Best Turmeric / Curcumin C3 Complex Supplement (2020 Update)

The most common formulation of turmeric supplements includes curcumin and piperine (Read Curcumin-Bioperine Supplements). Now if you check the ingredient list, a genuine curcumin supplement of this type would mention either ‘standardized 95% curcumin’ or ‘Curcumin C3 complex’.

In this article, we will find more about what C3 complex is and Best Turmeric / Curcumin C3 Complex Supplement in market right now.

Standardized 95% curcumin means 95% of the extract is curcuminoids. (Read Is Curcumin Different From Curcuminoids?)

Curcumin C3 complex is essentially a composition of the three curcuminoids: curcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, and demethoxycurcumin. However, this composition has been patented by Sabsina Corp.

Sabsina Corp. and parent company Sami Labs are involved in extraction and manufacture of herbal extracts for nutritional, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries. Curcumin supplements are one their most famous products, and their standardized curcumin extract is used popularly in research.

If you already know about Curcumin C3 complex and just looking for good brands, proceed to next section. But if you want to get more info on it first, use the Table of Content to jump to the relevant section.

Best Turmeric / Curcumin C3 Complex Supplements

Here are a few popular brands of Curcumin C3 Complex. They are best taken with additional bioperine for better absorption.

Viva Naturals Non GMO Turmeric Curcumin C3

These supplements contain 500mg Curcumin C3 complex, 475 mg Turmeric root, and 5mg Bioperine to aid in absorption. They are packed in veg capsules.

Readers from the USA, buy from Amazon.com

Caution: Contains rice flour and ascorbyl palmitate. Avoid in case of allergies.

 

Doctor’s Best Curcumin From Turmeric Root

These supplements contain 1000mg Curcumin C3 Complex and 6 mg Bioperine. They are gluten free and soy free.

Readers from the USA, buy from Amazon.com

Readers from the UK, buy from Amazon.uk

Readers from Canada, buy from Amazon.ca

Caution: Contains magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose and packed in gelatine capsules. Avoid in case of allergies.

Sports Research Turmeric Curcumin C3 Complex

These supplements contain 500mg Curcumin C3 Complex, 475 mg standardized 95% curcuminoids and 5 mg Bioperine. They also contain organic extra virgin coconut oil.

They are free from allergens, binders, fillers, magnesium stearate and artificial ingredients and preservatives.

Readers from the USA, buy from Amazon.com

Readers from Canada, buy from Amazon.ca

Caution: Contains kosher gelatine, kosher vegetable glycerine, organic yellowbeeswax. Avoid in case of allergies.

What does Curcumin C3 complex contain and how bioavailable is it?

According to their US patent, Curcumin C3 Complex is a bioprotectant composition. By bioprotectant, they typically highlight the antioxidant potential of curcuminoids.

Their data suggest that curcumin alone is not an effective antioxidant, but in combination with other curcuminoids, it’s antioxidant or bioprotectant potential is enhanced. Also, their proportion in this composition affects their bioprotectant activity.

Typically the composition should constitute:

• Curcumin: 75-81% of total curcuminoids
• Demethoxycurcumin: 15-19% of total curcuminoids
• Bisdemethoxycurcumin: 2.2-6.5% of total curcuminoids
• Additional ingredients like curcumin derivatives, curcuminoids complexed with metals, piperine, cyclo curcumin, and turmeric may be present

Not many details are available as to how bio available Curcumin C3 complex is in comparison to other curcumin supplements, but most supplements contain piperine or Bioperine (active constituent of black pepper) that enhances bioavailability of curcumin by 2000%.

What does research say about health benefits of Curcumin C3 Complex?

We have covered a couple of studies that have specifically using Curcumin C3 complex to understand its mechanism of action and health benefits. Since Curcumin C3 complex is essentially a composition of curcuminoids, it has health benefits similar to standardized curcumin extracts as mentioned in the Other Health Benefits Section below.

Curcumin C3 complex helps as add-on therapy in cancer

Curcumin C3 complex can be a promising chemopreventive agent for lung cancer and benefit high-risk populations as in the case of former smokers.

A recent study published in Cancer Prevention Research, 2016 suggests that curcumin C3 complex exerts an anti-tumor effect on UV-induced skin cancer and prevents the proliferation of skin cancer cells.

Researchers from the University of Leicester conducted a study to examine the levels of curcumin in the intestines of patients with colon cancer. Better retention and availability of curcumin to the tissues of the intestine would help in predicting its therapeutic efficacy.

In this study, patients were asked to consume 2.35g of Curcumin C3 complex daily for 14 days before surgery for colon cancer treatment. 24 out of 26 patients completed curcumin course.

The results of curcuminoids levels were as follows:
• Detected in 9 out of 24 plasma samples
• Detected in all 24 urine samples
• Detected in all 23 biopsies of intestine tissue

Curcuminoids, as well as their transformed products, were found in the samples. High levels of curcumin remained in colon up to 40 hours post-administration. 67% of the participants stated that they would take curcumin on a long term.

Based on these findings the researchers designed a clinical trial to assess the safety of adding curcumin therapy to standard care for colon cancer with inoperable liver metastases. This study will be investigating the use of curcumin C3 complex with FOLFOX chemotherapy.

Nanoparticles containing Curcumin C3 complex are being developed for enhanced bioavailability and therapeutic effect in cancer.

