*My recommendation for curcumin* *: amzn.to/418pOxU This is an affiliate link - I have no relationship with the brand. * = Verified by independent laboratory.

Yes, most Turmeric products contain pepper to enhance absorption. I'm 57 and had chronic headaches my entire life (6-7 days) a week. In my 40s I discovered Turmeric and it has been the closest thing to a cure that I have found. I've gone from moderate to severe daily headaches, to 1-2 a week that are mild.

From Lopresti 2018 “curcumin's potential as a therapeutic agent may not solely rely on its bioavailability, but rather its medicinal benefits may also arise from its positive influence on gastrointestinal health and function. “ in the journal Advanced in Nutrition

Turmeric with black pepper changed my life! No asthma, no allergies, no stomach issues,...🙏

You have amazing content man - plus your presentation style is so easy to understand. Thanks for all of this - great work.

I found that turmeric with black pepper, in squeezed lemon and acv seemed to cure my urinary tract problems and prostate issues, along with low carb diet and exercise.

thanks again for posting good info on getting the more bang for our buck when it comes to supplements and how better to consume them.

I often wonder what supplements make it past the stomach…would love to see a video on that subject

I usually boil fresh turmeric with ginger, fresh lemon juice and a cinnamon stick for tea. I’ll start adding pepper, didn’t realise I was wasting the turmeric 🤦

I've heard this. None the less without and before all the hoopla, I used it and it cured I mean cured arthritis that I was beginning to have and have never felt since in my fingers. Definitely not a waste of money. There are most likely all sorts of interactions going on. Who knows, perhaps even with gut microbiota that are also contributing to this. To be continued... Meanwhile I love Indian and South Asian food.😊

Whilst the black pepper hack has been known for a long while I did not know that without it Curcumin was useless, so thanks for that.

Thanks much Nick, I envy your student what an intelligent and amazing Prof they have, I wish I had you as my prof in medical school, trust me I would be a different and even better doctor

I use a product that contains piperine...and I take it with my meal which contains added pepper. I think pepper actually boosts the benefits of other supplements as well because when I started adding it to my meals, many of my vitals, metabolic markers and pain level improved noticeably. That said, I'm considering dropping curcumin because my supplement stack has become a bit excessive. I originally started it when I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis last year, which causes severe back and leg pain. I was looking for natural anti-inflammatory and curcumin leapt out at me. It has definitely helped, but I have since discovered several other supplements that provide similar benefits and much more... alpha-lipoic acid, acetyl-L-carnitine, N-acetyl cysteine. These all promote nerve health/healing and reduce inflammation, among other benefits, so curcumin seems unnecessary at this point, and quality brands costs over $30 a bottle. I know you can just consume the natural plant root more cheaply, but I'm all about convenience. If I can simply take a high quality supplement with my meal, that's just easy for me.

I open a capsule and pour the powder along with black pepper in a small glass of water and heat it enough to make it warm. It absolutely works, the joint pain I was experiencing is dramatically decreased. It does work for me.

Hi, could you please make a video discussing vitamin B12 supplements. I've read conflicting information regarding their bioavailability. Thank you

@physionic there is discussion now on if curcumin acts best in the GI tract and if we don’t actually lessen its efficacy with adding agents like piperine or bioperine. Curcumin has potential on regulating bowel microbiota and it is proposed that actually this effect could be responsible for most of its effects.

Is this the same for long term use? I know the microbiome adjusts over time and often transform plant compounds.

Thanks Nicholas. I have always taken turmeric with pepper for many years. Never bothered with the the supplements

No body mentions how effective this root is at blocking iron absorption in the digestive trac. For me, with iron overload, this is a really good property. From my monthly blood tests I do see my normally increasing ferritin level stop in its tracks… sometimes even dropping in value. My dose is 500mg twice daily and am considering more.

Is there any truth in combining curcumin with black pepper AND olive oil enhancing bioavailability?

I was going to comment negatively Bud until you nailed it at the end. Love your work.

