[toc]Almost every turmeric supplement on the market claims that actually, they are the best one.
Clearing the confusion and getting the real answer is never easy.
They use apples to oranges comparisons for bioavailability studies.
Some don’t have studies at all, or they extrapolate big time from in vitro (lab) research to support their marketing claims.
One of the newcomers on the market is Turmerich.
Unlike most other curcumin supplements, Turmerich is a brand name that’s exclusive to Nature’s Way.
This is different than Theracurmin, Longvida, Meriva, BCM-95, and NovaSOL, all of which are patented formations that are each licensed to multiple supplement companies.
Turmerich supplements are different.
What’s it made of?
Turmerich is only sold by Nature’s Way. It contains a 95% standardized concentration of curcumin, which is the active ingredient in turmeric. In addition, there are other supplements and herbs included, which vary based on whether it’s the joint or heart formula.
Turmerich joint supplement ingredients:
- 400 mg curcumin standardized to a 95% concentration (380 mg)
- 200 mg gum resin extract from Boswellia serrata, standardized to 40% boswellic acids (80 mg)
- 50 mg organic burdock root extract
- 40 mg UC-II Collagen, a brand of type 2 collagen derived from chicken sternum, standardized to 25% total collagen content (10 mg)
- 10 mg BioPerine brand of black pepper extract, standardized to 95% piperine (9.5 mg)
While the capsule is plant-derived, it’s obviously not vegan since the collagen comes from chicken.
Turmerich heart supplement ingredients:
- 400 mg curcumin standardized to a 95% concentration (380 mg)
- 300 mg of garlic powder, deodorized
- 200 mg of pomegranate extract standardized to 85% polyphenols (170 mg)
- 100 mg hawthorn leaf/flower extract standardized to 1.8% flavonoids (1.8 mg)
- 60 mg of CoQ10 in ubiquinone form
- 10 mg BioPerine brand of black pepper extract, standardized to 95% piperine (9.5 mg)
How bioavailable is Nature’s Way turmeric?
If they were using a curcumin source like Theracurmin or BCM-95, it would be much easier to analyze how bioavailable it is. There’s lots of research published on those and the other top turmeric supplements.
The problem with Nature’s Way is that all they tell you is that it’s the root of turmeric (Curcuma longa) which has been standardized to be 95% pure curcumin (curcuminoids).
Normally, turmeric is only about 3% curcumin. (1)
The fact that it’s so highly concentrated in Nature’s Way supplement is a good thing. However, quantity doesn’t necessarily equate to absorption.
There are other factors like particle size and which types of curcuminoids are present. Not all types are believed to be anti-inflammatory or carry other health benefits.
There are multiple supplements on the market that offer 95% or greater concentrations of curcumin.
BCM-95 was the earliest brand and today, there are others as well as generic. Most likely, the latter it’s what’s being used in Turmerich.
No patent numbers for curcumin formulations are listed on the Turmerich label, but there are for the collagen source. Therefore, it can be concluded they are not just re-purposing BCM-95. If they were, they would at least have to list the patent numbers on the package.
What we do know for certain is that the BioPerine boosts bioavailability big time.
BioPerine is a branded formulation of piperine, which is derived from black pepper (Piper nigrum).
It was over two decades ago by Sabinsa, which is a major global nutraceutical company.
BioPerine has been found to increase the absorption of curcumin by up to 20 times (2,000%). (2)
If nothing else, you can take comfort in the fact that Nature’s Way Turmerich almost certainly has significantly better bioavailability versus naked curcumin.
As to whether it’s better or worse than patented formulations, like Theracurmin and NovaSOL, that remains unknown.
Efficacy of the other ingredients?
The joint formula
More commonly known as frankincense, Boswellia serrata extract does have clinical studies published on it to suggest it may help arthritis.
For more info, check out frankincense oil benefits.
Only one clinical study related to joint pain involves burdock root.
It was studied in addition to acetaminophen (Tylenol) and glucosamine, so it’s not good evidence as to how the root may help on its own.
Do collagen supplements work? Probably not.
Whether it’s type 2 collagen like this Turmerich supplement, type 1, or type 3, all face the same dilemma; particle size. Collagen is 50,000 to 200,000 daltons, at smallest. (3)
The idea that such large molecules can be digested intact are farfetched. They would need to be broken down to their constituent amino acid parts.
Sure, those aminos may offer your body the building blocks for collagen, but so does the protein in your food.
The heart formula
A recent meta-analysis (which is basically a study of studies) concluded that on average, data from them found that garlic supplements reduced:
- systolic blood pressure by 7-16 points
- diastolic blood pressure by 5-9 points
- total cholesterol by 7.4-29.8 mg/dL
Their conclusion stated that garlic supplements have potential for cardiovascular disease, including atherosclerosis, however the best benefits were seen with aged garlic extract. Turmerich from Nature’s Way uses regular. (4)
Cardiovascular protective benefits have been observed in studies with pomegranate juice. If it works, it seems unlikely that the tiny dosage in these capsules is enough to move the needle. (5)
High blood pressure and congestive heart failure (CHF) have been proposed as possible hawthorn berry benefits, based on preliminary research involving leaf and flower extracts.
Even more than curcumin, CoQ10 is the most studied ingredient in this supplement related to heart disease, heart attacks, and CHF. (6) (7)
That said, Turmerich uses the inferior ubiquinone form, which has lower bioavailability than ubiquinol-based forms like Qunol Mega Red.
Dosage instructions
Whether it’s Turmerich Heart or Turmerich Joint, the dosage is 2 capsules daily. That make sense, because your standard large gel cap can only contain 500 mg of ingredients. When you add up the ingredients, it’s obvious that 2 capsules are needed to get those amounts.
Verdict
Nature’s Way turmeric joint supplement provides a potent dosage of concentrated curcumin, a bioavailability booster (BioPerine), and boswellia extract. Those are the 3 ingredients which have the best evidence for helping with joint inflammation and pain. The collagen and burdock root, not so much.
Their Turmeric heart supplement contains the same 95% concentrated curcumin extract. While the CoQ10, hawthorn leaf, garlic, and pomegranate may also support heart health, the amounts contained per dose are quite small and/or use an inferior form.
The takeaway?
Not perfect, but there is good stuff in both formulas. For those who are adverse to handling a fistful of different supplements, either of these may be worthwhile. Because even if taking superior and higher dosages separately is better, a lot of people simply won’t do that, whether it be due to the added cost or hassle.
We spotted the Turmerich Heart at The Vitamin Shoppe, though not the joint formula. On Amazon, here is the link for the heart version and here is the joint version.
While the instructions say you can take with food or water, it’s a fact that the ubiquinone form of CoQ10 is only fat soluble, so it seems wise to take with a meal. Some other ingredients may also benefit from taking with food.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.