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Curcumin

  • Dietary supplement
  • Varies by country
  • Identity checked
  • Sources last checked 2026-09-04

This page shows what was measured, who it was measured in, and what that does not settle.

What Curcumin does in the body

Marketed for inflammation and joint pain, approved for neither

Curcumin is the yellow pigment in turmeric. In a test tube it interferes with a very long list of proteins, which is why the early literature described it as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-almost-everything. In a person, almost none of it survives the gut and liver — it is broken down and cleared within minutes — so the blood level after a normal dose is often too low to measure. Manufacturers respond by adding black pepper extract or wrapping it in fat, which raises the level but does not resolve the deeper question of what it is doing when it gets there.

What happened in people

Reduced self-reported knee pain versus placebo at 12 weeks in 70 patients

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

The recorded finding that sits closest to something a person would notice. Written into the record, not signed off, and it carries no population or interval.

The limit that matters most

That curcumin modifies joint disease — the MRI structural endpoint in the trial designed to test it did not move

Where it acts
Intestinal epithelium and, at low concentrations, systemic circulation
Kind of result
Symptoms and quality of life
Supervision
Not usually supervised: sold as a supplement or food ingredient where recorded. That is a legal category, not a safety judgement.

What the registries record it as

  • The substance registry classes this as chemical.

    FDA substance registry · IT942ZTH98 · read 2026-08-29

  • The supplement label database classes it as botanical, under the name Turmeric.

    NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database · 48 · read 2026-08-29

Where each sentence above came from

No recorded sentence describes the change this makes in a way that stands on its own. The page opens with what it is taken for instead, and the recorded explanation follows below.

Shown as the opening line on this page.

A limit recorded against this substance. Not signed off as a reviewed claim.

The four opening statements run to 122 words.

Words this page uses

Four words worth knowing first

Chosen from what this page shows, with each one explained before the word it depends on.

Stand-in result

A stand-in result is a number measured because the real result takes too long.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

It is like judging a journey by the speedometer rather than by arriving.

Where that stops being true. Speed does predict arrival. Many stand-in results do not predict the real one.

What people get wrong. A stand-in result is often reported as the result itself.

A surrogate endpoint substituted for a clinical endpoint, valid only where the substitution has been shown to hold.

Randomisation

Randomisation means chance decides who gets which treatment.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

It is like a coin toss deciding the groups.

Where that stops being true. A coin toss is fair once. Fairness here comes from doing it for everyone.

What people get wrong. It is thought to make groups identical. It makes them similar on average, including on things nobody measured.

Allocation of participants to arms by a chance process, so that unmeasured factors are balanced in expectation.

Receptor

A receptor is a part of a cell that a signal fits into.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

A receptor is like a lock waiting for one key.

Where that stops being true. A lock either opens or does not. A receptor can be half-triggered, or worn out.

What people get wrong. Fitting a receptor is read as causing a benefit. It causes a step, and nothing more.

A protein that binds a specific ligand and converts that binding into a cellular response.

Pathway

A pathway is a chain of steps inside a cell, each one setting off the next.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

A pathway is like a row of dominoes.

Where that stops being true. Dominoes fall one way. Pathways loop back and can switch themselves off.

What people get wrong. Changing one step is read as changing the outcome. Other steps often absorb it.

An ordered series of molecular interactions producing a defined cellular change.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What was measured, goal by goal

One row for each goal a registered study measured something for. One column for each kind of thing that could be measured.

Registered studies list 40 outcome measures that RNAWiki could read. A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. 0 of the matched studies tested this substance, and 0 posted a result.

There is no single score. A strong test result and a weak life result are different facts.

Goals down the side, kinds of measurement across the top. Each cell says what kind of thing was registered, not what was found.
GoalLife outcomeWhat a body can doHow a person feelsA test resultA step in the bodyHarmsHow longWho was studied
Blood sugarNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Only a number moved3 registered test measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
PainNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Waiting for a reviewer2 registered symptom measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
MoodNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Waiting for a reviewer2 registered symptom measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
CholesterolNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Only a number moved1 registered test measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
EnduranceNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Waiting for a reviewer1 registered performance measure of this kind.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Which registered measures put each goal on this table
Blood sugar
insulin; hba1c; homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance
Pain
womac pain subscale; brief pain inventory pain
Mood
hamilton depression rating scale; montgomery asberg depression rating scale
Cholesterol
triglyceride
Endurance
biomarker response to therapy using a vo2 exercise test

Sorted by fixed word lists, version v1. A name the rules do not recognise stays unsorted rather than moving to the nearest column.

What each mark on this table means
Nothing in the sources checked
No registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
Only a number moved
3 registered test measure.
Not recorded
Harms were not a registered measure for this goal.
Waiting for a reviewer
Who was studied is listed further down the page.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What happened in people

Each card is one study: the exact question it asked, who was in it, and whether it showed what it set out to show.

Co-primary: change in knee pain on a visual analogue scale, and change in MRI effusion-synovitis volume, at 12 weeks

The study did not show it

Who was studied
Wang 2020 (Curcuma longa extract, knee osteoarthritis, Ann Intern Med)
How many people
70
Study design
Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled
Compared against
A dummy treatment
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Pain endpoint significant in favour of extract; MRI effusion-synovitis endpoint not significant
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. Recorded as endpoint not met because one of the two co-primary endpoints failed. The pain result on its own was positive.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral capsule: standardised curcuminoid extract, often with piperine or as a phospholipid or nanoparticle complex

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

WOMAC pain, stiffness and function scores at four weeks

The study showed what it set out to show

Who was studied
Kuptniratsaikul 2014 (Curcuma domestica extract versus ibuprofen)
How many people
367
Study design
Randomised, double-blind, active-controlled non-inferiority
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
What a body can do day to day
What was found
Non-inferiority against ibuprofen met on the WOMAC pain subscale
Repeated elsewhere
Partially Replicated

What this does not prove. Meeting one endpoint in one population does not carry to other goals or other people.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No placebo arm, so the shared improvement in both groups cannot be separated from regression to the mean and expectation effects.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral capsule: standardised curcuminoid extract, often with piperine or as a phospholipid or nanoparticle complex

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

Tolerability and change in cognitive and biomarker measures over 24 weeks

The study did not show it

Who was studied
Ringman 2012 (oral curcumin in Alzheimer's disease)
How many people
36
Study design
Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled
Compared against
A dummy treatment
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
No significant difference from placebo on any efficacy measure
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. Native curcumin was largely undetectable in plasma; only conjugated metabolites were measurable, which limits what the null result can be attributed to.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral capsule: standardised curcuminoid extract, often with piperine or as a phospholipid or nanoparticle complex

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

What we know
RNAWiki holds 3 written-up human studies for this substance, each with the question it asked.
How we know it
Each card names the study, the number of people and what the study set out to measure.
What this does not prove
These summaries were written by a person and have not been signed off as reviewed claims.
Why it matters
A study that failed is as informative as one that worked, and both are here.
What we still do not know
No reviewed claim exists, so no exact population, effect size or interval is published yet.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

How close this is to real life

The top step is something a person would feel or care about. The bottom is a guess from software. Filled steps are where evidence exists for this substance.

