Contents
- What is Turmeric?
- What is Curcumin?
- What is BCM-95?
- How does the absorption of BCM-95 compare to regular curcumin?
- How do I spot misleading absorption or bioavailability curcumin claims?
- What are some health benefits of BCM-95 curcumin?
- How to take BCM-95
- Is BCM-95 considered safe?
- Where is the turmeric in BCM-95 from?
- Does BCM-95 use sustainable practices?
- The Bottom Line
BCM 95 (also known as Curcugreen) is a premium quality dietary supplement 100% derived from turmeric that can help promote good health in many ways. Yet, how does it differ from turmeric itself? See this comprehensive guide to BCM-95 for more information on this wellness aid.
What is Turmeric?
Turmeric is a bright yellow spice from the root (or rhizome) of a plant in the ginger family called Curcuma longa. It’s native to Southeast Asia and is primarily grown in India. In addition to being used in culinary dishes, turmeric is used as traditional medicine, having been used for many centuries in Ayurvedic and other traditional Indian and Eastern Asian medicines. Many of the health properties of turmeric are widely attributed to compounds known as curcumin.
What is Curcumin?
Turmeric’s yellow pigment comes from compounds called curcuminoids, such as curcumin, desmethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin, which collectively are generally referred to as “curcumin.”
Curcumin is the primary bioactive and nutritional substance in turmeric, and has been the focus of much of the scientific research. Curcumin can help support health in several ways, but is best known for its unique properties in supporting a healthy inflammation response (earning it the nickname "inflammation fighter").
However, curcumin typically comprises less than 5% of turmeric powder. Most of the health benefits associated with curcumin usually require daily consumption of 500mg to 1,000mg of curcumin. To get this amount of curcumin, you would have to consume large quantities of turmeric daily, which isn’t practical for many people.
This is the main reason extracts that isolated curcumin from turmeric became available for use in dietary supplements. However, this created another challenge – once isolated the curcumin was no longer absorbed well in the human body. This problem was solved with the introduction of a curcumin ingredient that is 100% made from turmeric, named BCM-95.
What is BCM-95?
BCM-95 (or Curcugreen) is a high-potency turmeric extract that overcomes the main challenge of taking a curcumin supplement, which is the relatively low absorption and bioavailability of curcumin in the human body once isolated from turmeric.
The patented BCM-95 ingredient provides superior absorption and efficacy by synergistically combining curcumin and a turmeric essential oil named ar-tumerone, resulting in a 100% turmeric extract (with 95% curcuminoids). No outside “bio-enhancers”, which can have drawbacks, are used to make BCM-95.
BCM-95 is believed to be the most researched bioavailable curcumin in the world with 70 scientific studies published in high impact journals as of early 2021. The potential benefits of BCM-95 include supporting joint health and mobility, mood and stress levels, cognitive function, immune health, and healthy aging.
How Does the Absorption of BCM-95 Compare to Regular Curcumin?
When compared to the body's absorption of regular curcumin, a scientific study found that merely 400 mg of BCM-95 equates to about 2,500 mg of the former.
The extract was also pitted against another popular method of improving curcumin absorption and bioavailability - combining it with piperine (black pepper extract) and lecithin. Once again, BCM-95 was shown to be a superior alternative.
Note that BCM-95 only integrates turmeric essential oils, avoiding such ingredients as piperine. This is because the turmeric oils safely enhance curcumin's absorption, avoiding potentially harmful drug interactions that have been observed with other "bio-enhancers."
How Do I Spot Misleading Absorption or Bioavailability Curcumin Claims?
Numerous new curcumin ingredients coming on the market tout their superior absorption and bioavailability properties.
However, these claims are often misleading because when you dig deeper into the science supporting such claims, you see that they are measuring “curcumin metabolites”, not “free curcumin.”
Free curcumin is what’s freely available in the blood plasma and available for the body to use, and what ultimately gives you the health benefits of turmeric.
Curcumin metabolites, as the name implies are products of metabolism of curcumin in the body. They do not have known health benefits and are inactive for health purposes.
What’s more, the high amount of curcumin metabolites in the blood plasma may actually signal poor bioavailability of the curcumin.
The bioavailability studies involving BCM-95 measure the quantity of free curcumin in the blood plasma, which is the proper scientific method.
What are some health benefits of BCM-95 Curcumin?
BCM-95 helps support a healthy inflammation response and antioxidant function in your body, aiding joint and muscle health, supporting a balanced mood, cognitive function and immune system function. Some of the key benefits from scientific research you may experience from taking BCM-95 include:
- Helping to promote joint comfort and greater mobility
- Helping to support a balanced mood
- Helping to promote cognitive health and brain function
- Helping to support immune system function
- Helping to support healthy aging and general wellness
How to Take BCM-95
Most users take between 500mg and 100mg of BCM-95 daily. A common way to help optimize results is to take 1,000mg daily for the first 8 to 12 weeks, and thereafter take 500mg to help maintain benefits. The amount you take daily is ultimately based on personal preference, and best determined in conjunction with your health care provider.
Products with BCM-95 usually contain 500mg per capsule. If you take 1,000mg daily, take one capsule twice daily, at separate times of day (such as morning and evening).
Is BCM-95 Considered Safe?
In 2017, BCM-95 received a "No Questions" response letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicating a strong safety profile.
In 2016, BCM-95 was granted self-affirmed GRAS status (Generally Recognized as Safe) by an expert panel of scientists for use in medical foods at a dose of 500 mg, twice a day.
In all investigations, BCM-95 curcumin was found to elicit no toxic effects and was deemed a safe, non-toxic nutritional ingredient.
Where is the Turmeric in BCM-95 From?
Ideal conditions for growing turmeric is a frost free climate that gets plenty of rain, but in soil that drains rapidly. You’ll find these conditions in Northeast India – which is why this region is known for producing the finest turmeric plants. The turmeric for BCM-95 comes from this region, in Northeast India.
The local farmers are very careful about the organic farming techniques they use. You won’t find pesticides or harsh chemical fertilizers on the farms used to make BCM-95. Instead they strictly use natural fertilizers like animal manure and repurposed turmeric roots, rhizomes and leaves.
Most of the work, including harvesting, is done by hand. From start to finish, very little machinery is used.
Does BCM-95 Use Sustainable Practices?
Since turmeric is such an important crop to the region, the locals are careful to use eco-friendly and sustainable practices.
Arjuna Natural, the makers of BCM-95, make sure the farmers are paid reasonable, competitive prices for their crops.
The Bottom Line
BCM-95 (Curcugreen) is a premium dietary supplement 100% derived from turmeric that can help promote good health in many ways including:
- Helping to promote joint comfort
- Helping to support a balanced mood
- Helping to promote cognitive health and brain function
- Helping to support immune system function
- Helping to support health aging and general wellness
Piperine-free, BCM-95, provides increased absorption of curcuminoids by featuring turmeric essential oils that make it easier for the body to absorb. If you’re looking for any kind of curcuminoid supplement, make sure what you’re buying is using the highly bio-available BCM-95!