I havent seen any studies that indicate Curcumin's anti-inflammatory effects (or any others advertised) were the result of its presence in the blood. It remains possible that the effects mentioned are entirely macro-cellular and happen primarily in the stomach and intestines.

my wife and I both had the experience that curcumin (with pepper) helped for quite a while (inflamation), and then not anymore … but then stopping it helped. interesting. after researching the downsides one was quite interesting: it produces quite a lot of oxalates…which could be an explanation (accumulative effects)

Turmeric is amazing! Has helped my inflammation and lower blood pressure too. I use it religiously 😂❤❤

Thanks! Your video confirms my own observations that curcumin + peperine greatly helps with absorption. I also take 2 teaspoons of coconut oil along with it.

As piperine also increases bioavailability of EGCG in green tea extracts, does the combination potentially increase the risk of liver toxicity?

So what's the ratio between turmeric and pepper so I'm not wasting either?

I was wondering if the beneficial gut flora might be enjoying turmeric and sending good vibes around the body

Javanese traditional herb recipe for problems related to mensturation is tumeric + tamarind. In this case tumeric acts as an anti-inflamation. I wonder if there is any reseach paper on that. Does tamarind improve tumeric bioavaiability?

Question (in case you read comments on older posts): Is there an (hopefully easy) way to assess one's systemic inflammation status .. and therefore, the need to supplements with anti -inflammatories? My CRP value is usually in a optimal range (when i visit my doc and have my blood checked, which doesn't happen too often), my wound healing for instance is pretty fast ... so i don't see the need for curcumin, glutathione & co. Wrong? Right? Depends? 🙂

Curcumin has also been shown to have good senolytic properties, but you need piperine to keep the liver from removing it. I take a liposomal version instead so it goes straight into the cell.

There are studies showing that pepperin AND resveratrol cause a much higher absorption or bioavailability of curcumin. Please review the combination of resveretrol and curcumin, too.

I eat a lot of curry, which often contains both turmeric and black pepper. Would there be enough curcumin and pipurine in those spices to have a noticeable effect, or should they be taken as an extract?

I wonder if the synergistic effects of the whole turmeric root provide greater health benefit than 1 isolated component?

But maybe threre is no need curcumin to be absorbed in the guts. Some poliphenols can be prebiotics and bacteria can produce postbiotics from them like for example urolithin A from pommengrenade poliphenols. I'm wondering whether some curcumin's metabolites are known.

I heard curcumin works with fats as well like coconut oil, is that true?

How did any study show positive benefit or any effect at all from curcumin if it doesnt even absorb when you take it?

This is one I think I need to add, especially if it can help with my RA inflammation and lower my BP. Thank you for the supplement recommendation.

Good to know...I always buy supplements with the turmeric/curcumin piperine combo (I am actually surprised there are people who didn't know about this issue)... but there are now formulations that are more powerful. Curcumin formulation with nano-micelles containing Gelucire and polysorbate 20 (BioCurc) have the highest bioavailability in studies >400X unformulated curcumin.

Golden milk or golden chai tea is amazing with blackpepper, cinnamon, tumeric, anise star, clove etc

Is there a way to take turmeric without being concerned for the high oxilate causing kidney stones?

Does a fat source like yoghurt have the same effect by increase the bioavailability of Curcumin?

Does black pepper work I don't have any pipurine

I like the detailed no holds barred analysis done by you in your videos with all the effort - thanks. A suggestion - try using positive video titles. This title somewhat alarmed me - 'now what is wrong with Curcumin other than it's very low absorption'. All you are suggesting is that it is best to take it with some black pepper for better absorption - good tip, appreciate!

Heating/cooking tumeric or curcummin in oil also increases absorbsion.

@paintingpoetry 1 second ago I was expecting this to go into studies on the effects of curcumin and peperine taken together, so to me the video seemed strangely incomplete🤔

I wonder if co-administration of curcumin with piperine is better absorbed than co-administration of curcumin with fenugreek or vice versa.

I use micronized curcumin with piperine Any thoughts on that?

Did they test the Turmeric with meals or without?

Liposomal curcumin is extremely well absorbed by body and can be found in blood stream at dosages of 250mg the equivalent of what 4000 mg of powder can be found. Also the liposomal lasts longer but the issue still remains of it not staying in blood extremely long so it is best to spread doses. I always do 12 hours apart or so. I'm sure I spent many years waisting money on mostly useless versions too though.

Turmeric is one of the few things I was doing right all along. Ive been cooking with it since I was a teenager.