  1. Living longer, or avoiding a major event Evidence recorded. Death, a heart attack, a stroke, a hospital stay.3 registered measures of this kind. No reviewed result.
  2. What a body can do day to day Evidence recorded. Walking, dressing, breathing, recovering.1 registered measure of this kind.
  3. Measured performance Evidence recorded. How much was lifted, how far was run, how fast.1 registered measure of this kind.
  4. Symptoms and quality of life Evidence recorded. Pain, tiredness, mood, sleep, as the person rated it.4 registered measures of this kind.
  5. A number that stands in for health Evidence recorded. Cholesterol, blood sugar, bone density. A stand-in, not the thing itself.10 registered measures of this kind.
  6. A step measured inside a person Evidence recorded. Something measured in human tissue or human cells.A human record sits on the stored organism ladder.
  7. Animals Evidence recorded. Mice, rats, dogs. Useful for ideas, not proof about people.Stored records in Yeast, C. elegans (roundworm), Drosophila (fruit fly), Mouse, Rat, Non-human primate. A result in animals says what to test next. It does not say what happens in people.
  8. Cells in a dish Evidence recorded. Cells or chemistry on a bench, far from a whole body.Stored mechanism abstracts describe steps measured in cells or tissue.
  9. A guess from software No evidence recorded. Nobody measured it. RNAWiki never publishes one as a finding.RNAWiki stores no prediction for this record. Software can suggest a link. RNAWiki does not publish one as a finding.

Higher on these steps means closer to something a person would feel. It does not mean better done.

What it changes in the bodyRead from sources, not yet reviewed

The path through the body

From what a person takes to what changes. A solid line is a step measured in people. A dashed line is a step nobody has measured that way.

  1. Start

    Curcumin

    What a person takes: Oral capsule: standardised curcuminoid extract, often with piperine or as a phospholipid or nanoparticle complex.

    The measurement behind this step

    Sold as a dietary supplement with no premarket efficacy review. The formulation is not cosmetic: plain 95% extract, piperine-paired extract and phospholipid complexes produce very different plasma exposures, so trials on one do not transfer to another. Product labels frequently do not state which was tested.

  2. Getting in

    Swallowed, and immediately up against a solubility wall

    Curcumin barely dissolves in water, so most of a plain capsule passes through the gut without ever entering the body.

    Described, with no measurement named. No measurement is named for this step, so it is drawn as an unconfirmed link.

    The measurement behind this step

    Aqueous solubility is in the low microgram-per-millilitre range at physiological pH, and the molecule degrades within minutes above pH 7 to ferulic acid, feruloylmethane and vanillin. Dissolution, not permeability, is the first rate-limiting step.

  3. Reaching the cell

    What does get absorbed is conjugated almost immediately

    The gut wall and liver tag the molecule for disposal within minutes, so what circulates is mostly the deactivated version.

    Described, with no measurement named. No measurement is named for this step, so it is drawn as an unconfirmed link.

    The measurement behind this step

    Extensive UGT-mediated glucuronidation and SULT-mediated sulfation in enterocytes and hepatocytes produce curcumin glucuronide and sulfate as the dominant circulating species. Piperine raises exposure by inhibiting exactly this step, which is why Shoba et al. measured a 2,000% increase.

  4. What it acts on

    At the cell it engages many things weakly rather than one thing strongly

    Curcumin does not have a single lock it fits. It touches a long list of proteins loosely, which is a very different pharmacology from a normal drug.

    Described, with no measurement named. No measurement is named for this step, so it is drawn as an unconfirmed link.

    The measurement behind this step

    Reported interactions span NF-kappaB signalling, COX-2, 5-LOX, STAT3, beta-catenin and many others, typically at micromolar concentrations. Nelson et al. argue that the promiscuity itself is the warning sign: covalent Michael addition, redox cycling and colloidal aggregation each generate apparent activity against unrelated targets.

  5. The change it makes

    Downstream, inflammatory signalling is reported to fall

    In cells and in some human trials, markers of inflammation come down.

    Described, with no measurement named. No measurement is named for this step, so it is drawn as an unconfirmed link.

    The measurement behind this step

    The most consistently reported downstream effect is reduced NF-kappaB-dependent transcription with lower TNF-alpha, IL-6 and CRP. Whether that is target engagement or a downstream consequence of redox stress is exactly the question the interference literature raises.

  6. What that does for a person

    Reported pain improves; measured joint structure does not

    In knee osteoarthritis the pain score gets better and the scan of the joint stays the same.

    Described, with no measurement named. No measurement is named for this step, so it is drawn as an unconfirmed link.

    The measurement behind this step

    Wang et al. separated these two endpoints deliberately and found the split: improvement on the visual analogue pain scale, no change in MRI effusion-synovitis volume. Symptom relief without structural change is the honest description of the strongest curcumin result to date.

No suggested links are held for this record, so nothing is hidden from this path.

What we know
The record describes 5 steps from taking it to an effect in a person.
How we know it
Each step names the study behind it in the technical detail beside it.
What this does not prove
A change inside the body is a reason to look. It is not a result in a person.
Why it matters
A reader can see exactly where the chain stops being measured in people.
What we still do not know
No reviewed claim binds any of these steps to a named population.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Felt, measured, or meaningful

Three different things that get called the same word. Registered studies measured all three, and mixing them is how a blood test becomes a health claim.

Felt

Things a person could notice without a test.

  • womac pain subscale
  • hamilton depression rating scale
  • montgomery asberg depression rating scale
  • brief pain inventory pain

Measured

Things only a test, a scale or a device shows.

  • serum creatinine
  • plasma tnf alpha
  • brachial artery flow mediated dilation
  • triglyceride
  • insulin
  • hba1c
  • homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance
  • biomarker response to therapy using a vo2 exercise test
  • biomarker response to therapy using cytokine panel
  • serum alkaline phosphatase

and 1 more.

Meaningful

Things that change how a life goes, not only a number.

  • six month survival
  • progression free survival
  • relapse rate at 12 months

A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. A number moving is not the same as a life going better. The two are shown apart here.

Felt, but not shown to help. A person notices a change. No study showed it leads anywhere good.

Measured, but not felt. A number moves. The person notices nothing. Both can be true.

Measured, but not shown to matter. A number moves in the good direction. Nobody showed that lives went better.

Matters, but takes years. The result that counts may take longer than anyone would keep watching.

