Curcumin vs Turmeric: What’s the difference?

Curcumin, believed to be the principal bioactive constituent in the curcuminoid family, is derived from the Curcuma longa plant. It has been subject to extensive scientific scrutiny, with over 1,000 published studies and over 7,000 articles highlighting its potential medicinal properties. Historically integral to India's culinary and medicinal landscape for over 2,500 years, curcumin has been a dietary staple with considerable significance in therapeutic practices. Given its extensive array of nearly 600 potential therapeutic effects, curcumin remains a focal point of scientific investigation and health discourse. As research progresses, it remains integral to Ayurvedic, Traditional Chinese, and Western herbal medicine, continuously explored for dietary inclusion and therapeutic use.

With that said, let’s once again debunk a horrible myth. While Western science believes that a specific constituent is thought to create an herb's desired effects, this concept is pure reductionist thinking and limits an herb's potential usage capability. Contrary to popular belief, the sum of the parts is not equal to the whole because the whole functions differently than the parts as individual entities. Yes, it is true; when you isolate a compound, you can create a more specific targeted approach and result, but it may come with significant pitfalls. 

Turmeric vs. Curcumin: What is the difference?

You may notice a wide array of turmeric products as you search online or in the aisles of a health store. You will often see every version of this herb, from whole turmeric root in a capsule and full spectrum tinctures to various versions of standardized extracts focusing on concentrated levels of curcuminoids. It is not uncommon when terms describing various end products derived from the same original food are used interchangeably. Much like how cacao, cocoa, and chocolate are terms often clumped together because they are all derived from the cacao bean but are actually different end products with individually unique nourishing qualities. This is also the case when we speak about curcumin and turmeric. 

Contrary to popular opinion, while curcumin is derived from turmeric, consuming a full-spectrum version of turmeric rather than a product with standardized concentrated levels of curcuminoids produces some unique qualities and differences in the result. Discussing the concept of synergy is essential to understand what separates these two products. 

The primary principle behind synergy is understanding that the whole is greater than the sum of its simple parts. When applying this concept to using a full-spectrum turmeric root extract versus a product that focuses on specific levels of curcuminoids, the natural levels of the other various compounds (other than curcuminoids) found in whole turmeric root create a broader spectrum of nourishing results versus a targeted approach on specific mechanisms of action. The potent broad-spectrum compounds in whole turmeric root extracts create a complex herb matrix, so no particular compound dominates the spectrum. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that consuming a whole turmeric extract creates different nourishing results than consuming a standardized extract focusing on a specific family of compounds.

What are Curcuminoids?

A curcuminoid is a small class of secondary metabolites, including curcumin, Demethoxycurcumin, and Bisdemethoxycurcumin, all isolated from Turmeric. These compounds are phenols and are responsible for turmeric's yellow color. Within the curcuminoid family, curcumin is the primary compound, and the other two curcuminoids are analogs of curcumin. An analog is a compound with a molecular structure similar to the primary compound. While Demethoxycurcumin and Bisdemethoxycurcumin are believed to act similarly to curcumin, it is not explicitly known if they act to the same extent. To simplify this explanation, think of a lock, and each of these three compounds has a key that fits the lock, but only curcumin can open it. It is important to note that all curcumin extracts naturally contain curcumin and both analogs, but the analogs are often not standardized to a specific percentage. 

Curcumin: A Healthy Inflammation Response 

Before we discuss turmeric and the curcuminoid's relationship to “inflammation,” it is vital to understand what actual anti-inflammatories are and what they do. Anti-inflammatories only work on one area of the entire inflammatory cascade and often negatively affect the whole cascade. In a nutshell, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories work by reducing prostaglandins, which are chemicals that promote inflammation, pain, and fever. A group of enzymes produce these prostaglandins called cyclooxygenases, otherwise known as (COX). There are precisely two types of COX enzymes known as COX-1 and COX-2. Both produce these prostaglandins, but only cox-1 promotes prostaglandins that activate platelets and protect the stomach lining. 

The job of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories is to essentially block the cox enzymes and reduce the production of prostaglandins. For your reference…

• Aspirin is a COX-1 inhibitor, and 
• The drug Celebrex is a COX-2 inhibitor. 

Prednisone (a steroid-based anti-inflammatory) works in a much different way to produce a similar result.  According to the Mayo Clinic, “Corticosteroids mimic the effects of hormones your body produces naturally in your adrenal glands, which sit on top of your kidneys. 

Curcumin is touted as one of the most remarkable compounds for supporting a healthy inflammation response due to its unique mechanisms of action (Modulating Nuclear factor-kappa B). Nuclear factor-kappa B is a protein complex that turns on genes that produce inflammation. Its three main jobs are the transcription of DNA, cytokine production, and cell survival. By modulating its action, this, in turn, prevents the rest of the cascade-like cyclooxygenases (COX 1 and 2), Lipoxygenase (lkb4) enzymes, and inducible nitric oxide synthase from responding in an unhealthy way. 

Research has shown that curcumin-free turmeric extracts are as capable of supporting a healthy inflammation response. The following statement was made in a review discussing the identification and effectiveness of specific compounds found in turmeric, “Recent research has identified numerous chemical entities from turmeric other than curcumin. It is unclear whether all of the activities ascribed to turmeric are due to curcumin or whether other compounds in turmeric can manifest these activities uniquely, additively, or synergistically with curcumin. However, studies have indicated that turmeric oil, present in turmeric, can enhance the bioavailability of curcumin.” Furthermore, specific essential oils in turmeric are necessary to utilize curcumin properly.

Curcumin's ability to support a healthy inflammation response as one of its key benefits has produced a fallacy that turmeric is an anti-inflammatory. The results of human research, the experience of many top herbalists, and the fact that turmeric has many modes of action (upwards of 300 activities have been ascribed to it) show its ability to possibly be amphoteric (normalizing the function of an organ or system).    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23847105/

In conclusion, while both of these magnificent presentations of what turmeric has to offer to support our well-being, it is clear which is the better choice to support a balanced, healthy response to the manifestations of external stressors. 

Michael Stuchiner is a Master Herbalist and proud graduate of The School of Natural Healing and has worked in different areas of this field for over 25 years. He is a retired elite-level powerlifter who competed for 27 years. As an avid international traveler, he is passionate about the use of medicinal and tonic herbs and local markets in the 35 countries he has visited. Michael makes his mark in herbal medicine through the hundreds of articles he has written and his YouTube channel (A Master Herbalist Perspective). He is considered a true educator in this field.