I take cur cumin as turmeric supplement for 4 months. Before I had so much pain in my shoulders I couldn't even put a t shirt on. 90% of the pain disappeared the day I started. I still have residual pain, ca 5%, that I treat with careful stretching after work outs.

grind with maltodextrin or dissolve maltodextrin in water then grind in turmeric them lecithin add olive oil consume with food as an alternative to pepper to increase absorption or also add pepper

Curcumin taken along with Lactoferrin aids in absorption ? There is a company that developed a liquid protien scaffold or LPS for high absorption

could you just add black pepper instead of piperin?

Please make a video on silica supplements and astaxanthin supplements

Several years ago, I started taking half a teaspoon of turmeric, half a teaspoon of amla, and a fourth of a teaspoon of black pepper (as a spice tea) in the mornings and evenings. I have had lipomas (large, hardened fatty cysts) on my shoulder and back for years. Within a month or two, both lipomas swelled up and became inflamed. I was worried about this and made an appointment with my doctor. I ended up canceling the appointment because both lipomas healed up and went away entirely. I can only guess that my immune system was somehow activated by the spices and attacked the lipomas. I have had problems with sensitive, red skin for years, and that also went away entirely. I have no idea what the mechanism for this miracle was, but I'm not going to stop sipping my spice tea.

Now does piperine allow bad substances to cross the intestinal wall causing damage or inflammation? Things we should not pair it with?

Hi Physionic, since you done a video on Finasteride, I was wondering if you take Finasteride yourself?

I read that supplementation with Fenugreek also greatly improves absorption.

It is also important to note that turmeric is fat soluble. That means it needs to be taken with fat to be properly digested in India golden tea is turmeric with coconut milk or coconut oil, which is a very effective home remedy.

I can't take NSAIDS due to kidney disease. I tried tumeric. Arthritis pain nearly gone. When I added pepper, great relief. Interestingly, adding pepper decreased stomach upset from tumeric.

So interesting! I have seen recommendations to take black pepper with curcumin. Someone knew something.

Benefits of curcumin (turmeric) is on the microbiome. It doesn’t need to be absorbed in the blood stream for its beneficial effects of increasing SCFAs production by the beneficial “food” bacteria.

Thank you for another great video. I like your style. Professional, yet entertaining. Supplements are expensive. Can I simply eat some kind of pepper with curcumin spice? And is it true that fat also increases absorption? If so... How does olive oil with pepper and curcumin sound? Effective? And... how much? I realize that that might be a lot of hassle to look into just for me, but I would love to see videos on dosages and different ways of consuming nutrients. Practical advice in general! Wish you a good weekend! :) Really appreciate these, so you deserve it. No alcohol, though. We wouldn't want you to sacrifice your health for happiness. We here in the longevity crowd share an enthusiasm for a long, miserable life :p

i take mine with black pepper and milk and water in it. takes away my muscle pain. it's like beer, i don't feel too much pain after i drink a few pints either.

Have you researched anything about the liposomal liquid curcumin? In theory it is the most bioavailable administration of this supplement to date. I will be testing it for 30 days and see how my thyroid antibodies (blood testing before and after) react to this antimflammatory compound.

One if my favourite cuisines is Xinjiang turkuc barbques - which consists of lamb coated withbcopious amounts of pepper, cumin, and chilli. Great to know that it is alao healthy..😊

Increasingly, the 'is not absorbed into the bloodstream even though many studies show an association with some benefit' is less conclusive to me, because of the importance of gut microbiota. If you do a search in research databases on curcumin [or other polyphenols] and gut microbiota, you'll see some lively traffic. What if actually gut microbiota mediate the positive health effects - and whether or not 'we' absorb in into our bloodstream is actually not the point?

What I don't get about the whole 'curcumin' supplementation is why not just consume the whole plant food - turmeric? Curcumin, or any of the other compounds in turmeric, might have other benefits and actually need to work synergistically with other compounds in the turmeric. Just like piperine and curcumin work synergistically so could something else in turmeric working wonders when there is curcumin around. Well that and turmeric is so cheap when you just buy it by the pound or even ounce. You only need a 1/2 teaspoon per day to be getting in plenty of the good stuff. Buying it in capsules already is HUGELY expensive vs. bulk and just chugging a 1/4 tsp twice per day, or cooking with it, or making your own capsules at home.

