Will Falconer, DVM Moderator
Hi Kathi,
I'd need to hear more what products were being compared. To my knowledge turmeric is turmeric, the source of curcumin. Now, the benefits to people come not from an isolate, certainly. Turmeric powder comes from the whole root, I'm sure, and it's added to food during cooking. As Dr. Blanco points out, it's often in the same dish with pepper, and that seems to enhance its uptake and effect.
So, if indeed curcumen is somehow a fractionated product of turmeric, I'd beware indeed. I don't know that it is, but maybe your research has shown this. It's always a slippery slope, isolating a fraction and thinking that's somehow better than the source. Vitamin C is a complex thing; we've taken ascorbic acid out and taken high doses of it, a very different thing than nature provides.
I'd guess your concerns are warranted if that's what's happened to ancient turmeric.
And: all things in moderation, right? If you've tasted turmeric, you know it'd be horrible in too high a quantity. Your mouth wouldn't allow it! Capsules bypass that "defense" don't they?
Thanks for sharing your research with us.