Names that fit none of the three (22)
  • time to tumor progression
  • pathologic complete response rate
  • american college of rheumatology 20
  • combined auc for selected symptoms
  • nt probnp
  • hscrp
  • cmax
  • tmax
  • t1/2
  • maximum tolerated dose
  • proteinuria
  • oxidative stress markers
  • endothelial function
  • time to progression
  • arterial stiffness
  • serious and non serious adverse events
  • aortic pulse wave velocity
  • fasting blood sugar
  • hepatic steatosis
  • overall gulf war illness disease severity

These are harms, study-process measures, or names the rules did not recognise. They are shown rather than dropped.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Were people like you studied?

RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it, and where the result stops carrying.

Who was studied

People similar to this profile were included.

  • Adults with osteoarthritis, inflammatory conditions or general wellness intent, largely self-directed.

Who is missing from the studies

  • Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

Where the result stopped carrying

  • Alzheimer's disease: no cognitive or biomarker benefit over 24 weeks, with native curcumin undetectable in plasma
  • The compound has never produced a successful, replicated, double-blind placebo-controlled trial sufficient for any regulatory approval, despite hundreds of registered studies
  • This is a scope explorer, not a diagnosis engine.
  • It shows who was studied so you can see whether people similar to you were included.

RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Why it might seem to do nothing

A real effect and a noticed effect are different things. These are the recorded reasons the two come apart.

It was studied for a different goal

The studies measured something else entirely.

On this record: Some registered studies measured things that match no goal on this page.

It was studied in different people

The people in the studies were not much like the reader.

On this record: Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

The evidence may simply be wrong

Small early studies often do not hold up.

On this record: RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

The product may not be what it says

Contents of a sold product are not always what the label states.

On this record: This is sold as a supplement, so no agency checked what is in a given tub before it was sold.

Other reasons RNAWiki checked and found nothing for (9)
A different form was studied
The studied form is not the form on the shelf. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
There was nothing to correct
Where a level is already normal, topping it up may change nothing. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else had to happen too
In the studies it was paired with training, a diet or another treatment. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
The change is too small to feel
A real change can still sit below what a person notices. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Day-to-day swing hides it
Sleep, food, stress and time of day move most numbers more than this would. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Not enough time yet
The studies ran longer than the person has waited. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
It was not taken as studied
Missed days change the result, and studies count them. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else changed at the same time
Two changes at once cannot be told apart afterwards. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
No recorded reason
RNAWiki has nothing stored that would explain it. Nothing in this record points to this reason.

None of these is a reason to take more. Taking more is not a step this page ever suggests.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What taking it involves

The recorded facts about getting hold of it and using it. Nothing here is a suggestion about what you should do.

How it is supplied

Varies by country

Quoted from a source

Where this came from

Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.

Read from the recorded approval status.

No source is stored against this line.

Form and route

Oral capsule: standardised curcuminoid extract, often with piperine or as a phospholipid or nanoparticle complex

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

The form and route recorded on this substance.

No source is stored against this line.

Who oversees it

Not usually supervised: sold as a supplement or food ingredient where recorded. That is a legal category, not a safety judgement.

Quoted from a source

Where this came from

Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.

The identity record classes it as a supplement ingredient; no medicines register records an approval.

No source is stored against this line.

What is in the pack

Sold as a dietary supplement with no premarket efficacy review. The formulation is not cosmetic: plain 95% extract, piperine-paired extract and phospholipid complexes produce very different plasma exposures, so trials on one do not transfer to another. Product labels frequently do not state which was tested.

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

Recorded notes on how this is sold and what that means for what is in the pack.

No source is stored against this line.

Where it is registered

Regulatory records are listed in the technical disclosure at the foot of this page.

Counted from records

Where this came from

A count of rows RNAWiki holds. It describes our records, not your body.

Register entries are stored per jurisdiction and shown with their dates.

No source is stored against this line.

Why people stop

Not recorded.

Nothing recorded

Where this came from

RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.

No record of why people stopped taking it is stored for this substance.

No source is stored against this line.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What can go wrong

Sorted by where each line came from. A regulator's label and a report somebody sent in are not the same kind of fact.

Worth asking a clinician aboutWritten into the record from the studies named on this page

Generally well tolerated at culinary exposure. At supplement strength the documented signal is hepatocellular liver injury, with ten adjudicated cases in the DILIN series and an HLA-B*35:01 susceptibility association. Curcumin also inhibits platelet aggregation and CYP3A4, so interaction with anticoagulants and with drugs cleared by CYP3A4 is plausible.

Nobody counted how many people took this and were fine, so this cannot be turned into a rate.

Where this came from

Reports sent to a regulator

  • These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction.
  • Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing.
  • The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete.
  • News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report.
  • A count is not a rate and not a risk.

Curcumin appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 225 reaction mentions were counted. One report can name several reactions.

The recorded terms (10)
  • macular degeneration — 45 reaction mentions
  • pain — 32 reaction mentions
  • pyrexia — 21 reaction mentions
  • toxicity to various agents — 21 reaction mentions
  • constipation — 20 reaction mentions
  • dyspepsia — 19 reaction mentions
  • weight decreased — 19 reaction mentions
  • infusion related reaction — 16 reaction mentions
  • serotonin syndrome — 16 reaction mentions
  • therapeutic product effect incomplete — 16 reaction mentions
  • open-targets-adr · recorded 2026-06-24 · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Over a long time. No completed tested study window is recorded, so long-term effects are not established by the registry record.

Groups the studies covered thinly. Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Does the exact form matter?

Evidence belongs to the exact thing that was tested. A different salt, a different mixture or a different preparation is a different question.

The form that was studied

Oral capsule: standardised curcuminoid extract, often with piperine or as a phospholipid or nanoparticle complex

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

The form used in the studies cited on this page.

No source is stored against this line.

What is sold

The formulation is not cosmetic: plain 95% extract, piperine-paired extract and phospholipid complexes produce very different plasma exposures, so trials on one do not transfer to another. Product labels frequently do not state which was tested.

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

Recorded notes on which forms are sold and how they compare.

No source is stored against this line.

What is recorded as being sold

  • 1 product lists this as an active ingredient in the United States drug directory. None of them contains it on its own, so nothing on this page can separate it from what it is combined with.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 43853-0043 · read 2026-08-29

  • They are sold as liquid, taken oral.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 43853-0043 · read 2026-08-29

  • 1 published label names it as an active ingredient. None of them describes this substance alone, so no label text on this page can be attributed to it rather than to a combination.

    US prescribing information · e6f26cf4-dc3d-4d31-aa3e-145167b6ba2b · read 2026-08-29

  • Those labels are classed as human otc drug.

    US prescribing information · e6f26cf4-dc3d-4d31-aa3e-145167b6ba2b · read 2026-08-29

  • 3725 marketed supplement labels list this ingredient, classed as botanical, other combinations and non-nutrient/non-botanical.

    NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database · 200648 · read 2026-08-29

  • Those labels carry all other, nutrient and structure/function claims. A claim of that kind is written by the manufacturer and is not assessed by any regulator, so its presence says nothing about whether it is true.

    NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database · 200648 · read 2026-08-29

Evidence carries across two names for one substance. It does not carry across a salt, a mirror form or a mixture.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What you could measure

Watching one thing carefully can tell you whether it moved. It cannot tell you what moved it.

This is sold without a prescription, so a person can sensibly watch one thing and see whether it moves.

  1. Pick one goal. One goal only. Two at once cannot be told apart afterwards.

  2. Pick one thing to watch. Registered studies measured things like: serum creatinine; plasma tnf alpha; brachial artery flow mediated dilation.

  3. Measure before you start. Take the same measurement several times first. One reading is not a starting point.

  4. Know the swing. Write down how much it moves on its own across a normal week.

  5. Change one thing. Change nothing else at the same time, including training and sleep.

  6. Give it the study length. No finished study window is recorded, so no length is suggested here.

  7. Track whether you took it. Missed days are the most common reason a home test shows nothing.

  8. Read the trend. Look at the line across weeks. A single reading tells you almost nothing.

What not to measure

  • Anything that swings more day to day than the change you are looking for.
  • A wearable estimate of sleep stages, which is an estimate and not a measurement.
  • Weight on one morning, which mostly records water.
  • A feeling you did not write down before starting, such as: womac pain subscale.

When to stop

  • Stop if something new and unpleasant starts, and ask a pharmacist or doctor.
  • Stop if you cannot keep everything else steady, because the result will not mean anything.
  • Stop at the end of the window you set, and read the trend then.

Tracking can show whether something changed for you. It cannot show what caused it.

RNAWiki does not work out an amount for anyone.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Claims that go past the evidence

Things said about this substance that sound reasonable, and the exact step that is missing between the evidence and the claim.

Goes past the evidence

That curcumin modifies joint disease — the MRI structural endpoint in the trial designed to test it did not move

Why it sounds right. It follows from something real on this page: a body step, an animal result or a related finding.

The missing step. Nobody measured this in people for this use, or the study that did measure it did not show it.

What would change this

A study in people, for this exact use, measuring this exact thing, that a reviewer signs off.

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Goes past the evidence

That the large in vitro target list reflects real binding, when the compound is a documented pan-assay interference and invalid metabolic panacea compound

Why it sounds right. It follows from something real on this page: a body step, an animal result or a related finding.

The missing step. Nobody measured this in people for this use, or the study that did measure it did not show it.

What would change this

A study in people, for this exact use, measuring this exact thing, that a reviewer signs off.

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Goes past the evidence

That eating turmeric delivers what a 95% curcuminoid extract delivers

Why it sounds right. It follows from something real on this page: a body step, an animal result or a related finding.

The missing step. Nobody measured this in people for this use, or the study that did measure it did not show it.

What would change this

A study in people, for this exact use, measuring this exact thing, that a reviewer signs off.

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Goes past the evidence

That a trial without a plasma concentration measurement tested a systemic effect at all

Why it sounds right. It follows from something real on this page: a body step, an animal result or a related finding.

The missing step. Nobody measured this in people for this use, or the study that did measure it did not show it.

What would change this

A study in people, for this exact use, measuring this exact thing, that a reviewer signs off.

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What nobody knows yet

Open questions, each with why it is open and what would close it.

How fast does the body clear it?

The sources RNAWiki checked hold nothing for this field.

Why it matters. Without this, nothing on this page can say how long anything lasts.

What would answer it

A stored source that records it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing populations

Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing long-term data

No completed tested study window is recorded.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

No reviewed conclusion

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing interaction studies

No interaction was found in the registers checked. Not finding one is not the same as showing there is none.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Formulation uncertainty

Several salts, forms or products of Curcumin are recorded. Results from one form may not transfer to another.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Mechanism not reviewed

No reviewed mechanism story exists for this substance.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Check any of this yourself

Every line above traced back to the study it came from. This is the technical layer, and the vocabulary changes here.

Every line above can be traced to the study named beside it. Follow the link and read it.

Curcuma longa extract reduced knee pain in a 70-patient randomised trial
In plain words
People taking turmeric extract reported meaningfully less knee pain than people taking placebo over twelve weeks.
What was measured
Change in knee pain on a visual analogue scale at 12 weeks
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
Wang et al. randomised 70 participants with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and ultrasound-detected effusion-synovitis to Curcuma longa extract or placebo for 12 weeks. The extract group reported greater improvement in knee pain on the visual analogue scale, the trial's co-primary symptomatic endpoint.
Source
Wang Z et al. Ann Intern Med 2020;173:861-869
Role in the trial
Not matched to a registered study
Identity check
no open identity hold
Audit mark
verified
Review state
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
The same trial found no change in the MRI-measured joint pathology
In plain words
The pain score improved and the actual swelling inside the joint, measured by scan, did not.
What was measured
Change in MRI-assessed effusion-synovitis volume at 12 weeks
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
This entry records a failure.
From the source
The co-primary structural endpoint in Wang et al. was change in MRI-assessed effusion-synovitis volume, and it did not differ between the Curcuma longa and placebo groups. The authors concluded that the extract improved symptoms but had no effect on the underlying effusion-synovitis, and that larger trials were required before it could be recommended. A symptom benefit without a structural one is a real finding; presenting it as disease modification is not.
Source
Wang Z et al. Ann Intern Med 2020;173:861-869
Role in the trial
Not matched to a registered study
Identity check
no open identity hold
Audit mark
verified
Review state
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
A 2017 medicinal-chemistry review reclassified curcumin as an assay-interference compound
In plain words
Chemists showed that many of the thousands of published curcumin results are probably artefacts of the way the tests were run, not real effects on the proteins claimed.
What was measured
That the very large in vitro literature identifies genuine curcumin targets, when much of it is explicable as assay interference
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
Nelson et al. reviewed the medicinal chemistry of curcumin in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry and classified it as both a PAINS compound (pan-assay interference) and an IMPS compound (invalid metabolic panacea). The specific mechanisms are chemical rather than rhetorical: curcumin is intrinsically fluorescent and interferes with fluorescence readouts; it is redox-active and generates hydrogen peroxide in buffer; it forms colloidal aggregates that non-specifically inhibit enzymes; it is chemically unstable at physiological pH; and it is a covalent Michael acceptor. The paper reported that no double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of curcumin had then been successful, despite very large numbers of trials.
Source
Nelson KM et al. J Med Chem 2017;60:1620-1637
Role in the trial
Not matched to a registered study
Identity check
no open identity hold
Audit mark
contested
Review state
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
Most trials never established that the compound reached the tissue
In plain words
Curcumin is cleared so fast that a plain capsule often produces no measurable blood level at all, and most trials did not check.
What was measured
That an oral curcumin dose produces a systemic concentration comparable to the one used in the cell experiments it is justified by
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
Anand et al. reviewed curcumin pharmacokinetics and documented poor absorption, rapid intestinal and hepatic glucuronidation and sulfation, and rapid systemic elimination, producing serum concentrations in the low nanomolar range or below detection after oral dosing. Shoba et al. had earlier shown in human volunteers that co-administering 20 mg piperine with 2 g curcumin raised bioavailability by 2,000%, which is the origin of the piperine pairing in commercial products. A trial that reports an outcome without a plasma concentration cannot distinguish a systemic drug effect from a gut-local one or from chance.
Source
Anand P et al. Mol Pharm 2007;4:807-818; Shoba G et al. Planta Med 1998;64:353-356
Role in the trial
Not matched to a registered study
Identity check
no open identity hold
Audit mark
caution
Review state
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
Curcumin did not slow Alzheimer's disease in a randomised trial
In plain words
A 24-week trial in Alzheimer's patients found no cognitive benefit, and plasma levels of the drug were very low.
What was measured
Change in ADAS-Cog and plasma curcumin concentration over 24 weeks
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
This entry records a failure.
From the source
Ringman et al. randomised patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease to oral curcumin at 2 g or 4 g daily, or placebo, for 24 weeks with a 24-week open-label extension. There was no difference in cognitive or biomarker outcomes. Native curcumin was largely undetectable in plasma, with only conjugated metabolites present, which is the pharmacokinetic finding that makes the negative efficacy result unsurprising rather than mysterious.
Source
Ringman JM et al. Alzheimers Res Ther 2012;4:43
Role in the trial
Not matched to a registered study
Identity check
no open identity hold
Audit mark
verified
Review state
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
Turmeric supplements have a documented liver-injury signal
In plain words
The US network that tracks supplement-caused liver damage has published a growing series of cases from turmeric products.
What was measured
Adjudicated cases of hepatocellular liver injury attributed to turmeric products
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
Halegoua-DeMarzio et al. reported ten cases of turmeric-associated liver injury enrolled in the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network, describing the problem as growing. Injury was predominantly hepatocellular and included cases requiring hospitalisation. Susceptibility has been linked to the HLA-B*35:01 allele. The exposure in these cases is concentrated supplement extract, not culinary turmeric, and the risk is plausibly higher for the enhanced-absorption formulations precisely because they work.
Source
Halegoua-DeMarzio D et al. Am J Med 2023;136:200-206
Role in the trial
Not matched to a registered study
Identity check
no open identity hold
Audit mark
caution
Review state
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim

Where else this substance is registered

CAS registry number
458-37-7
PubChem compound
969516
RxNorm concept
2955

Checks this page had to pass

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    Trial roles classified for highlighted evidence

    No registered study is classified as testing this substance.

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    enforced by the copy-contract test over the rendered page

  • Passed

    Safety mode resolved

    The identity record classes it as a supplement ingredient; no medicines register records an approval.

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What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

How this medicine reached us

Kept near the foot of the page. A historical event moves up only when it changes something about this substance today.

What the approval register records

  • The earliest marketing start date recorded for a listed product is 20210415.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 43853-0043 · read 2026-08-29

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What to learn next

Ordered by what would most change how you read this page, starting with what is easiest to misunderstand.

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What is not here

4 questions this page could not answer

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The full record, for auditing

Everything above is built from what is below. This layer keeps the technical vocabulary, record identifiers and every stored row, so a reader who wants to check the page can.

The older medicine-wide conclusion held in this record

Written for a clinical reader, and about the medicine as a whole rather than about one indication, population and set of trials. RNAWiki does not treat it as a programme conclusion and no reviewer has signed it off in that form. It is here word for word because it is what the record holds.

A compound that reduces self-reported knee pain in randomised trials, does not change the MRI-visible joint pathology underneath it, is absorbed so poorly that most trials cannot have achieved a systemic concentration, and has a documented liver injury signal at extract strength.

Recorded evidence blocks (15)

What did Curcumin's largest trial (686 people) and its longest (15 years) measure?


686 people in Curcumin's largest registered study, 15 years in its longest registered window, measuring Curcumin and Physical Function -Walking. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

57 phase2, 56 na, 29 phase1, 23 phase3, 10 early phase1, 10 phase4; NCT02064673; 2028-12. Last human test completed 2026, NCT07785986.

Interpretation These counts include studies where Curcumin was a comparison treatment, a background treatment or an exposure in an observational study, and the longest window may be a planned end date. Trial roles have not yet been classified for this record.

Show the evidence
  • phase2
    57
  • na
    56
  • phase1
    29
  • phase3
    23
  • early phase1
    10
  • phase4
    10
1 more recorded row
  • Last recorded human test NCT07785986
    2026-08-01

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

From yeast to human: where has Curcumin shown lifespan?


C. elegans: lifespan, Drosophila: lifespan, NHP: healthspan, yeast: mechanism-only, mouse: lifespan, rat: biomarker and human: healthspan (170): the rungs where Curcumin has a recorded finding. Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov · organism ladder · 2026-09-01

Interpretation Curcumin and Physical Function -Walking — the recorded outcome words.

Yeast mechanism-onlyC. elegans lifespanDrosophila lifespanMouse lifespanRat biomarkerDog Non-human primate healthspanHuman healthspan
Show the evidence
  • C. elegans
    lifespan
  • Drosophila
    lifespan
  • NHP
    healthspan
  • yeast
    mechanism-only
  • mouse
    lifespan
  • rat
    biomarker
1 more recorded row
  • human NCT03085680
    healthspan; Curcumin and Physical Function -Walking; 170

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

The NIA ITP gave Curcumin at 2000 ppm from 4 months — did both sexes live longer?


2000 ppm, from 4 months: the NIA Interventions Testing Program workbook rows for Curcumin. jax-mpd-itp · ITP_C2007_Lifespan.xlsx · 2026-09-04

290 mice; cohorts C2007; cohort rows are the workbook's own printed values; no median, percent change or survival statistic is derived from the per-animal data

Show the evidence
  • ITP cohort C2007
    curcumin; 2000; 4.0 months; f, m; ITP_C2007_Lifespan.xlsx

recorded 2026-09-04 · last checked 2026-09-04

22 of Curcumin's trials stopped: futility/efficacy, accrual/recruitment, funding/business, sponsor decision unspecified, other?


futility/efficacy (3), accrual/recruitment (6), funding/business (1), sponsor decision unspecified (1) and other (11): Curcumin's stop wording, clustered. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

