Yesterday I received a blog comment that turned out to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. In a good sense! Until then, I had rather stubbornly decided not to recommend or even list any curcumin brands or sources on my blog, but I realize that this type of information might be useful to those thinking of taking curcumin but with no idea where to buy it (so many websites sell it now, and it’s hard to separate reliable from unreliable ). So I have changed my mind. Of course, let me state first and foremost that I have no financial or other type of interest in any of the brands or sources that I will be listing below. Okay, with that out of the way, here goes.

Curcumin brands and sources in the U.S.A.: capsules

1. Please go see Don’s excellent list: http://tinyurl.com/34byoj. He does us the huge favour of comparing costs (per capsule, even). The only addition that I would make is that Doctor’s Best can be bought a bit more cheaply at Vitacost, which is where I generally order most of my supplements. Okay, I take that back, the price has recently gone up to $ 14.74. Still, a few cents cheaper. As we say in Italy, tutto fa brodo, which literally means everything makes broth, but is properly translated as it’s all grist to the mill, hey, even just a few cents. 😉 Ok, seriously, now. Don has also posted a lot of good information about curcumin, and, in particular, I would suggest a read of his post on curcumin and nanotechnology: http://tinyurl.com/3as7we Of the brands listed by Don, I have taken NSI and Doctor’s Best. I had fewer stomach gurglings with the former, but of course that doesn’t mean it is better or worse. I know that Don mixes and matches his capsules a bit, which I think is a good idea, especially in order to avoid taking too much bioperine. I read that too much black pepper is not good for us in the long run (I have posted about this), so please remember not to add black pepper to your food if you are taking eight grams of curcumin WITH bioperine.

2. There is also another source for capsules (and perhaps even powder, but that is a question you would have to ask the company) at: http://www.turmeric-curcumin.com/ I have never personally ordered from them, so I cannot say much except that their curcumin does not contain bioperine and is not the C3 Complex curcumin by Sabinsa. Just another option. Ah, if you scroll down their homepage, you will also find up-to-date news about curcumin, which can be very useful.

Curcumin Powder

There are two main U.S. sources for curcumin powder, as far as I know.

1. My first supplier was Supplemental Health Formulations, LLC, a very nice, friendly company. That was before I discovered the Italian distributor of Sabinsa based in Milan, which made my life much easier, of course. The SHF homepage is: http://www.shfnatural.com/ and the page that lists curcumin and many other supplements (I ordered some quercetin powder from them, e.g.) is: http://tinyurl.com/hgfma The price per kilo is $ 75.00 plus shipping. The SHF curcumin is not the C3 Complex type by Sabinsa Corporation (used in the MD Anderson myeloma clinical trial), in case you were wondering. Let’s see, what else? The SHF curcumin is coarser, stains less, and is less palatable (in my opinion) compared to the C3 Complex. However, if I lived in the U.S. I would order from this company again, and test and compare the two powders. If!

2. You can buy the C3 Complex used in the MD Anderson clinical trial directly from Sabinsa, apparently. The cost is $ 73.00 per kilo, plus shipping costs. I took this information from an e-mail exchange I had in January of 2007 with Kavita Subramanian, Senior Manager, International Business, Sabinsa Corporation, 70 Ethel Road West, Unit 6, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Phone number: 732 777 111 (ask for her extension). Please contact her for more information. My blog doesn’t allow me to post e-mail addresses for obvious reasons, but anyone who would like to have Kavita Subramanian’s e-mail address can leave me a comment here, and I will be glad to forward it privately. I should add that I have never ordered directly from Sabinsa U.S.A., but I have ordered from their Italian distributor, see below.

Curcumin brands and sources in Europe: capsules

U.K.: a couple of blog readers (thank you!) sent me their source for Doctor’s Best: http://tinyurl.com/yto9uh

Italy: as far as I know, the only source of capsules in Italy is the same that I will list for curcumin powder, i.e., the Italian distributor of Sabinsa, Sochim International. This is the Sochim homepage: http://www.sochim.it/ Their catalogue can be downloaded in English and in Italian. Sochim does not sell to private citizens, so you must order curcumin (capsules or powder) through your pharmacy or herbal store or whatnot. I have ordered both C3 Complex curcumin capsules and powder (both sans bioperine) from Sochim through my friendly pharmacist here in Florence. A slight drag, but it works.

There is also a French company called Anastore (the website may be viewed in four languages) that uses the C3 Complex curcumin: http://www.anastore.com/ I placed my first curcumin capsule order with Anastore, as a matter of fact. Prompt and free delivery. But it got to be a bit expensive because at the time they were making only a 400 mg capsule. Now I see that they make a 500 mg capsule. Much better. However, if I have done the math correctly (always double-check me, I am not good at all with numbers!), even the 3+1 offer would last only 15 days on eight grams a day. Not very long. Anastore is also my source for black cumin oil capsules, by the way.

Curcumin powder

I have ordered the C3 Complex powder from the Italian Sochim Int., see details above.

There is a Spanish distributor for Sabinsa, Goerlich Pharma Espana, S.L., but I don’t know if they sell curcumin to individuals, although I see that they do list the C3 Complex powder here: http://tinyurl.com/ytn2ng. The website also lists contact numbers, etc.

Sabinsa Europe is based in Germany, see contact information here: http://tinyurl.com/yq8m8t. Again, no idea if they sell to individuals. The only way to find out is to contact them directly.

I will make an effort to find other sources in Europe, which I fear won’t be easy until curcumin becomes a common household word. Of course, Sabinsa’s homepage lists their branches throughout the world. Easy.

Have I missed anything? Probably. As always, I welcome suggestions and comments. Thank you!