoarthritis trials. Choose Meriva if you take any regular medication, and curcumin with piperine if you take none and want the cheapest enhanced form.

Side by Side

Curcumin Phytosome (Meriva) Curcumin with Piperine
Absorption Moderate Moderate
How it is absorbed Curcumin bound to phosphatidylcholine. Total curcuminoid absorption was about 29-fold higher than an unformulated extract in a crossover study. Piperine inhibits glucuronidation and P-glycoprotein efflux. 20 mg of piperine raised plasma curcumin about twentyfold over curcumin alone in one small human study.
Typical dose 500-1,000 mg (about 100-200 mg curcuminoids) daily 500-2,000 mg curcumin with 5-20 mg piperine
Common uses osteoarthritis pain osteoarthritis pain, inflammation
Side effects GI upset. Piperine slows clearance of many drugs.
Cost Moderate Low
Also called Meriva, curcumin-phosphatidylcholine complex BioPerine, curcumin with black pepper extract

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.

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When to Choose Curcumin with Piperine

Choose curcumin with piperine when you take no medications with narrow dosing margins. The same mechanism that raises curcumin levels raises levels of other drugs.

Curcumin with Piperine

Effective at raising curcumin levels by slowing drug clearance, which is the problem for anyone on medication.

What to look for: Only if you take no interacting drugs. Piperine content stated, usually 5-10 mg.

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.

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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.

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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.