"Study completed"; 22 of 170 registered studies

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT00003365
    terminated; "Study completed"
  • NCT00176618
    terminated; "principal Investigator left institution"
  • NCT00248053
    withdrawn; "Subsequent data generated by our collaborators have shown efficacy with curcumin and quercetin in 5 patients in a non placebo controlled trial."
  • NCT00745134
    terminated; "The trial was stopped early because there was only one patient with pCR among the first 15 patients randomized to the curcumin arm."
  • NCT00852332
    terminated; "The trial was stopped for futility in view of the results of the anticipated analysis"
  • NCT01048983
    withdrawn; "No accrual."
14 further recorded trials
  • NCT01928043
    terminated; "insufficient recruitment"
  • NCT02095717
    terminated; "The trial was stopped for futility in view of the results of the interim analysis"
  • NCT02277223
    withdrawn; "Difficulty to enroll patients"
  • NCT02281981
    withdrawn; "Project abandoned"
  • NCT02300727
    terminated; "Protocol failed to accrue sufficient subject to complete meaningful analysis."
  • NCT02476708
    terminated; "Recruitment was not achieved as expected"
  • NCT02554344
    withdrawn; "no subject accrual"
  • NCT02724202
    terminated; "PI-Initiated study; PI requested closure"
  • NCT02944578
    terminated; "Study was terminated due to patient feedback and need to redesign the delivery method."
  • NCT03122613
    terminated; "Decision made by team of investigators"
  • NCT04132648
    withdrawn; "PI left the Institution"
  • NCT04294836
    withdrawn; "Issues with local regulatory authority"
  • NCT04353310
    withdrawn; "No funding"
  • NCT04403568
    withdrawn; "No subjects were enrolled in this study, the PI will seek funding and revise the protocol for resubmisson at a later date"

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Mouse studies of Curcumin used 2000 ppm — over how long?


Mouse studies of Curcumin used "2000 ppm". clinicaltrials.gov+jax-mpd-itp · 2026-09-04

5 recorded entries; mouse, human; also "1000 mg curcumin and 5 mg bioperine", "curcumin 1800mg", "Curcumin capsules 500mg"

Show the evidence
  • mouse curcumin C2007
    2000 ppm

human

  • NCT00895167
    1000 mg curcumin and 5 mg bioperine
  • NCT02476708
    curcumin 1800mg
  • NCT03511261
    Curcumin capsules 500mg
  • NCT05753436
    Puritans Pride Turmeric curcumin® 500 mg

recorded 2026-09-04 · last checked 2026-09-04

More Curcumin was worse in human: at what point?


Hormetic in human: "These findings suggest that curcumin alleviates PM2.5-induced pulmonary senescence, likely through a hormetic effect that inhibits excessive activation of the mTOR/S6K1 axis." Europe PMC · dose-response search · 2026-07-18

7 recorded sentences naming Curcumin; hormetic, Dose-response, dose-response

Show the evidence

hormetic

  • PMID 41484271
    "These findings suggest that curcumin alleviates PM2.5-induced pulmonary senescence, likely through a hormetic effect that inhibits excessive activation of the mTOR/S6K1 axis."
  • PMID 40943481
    "Our in vitro study investigated the hormetic effects of curcumin in human RPE cells (ARPE-19), focusing on its capability to modulate two enzymes related to the onset of AMD: Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), a NAD+-dependent deacetylase enzyme involved in cellular metabolism, aging, and stress response, and caspase-3, a crucial enzyme in programmed cell death."
  • PMID 40943481
    "Curcumin exhibited classic hormetic doseresponses, with low concentrations (5-10 μM) providing cytoprotection while at high doses (≥20 μM) inducing toxicity."
  • PMID 40943481
    "Our results reveal curcumin's hormetic mechanisms of RPE protection and emphasize the critical importance of dose optimization within the hormetic window for AMD therapeutic development."
  • Dose-response PMID 42447971
    "Dose-response analysis revealed a non-linear effect on serum ALT reduction, with an optimal window of 50-150 mg/kg; efficacy declined notably at doses >400 mg/kg. Subgroup analyses showed that curcumin derivatives and novel delivery systems were significantly more effective than native curcumin (P < 0.05)."
  • dose-response PMID 42447971
    "This is the first meta-analysis to quantitatively define an optimal dose window for curcumin in MASLD animal models and to demonstrate non-linear dose-response characteristics across different formulations."
  • Dose-response PMID 40902809
    "Dose-response analysis suggested that the optimal dose range of Curcumin was 25-50 mg/kg/day and the duration of intervention was 14-21 days."

recorded 2026-07-18 · last checked 2026-09-04

Could one person measure Curcumin's effect on six month survival?


Six month survival: measured in Curcumin's trials.

Interpretation six month survival is the recorded endpoint.

Show the evidence

biomarkers

  • six month survival; 2026-09-01
  • time to tumor progression; 2026-09-01
  • pathologic complete response rate; 2026-09-01
  • american college of rheumatology 20; 2026-09-01
  • womac pain subscale; 2026-09-01
  • combined auc for selected symptoms; 2026-09-01
14 more recorded rows
  • biomarkers
    nt probnp; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    hscrp; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    serum creatinine; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    cmax; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    tmax; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    t1/2; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    maximum tolerated dose; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    plasma tnf alpha; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    hamilton depression rating scale; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    montgomery asberg depression rating scale; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    proteinuria; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    oxidative stress markers; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    endothelial function; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    time to progression; 2026-09-01
  • human trials at or under30
    70
  • Not recorded for this substance
    a recorded half-life
  • smallest human trial
    0; NCT00248053; PHASE2; the smallest recorded human enrolment at or below 30; the registry states no direction of its result; WITHDRAWN

Which of american college of rheumatology 20, aortic pulse wave velocity and arterial stiffness did Curcumin's trials measure?


american college of rheumatology 20, aortic pulse wave velocity and arterial stiffness lead 40 outcome terms across Curcumin's trials. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

american college of rheumatology 20, womac pain subscale, combined auc for selected symptoms, nt probnp, hscrp and serum creatinine follow.

Show the evidence
  • six month survival
    1
  • time to tumor progression
    1
  • pathologic complete response rate
    1
  • american college of rheumatology 20
    1
  • womac pain subscale
    1
  • combined auc for selected symptoms
    1
14 more recorded rows
  • nt probnp
    1
  • hscrp
    1
  • serum creatinine
    1
  • cmax
    1
  • tmax
    1
  • t1/2
    1
  • maximum tolerated dose
    1
  • plasma tnf alpha
    1
  • hamilton depression rating scale
    1
  • montgomery asberg depression rating scale
    1
  • proteinuria
    1
  • oxidative stress markers
    1
  • endothelial function
    1
  • time to progression
    1

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Which of Curcumin's 23 ongoing trials reports first?


