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Curcumin is the yellow pigment associated with the curry spice, turmeric, and to a lesser extent ginger. It is a small molecule that is the prototypical 'curcuminoid', and has effects similar to other polyphenols but unique in a way as it is a different class of polyphenol. Chemically, curcumin is a diarylheptanoid, belonging to the group of curcuminoids, which are natural phenols responsible for turmeric's yellow color. It is a tautomeric compound existing in enolic form in organic solvents and as a keto form in water.

Effects

Curcumin can provide a range of health benefits. Curcumin is noted for its safety, affordability, long-term use, and ability to target multiple cell signaling pathways. Turmeric curcumin may help reduce inflammation along with cloves, ginger, and rosemary. Curcumin may work as well or better than anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers for the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Regular ingestion of curcumin may improve artery function similar to an hour of aerobic exercise training per day. Curcumin may also reduce Alzheimer's symptoms.

Dramatically lower cancer rates in India may be due to their more plant-based, spice-rich diet, which often includes turmeric curcumin. Regular turmeric curcumin intake appears to significantly lower the DNA mutating ability of cancer-causing substances. Turmeric curcumin appears to be able to reprogram a number of cancer cells to self-destruct as normal cells should. Curcumin applied topically as an ointment may provide some relief against visible cancers on the skin. Turmeric curcumin may both prevent and treat colon polyps and temporarily reduce pancreatic cancer markers.

Other areas of interest as it pertains to curcumin are alleviating cognitive decline associated with aging, being heart healthy by both electrical means and reducing lipid and plaque levels in arteries, and both reducing the risk of diabetes and being a good treatment for the side-effects associated with diabetes.

It has a poor oral bioavailability (a low percentage of what you consume is absorbed) and thus should be enhanced with other agents such as black pepper extract, called piperine. This is unless you want the curcumin in your colon (as it is a colon anti-inflammatory and can help with digestion), in which case you wouldn't pair it with an enhancement.

Curcumin Dosages

Recommended curcumin dosages vary according to use. The following curcumin dosages are reported by the Natural Medicines Database:

For antioxidant purposes, 500 mg curcumin doses have been used twice daily for three months.
For Crohn's disease, 360 mg doses have been taken two or three times a day for two months.
For type II diabetes, 22.1 mg doses of curcumin have been used with each meal for two months.
For dyspepsia (indigestion), 250 mg of turmeric has been taken four times a day for over seven days.
For liver function, 3,000 mg (3 g) of turmeric has been taken three times a day for 12 consecutive weeks.
For vision, 375 mg of curcumin has been taken three times a day for up to 22 months.
For IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), 1,000 mg (1 g) of curcumin has been taken twice daily for up to six months.
For rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease, 400 mg of curcumin has been taken three times a day for two weeks.
For cardiovascular dysfunction and disease, 150 mg of curcumin has been consumed daily for eight weeks.