What about the life expectancy difference observed in professional athletes in comparison to the general public? I know it's not a ideal comparison but generally speaking they tend to live longer. So maybe there is more to it..

Curcumin can be used to make almost any food taste wonderful if you know what you are doing though 🥰🥰

2 min of google research showed me studies of black pepper and curcumin making it more bio available. This has been known for a while

I always take my curcumin with finely ground black pepper and a small amount of PCB-oil mixed with cod liver oil for enhanced absorption and bio-availability. I have struggled with pain in my jaw and the left side of my neck/shoulder the past couple of days, and this combination seems to offer some relief.

Is presence of a substance in the blood the only measure of its usefulness as it goes trough us? I think that this is a very incomplete criteria that supposes that nothing good can come from the interactions of these substances in our digestive tract, and with the organs that process some of the things absorbed there that also don't end up in the blood.

how would you treat CFS doctor?

The dudes right. Although, it's better to get pure curcumin powder and black pepper extract and mix with fat like evoo.

What about longvida curcumin?

food for thought, would curcumin appear present in blood if one eats whole-food turmeric with or without black pepper? Shout out to all the other whole food plant-based herbivores out there- I knew the black pepper I drown in my tomatoed soup it was good for me. 🌶

What about sublingual or transdermal?

For some reason... pepper gives me head aches... and curcumin seems to work well on me without the additive... hmmmm ... I wonder about the mechanisms vs my own biochemistry..

Such compounds are likely to work via biota.

But curcumin + piperine is basically way old first gen delivery technique. We've moved into cyclodextrin bundling, lipids, micellar versions, etc. All have significantly better absorption than that first gen methodology.

to me it gives me a rash i can not use curcumin

Maybe the blood stream is not important for it's positive effects. Like Berberine, it may do its magic in the gut.

💯💪👍 Bro. Unfinished no help…. Whats the ratio 🤨😖😣

Man your outro smile. I'm a straight guy and I'm loving it. Too much sincerity D: So.. what's curcumin do anyways? Hahaha.

I can eat a meal with curry and visibly notice a reduction in inflammation. I experience the same with unsweetened cocoa. Just like Dr. Greger says. People are different, though, so ...

How about a Curcumin version with NovaSOL?

Curcumin also inhibits the absorption of bacterial toxins.

The issue with all the junk on the market is that it doesn't absorb. so it's a placebo. However we have forms that do absorb, thanks to science, because they get bonded to emulsifiers. BCM95 works. Meriva works and is 2x stronger than BCM95 mg for mg. And Theracirc works and is almost 3x stronger than Meriva mg for mg. These form are all patented formulations, Meriva is Italian and Theracirc is Japanese. A clinically therapeutic dose for pain is about 600 mg for Theracirc. About 2000 mg for Meriva. Both Meriva and Theracirc are bonded to emulsifiers, so they absorb well. The difference is the Japanese one is sub micron particles encapsulated in emulsifiers, so they absorb readily. 2000 mg of Meriva is equivalent to the analgetic of about 1000 mg of Tylenol according to a subjective clinical trial. Of course NSAIDS work better but they often have serious gastro side effects and are not well tolerated in long duration or high doses.

It was not as good as it would have been if you'd stated a curcumin to pepper ratio for consumption.

Took 2 teaspoons with pepper and never worked for me.....sadly.

I think you need to correct the title of this video.

I think there are substances that can influence health no just by being in the blood. I would like to see a double blinded randomized control trial on the effects of the gut microbiome by curcumin, or at least on inflammatory markers. It would show a more accurate picure of what it does and if the oxalates are a problem and in what people.

Turmeric always consume with oil such as dha or olive oil ect. I do Not Like pepper

Excessive amount of curcumin (3x recommended of Life Extension brand) will lower your platelets.

Mix tumeric with black pepper to increase absorption.

Any info about gotu kotula?

several years ago a German sience Journalist discuss that topic she is very popular in Germany . She is a Chemist and received the highest medal for political economic and social Engagement in Germany. Because of her engament in science communication. She argued cucumin would hit cellular Targets and some Targets in Rat Experiment because it Is very reactive . But rarely Come over to human studies. Also she argued Like you did it Is verry difficult to consume /absorb enough. Also she Said that the reaction time in the Body is extremly short .