23 registered trials of Curcumin are open; earliest completion 2025-08-01. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

Serum prostate specific antigen; Absolute Change in IL-1beta Cytokine Levels in the Gastric Mucosa; latest 2030-11

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT02064673
    "Adjuvant Curcumin to Assess Recurrence Free Survival in Patients Who Have Had a Radical Prostatectomy"; n 650; "Serum prostate specific antigen"; 2028-12
  • NCT02782949
    "Curcumin in Preventing Gastric Cancer in Patients With Chronic Atrophic Gastritis or Gastric Intestinal Metaplasia"; n 50; "Absolute Change in IL-1beta Cytokine Levels in the Gastric Mucosa"; 2027-04-01
  • NCT03769766
    "Trial of Curcumin to Prevent Progression of Low-risk Prostate Cancer Under Active Surveillance"; n 291; "The primary end point is rate of disease progression."; 2030-11
  • NCT03865992
    "Curcumin in Reducing Joint Pain in Breast Cancer Survivors With Aromatase Inhibitor-Induced Joint Disease"; n 42; "Changes in aromatase inhibitor-induced symptoms and overall wellbeing in postmenopausal women on aromatase inhibitor therapy"; 2026-09-08
  • NCT03935958
    "Curcumin in Kidney Transplant Recipients"; n 14; "Graft Outcomes"; 2027-05-31
  • NCT04871412
    "The Thoracic Peri-Operative Integrative Surgical Care Evaluation Trial - Stage III"; n 20; "Participant Recruitment Rates"; 2029-12-01
14 further recorded trials
  • NCT05363267
    "NF-1, Nutraceutical Intervention"; n 23; "The primary objective of this study is to establish the safety and preliminary activity of curcumin and oleocanthal-rich olive oil supplementation in adult NF-1 persons with cutaneous neurofibromas."; 2026-08
  • NCT05688488
    "Clinical Study of Curcumin in Preventing Postoperative Adhesion of Bilateral Vocal Cords"; n 100; "Number of participants with laryngeal web formation as assessed by videolaryngoscope"; 2026-12-31
  • NCT05947513
    "Concomitant Curcumin Palliative Radiotherapy in Advanced Cervical Cancer Trial"; n 27; "Treatment Fidelity Rate"; 2026-04
  • NCT06053411
    "Contribution of UGT2B17 to the Pharmacokinetics of Diclofenac"; n 30; "Diclofenac area under the concentration vs. time curve (AUC) in UGT2B17 extensive metabolizers (EMs)"; 2026-12-18
  • NCT06055894
    "A Study of a Plant-Based Diet and Dietary Supplements in People With Smoldering Multiple Myeloma (SMM) or Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS)"; n 200; "Relative abundance of stool butyrate producers at 2 weeks"; 2026-09
  • NCT06080841
    "Curcumin Supplementation in Cervical Cancer"; n 30; "p53 expression"; 2026-03
  • NCT06359665
    "Oral Curcumin for the Treatment of Pain of Thumb Base Joint (CMC) Arthritis"; n 100; "Change from Baseline in Pain on the Visual Analog Pain (VAS) Score"; 2026-02
  • NCT06470061
    "RQC for the Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease and Retinal Amyloid-β"; n 200; "Change in Retinal Amyloid-β"; 2027-07
  • NCT06531863
    "Curcumin and EGCG Supplementation to Improve Serum BDNF and Mood Disturbance"; n 64; "Changes in total distress as measured via DASS-21 total score."; 2025-08-01
  • NCT06626230
    "Safety of Anal Curcumin"; n 48; "Maximum curcumin tolerated dose"; 2026-12
  • NCT06758739
    "Comparison of Curcumin and Intralesional Steroids in Oral Submucous Fibrosis"; n 70; "Mean of Burning Sensation"; 2025-10
  • NCT06829186
    "The Effect of Curcumin on Inflammatory Markers in Hemodialysis Patients"; n 70; "Interleukin Interleukin-6"; 2026-12-30
  • NCT06847984
    "Antimicrobial Effect of Curcumin Versus Chlorohexidine on Oral Microbiome"; n 54; "Caries incidence"; 2026-03
  • NCT07063056
    "Curcumin & Astaxanthin for Lowering Triglyceride Readings and Inflammation"; n 64; "Trilgycerides"; 2026-09-25

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Which running trial of Curcumin could settle inflammatory markers?


NCT06829186 measures Interleukin Interleukin-6, reading out 2026-12-30.

2 open trials; n 70; "The Effect of Curcumin on Inflammatory Markers in Hemodialysis Patients"

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT06829186
    "The Effect of Curcumin on Inflammatory Markers in Hemodialysis Patients"; n 70; "Interleukin Interleukin-6"; 2026-12-30
  • NCT07436130
    "Curcumin in Critically Ill Patients With Sepsis"; n 56; "Change in Interleukin-6 (IL-6) from baseline to Day 10 of treatment."; 2027-05-31

Which 63 trials of Curcumin posted no result?


Posted no result
63 of 63 completed trials
Registrations
NCT00027495, NCT00181662, NCT00528151, NCT00779493, NCT00895167 and NCT01022632, and 57 more
Completion dates
oldest 2007-09; newest 2024-08-01
Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT00027495
    2007-09
  • NCT00181662
    2007-10-17
  • NCT00528151
    2007-12
  • NCT00779493
    2009-06
  • NCT00895167
    2009-08
  • NCT01022632
    2010-01
14 further recorded trials
  • NCT01179256
    2010-03
  • NCT00889161
    2010-06
  • NCT00192842
    2010-09
  • NCT00752154
    2011-01-01
  • NCT01750359
    2011-06
  • NCT01035580
    2012-01
  • NCT01489592
    2012-03
  • NCT01330810
    2012-04
  • NCT01543386
    2012-04
  • NCT00792818
    2012-10
  • NCT01982734
    2013-04
  • NCT01925287
    2013-07
  • NCT01917890
    2013-10
  • NCT01831193
    2014-04

At the median, Curcumin's trials enrolled 40 people — anything larger?


Median enrolment
40
Largest enrolment
686
Registered trials counted
167

What do 225 spontaneous reports say about Curcumin — and not say?


These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction. Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing. The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete. News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report. A count is not a rate and not a risk.

Curcumin appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 225 reaction mentions were counted: macular degeneration 45; pain 32; pyrexia 21; toxicity to various agents 21. open-targets-adr · CHEMBL140 · 2026-06-24

Show the evidence
  • macular degeneration
    45
  • pain
    32
  • pyrexia
    21
  • toxicity to various agents
    21
  • constipation
    20
  • dyspepsia
    19
4 more recorded rows
  • weight decreased
    19
  • infusion related reaction
    16
  • serotonin syndrome
    16
  • therapeutic product effect incomplete
    16

recorded 2026-06-24 · last checked 2026-09-04

Was Curcumin studied with fasting and exercise?


fasting and exercise are named in Curcumin's label sentences: "This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the effects of 1500 mg/day curcumin supplementation for 12 months in 114 adults with T2DM, with assessments including fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), inflammatory cytokines…" openfda-label+europepmc · 2026-04-27

2 recorded statements; fasting, exercise

Show the evidence
  • fasting
    This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the effects of 1500 mg/day curcumin supplementation for 12 months in 114 adults with T2DM, with assessments including fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio…
  • exercise
    During exercise, the amplitude of deoxyhemoglobin was greater after curcumin intake compared to placebo (CUR: 13.11 ± 9.52 vs. PLA: 10.22 ± 8.39 μM, <i>p</i> = 0.030).

recorded 2026-04-27 · last checked 2026-09-04

What is recorded about Curcumin and mTOR?