Not only as an anti-cancer agent, but Curcumin C3 complex can also help in mitigating side effects of cancer therapy and other symptoms of cancer. The experimental study reveals that Curcumin C3 complex can prevent cachexia and muscle loss in cancer.

Curcumin C3 Complex can help prevent diabetes complications

Curcumin and turmeric are natural anti-diabetic agents and help to reduce glucose levels as well as regulate insulin levels. (Read Turmeric for Diabetes)

Kim et.al examined the effect of curcumin C3 complex and tetrahydro curcuminoids on offsetting long-term complications of diabetes.

Curcuminoids did not affect intestinal glucose metabolism or glucose uptake but effectively regulated glucose metabolism in the liver.

Without getting into the biochemical details, I will state the conclusion of the study: Curcumin was 400 times more effective, and tetrahydro curcumin was 100,000 times more effective in regulating glucose metabolism than metformin.

These findings suggest that curcumin has multiple approaches for lowering blood sugar and this can benefit in diabetes.

Curcumin C3 Complex is therapeutic in metabolic syndrome

A study published in Complementary therapies in medicine, 2014 reported the benefits of Curcumin C3 Complex in dyslipidemia in metabolic syndrome. Dyslipidemia is imbalanced levels of lipids in the blood indicative of disturbed metabolic health.

Individuals with metabolic syndrome were assigned to receive 1000mg Curcumin C3 Complex + 10mg Bioperine or placebo every day for eight weeks. Curcumin and piperine combination significantly reduced the level of LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides and elevated HDL or good cholesterol.

Researchers concluded that curcumin-piperine combination is beneficial as an add-on therapy in metabolic syndrome and can lower lipid levels beyond what standard care can do.

Other benefits of Curcumin C3 Complex

Curcumin C3 complex nanoparticles are proven to have an anti-convulsant effect and can increase seizure thresholds (time between the occurrence of seizures). (Read Turmeric for Epilepsy and Seizures)

Curcumin C3 complex, at a dose of 2-4 g per day, has been examined as an adjunctive treatment for Alzheimer’s but no clinically significant effect was observed. (Read Turmeric for Alzheimer’s)

Similarly, Curcumin C3 complex at a dose of 4.5g/day is found to reduce symptoms of psoriasis, but this study did not report a clinical effect. (Read Turmeric for psoriasis)

You can find more about Curcumin C3 complex research documentation here.

Curcumin C3 Complex essentially comprises curcuminoids, and you can read more about the benefits of curcumin and turmeric at 100 Awesome Health Benefits of Turmeric.

Dosage of Curcumin C3 Complex For Health Benefits

There is no ideal dosage of Curcumin C3 Complex supplements prescribed. It is highly dependent on the condition and severity of the disease.

A commonly used dose range in studies is 500-1000mg Curcumin C3 complex daily; some studies use doses as high as 2-4g.

It is always advised to start with a low dose and scale up gradually. Consult a health practitioner before taking turmeric supplements.

Precautions

There are no specific precautions outlined for Curcumin C3 Complex supplements. These are precautions applicable to every curcumin supplements.

Like any health/dietary supplements, Curcumin C3 Complex supplements are not regulated by FDA.
If allergic to turmeric or ginger family, avoid curcumin supplements.

Starting with high doses of curcumin or taking curcumin for the first time may cause gastric discomfort such as bloating, diarrhea, etc. This can be minimized by starting with small doses and then increasing gradually.

Also, avoid taking turmeric supplements on an empty stomach as they may trigger acid reflux like symptoms in those susceptible to it.

Turmeric and curcumin have anti-platelet property. If suffering from bleeding risks or taking blood thinners, it is best to avoid turmeric supplements. (Read Is turmeric a blood thinner?)

Discontinue turmeric supplements two weeks before surgery to minimize bleeding risks.

If suffering from gallbladder obstruction or gallstones, it is advisable to avoid curcumin supplements. Curcumin can cause gallbladder contraction which may lead to pain in such a case. (Can you take turmeric if you have gallstones?)

Intake of turmeric as a spice should be limited in kidney stones and gout due to high oxalate content. If needed for therapeutic purposes, curcumin supplements are safe in this case.

Curcumin interferes with the activity of drug metabolizing enzymes. Therefore it is suggested to maintain 3-4 hour gap between taking curcumin and any medication. UMM states that curcumin can have drug interactions with blood-thinning medications, stomach acid reducing drugs, blood sugar lowering drugs.

If taking any medications, it is best to consult a doctor before taking curcumin supplements. If taking cancer therapy consult your health practitioner before starting curcumin.

 

Conclusion

When opting for turmeric/curcumin supplements, which contain only curcumin and piperine, ensure that the curcumin used is standardized 95% curcumin or Curcumin C3 complex.

Curcumin C3 Complex is a patented curcumin composition of Sabsina Corp., and the combination of the curcuminoids has been developed by adjusting their proportion perfectly for enhanced therapeutic effect. Curcumin C3 complex in combination with Bioperine is beneficial.

In case you have tried Curcumin C3 complex, do share your experience as comments below.

Like always, our first recommendation would be using turmeric as a spice for health. However, we have shortlisted these brands of turmeric/curcumin supplements for readers facing aggressive health conditions that require higher and more bioavailable forms of curcumin.

Also, we suggest, consulting a health practitioner before opting for curcumin supplements for any health condition. Turmeric as a spice (powder or root) always has more to offer than any supplement based on it, and we wholeheartedly recommend natural Turmeric for Health!