"Experimental and clinical evidence indicates that phytochemicals engage conserved ageing hubs spanning insulin-IGF signaling, AMPK-mTOR nutrient sensing, redox regulation, and mitochondrial quality control - exemplified by berberine via AMPK, curcumin via NF-κB, and resveratrol via SIRT1." — where Curcumin and mTOR appear together. Europe PMC · pathway abstract search · 2026-08-17

mTOR, AMPK, sirtuin, autophagy, NAD+, senolytic; PMID 42607934, 42196199, 41252742, 42475944

Show the evidence
  • mTOR PMID 42607934
    "Experimental and clinical evidence indicates that phytochemicals engage conserved ageing hubs spanning insulin-IGF signaling, AMPK-mTOR nutrient sensing, redox regulation, and mitochondrial quality control - exemplified by berberine via AMPK, curcumin via NF-κB, and resveratrol via SIRT1."
  • AMPK PMID 42607934
    "Experimental and clinical evidence indicates that phytochemicals engage conserved ageing hubs spanning insulin-IGF signaling, AMPK-mTOR nutrient sensing, redox regulation, and mitochondrial quality control - exemplified by berberine via AMPK, curcumin via NF-κB, and resveratrol via SIRT1."

sirtuin

  • PMID 42607934
    "Experimental and clinical evidence indicates that phytochemicals engage conserved ageing hubs spanning insulin-IGF signaling, AMPK-mTOR nutrient sensing, redox regulation, and mitochondrial quality control - exemplified by berberine via AMPK, curcumin via NF-κB, and resveratrol via SIRT1."
  • PMID 42196199
    "Preclinical studies demonstrate that natural compounds (resveratrol, quercetin, curcumin, ginsenosides, tanshinone IIA, bergenin, swietenine) and synthetic SIRT1 activators (SRT1720, anilinopyridine derivatives) attenuate cardiac injury and improve function."

autophagy

  • PMID 41252742
    "The aim of this study is to investigate whether the Curcumin-loaded Pluronic F-127 nanoparticles exert anti-colon cancer effects by modulating autophagy and explore the specific regulatory mechanism."
  • PMID 41252742
    "Curcumin-loaded Pluronic F-127 nanoparticle inhibited the proliferation of CT26 cells and the growth of colon tumours by promoting cellular autophagy."
  • mTOR PMID 41252742
    "Curcumin-loaded Pluronic F-127 nanoparticle induced autophagy-dependent apoptosis through ROS-AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 signalling in colon cancer cells."
  • AMPK PMID 41252742
    "Curcumin-loaded Pluronic F-127 nanoparticle induced autophagy-dependent apoptosis through ROS-AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 signalling in colon cancer cells."
  • autophagy PMID 41252742
    "Curcumin-loaded Pluronic F-127 nanoparticle induced autophagy-dependent apoptosis through ROS-AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 signalling in colon cancer cells."
  • mTOR PMID 42475944
    "Among the in vitro studies, curcumin demonstrated a strong ability to modulate the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, enhancing autophagic flux and reducing cell viability."
  • AMPK
    "Curcumin treatment alleviated the SNI-induced downregulation of p- AMPK, PGC-1α and upregulation of TNF-α protein and inhibited the activation of microglia in the mouse spinal cord."
  • sirtuin PMID 40943481
    "Our in vitro study investigated the hormetic effects of curcumin in human RPE cells (ARPE-19), focusing on its capability to modulate two enzymes related to the onset of AMD: Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), a NAD+-dependent deacetylase enzyme involved in cellular metabolism, aging, and stress response, and caspase-3, a crucial enzyme in programmed cell death."

NAD+

  • PMID 40943481
    "Our in vitro study investigated the hormetic effects of curcumin in human RPE cells (ARPE-19), focusing on its capability to modulate two enzymes related to the onset of AMD: Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), a NAD+-dependent deacetylase enzyme involved in cellular metabolism, aging, and stress response, and caspase-3, a crucial enzyme in programmed cell death."
  • PMID 41089715
    "Recent studies indicate that natural compounds (e.g., resveratrol, curcumin) improve gut-liver barrier function through microbiota-SIRT1 interactions, while synthetic activators (SRT1720) and NAD<sup>+</sup> precursors (NMN) enhance hepatocyte antioxidant capacity and fatty acid β-oxidation."
  • PMID 42162312
    "Docking analyses demonstrated favorable binding of curcumin to GLS2 and NAMPT, consistent with curcumin-mediated restraint of mitochondrial energy/heat production and with the observed reductions in microglial activation, caspase-dependent apoptosis, and neuronal loss."
  • senolytic PMID 42653699
    "Natural polyphenols such as quercetin and curcumin possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and potential senolytic properties that may modulate multiple pathways implicated in Long COVID."

recorded 2026-08-17 · last checked 2026-09-04

Where it is registered
Identifiers, relations and other names

The exact record

ChEMBL id
CHEMBL140
PubChem CID
969516
CAS number
458-37-7
RxCUI
2955
InChIKey
VFLDPWHFBUODDF-FCXRPNKRSA-N
Also called
Curcuma
Also called
C.i. 75300, Ci 75300, C.i. natural yellow 3, Curcumin e100, Diferuloylmethane, Haldar, Jianghuangsu, Kacha haldi, Kurkum, Lipocurc, Merita earth, Nanocurc
Development code
E 100, E100, INS-100(I), INS NO. 100(I), NSC-32982, NSC-687842, CUR-0
Salt form
curcuma longa gel
Trade name
Immune Support, Sold as turmeric extract, and as branded complexes including Meriva, BCM-95 and Theracurmin
Component
Curcuma
Sources (11)

Sources

  • ClinicalTrials.gov ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 snapshot 2026-09-01T09:00:05 ·
  • clinicaltrials.gov+jax-mpd-itp clinicaltrials.gov+jax-mpd-itp ·
  • this record's own fields 2,3,5 ·
  • Europe PMC dose-response search ·
  • Europe PMC pathway abstract search ·
  • Europe PMC search ·
5 more sources

ClinicalTrials.gov — US Government work · Europe PMC — metadata only, under the recorded legal gate · NIA ITP via the JAX Mouse Phenome Database · Open Targets 26.06 — CC0 · derived from this page's own recorded fields; no external licence · mixed register set; per-register licences in docs/specs/corpus-20k-sources.md · openFDA / DailyMed — US Government work

How these records are assembled · Which registers were checked

Index-quality checks
  • identity passed: no open identity hold
  • required summary fields resolved: 5 required field(s) not terminal: Why people use it, Best-supported result, Most important common problem, Biggest unanswered question, Human evidence
  • public claims reviewed: 0 reviewed claim(s); drafts are never rendered
  • source coverage passed: 11 source rows
  • no critical contamination: no quarantine open
  • canonical metadata passed: slug and display name present
  • no raw internal fields: enforced by the copy-contract test over the rendered page

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