Most Curcumin Brands Unsafe? - Containing...
j87 30 Jan 2015
http://www.reddit.co...ontaining_high/
Not sure what to think of this. Does anyone have more info?
Hello everyone,
New to this sub - Long time supplement researcher
Please let me know if this topic has been talked about here before. After researching and noticing all of the major curcumin wholesalers use solvent extraction, and the most effective (and cost effective) solvents are the highly toxic, class 1 solvents, I grew very concerned about what was in the products of the common retail brands we buy curcumin from.
I spoke with the head of quality control for a high-end US supplement company. Not just a generic email, this guy happens to have another job in a town close by to me, so he was quite friendly and helpful - to the extent he was able. Anyways, he had tests done, and published the results online, of a great number of reputable brands that sell curcumin. The independent lab results showed that every single one contained levels of harmful residual solvents far beyond the legal limits.
Now I spent months searching for wholesalers of curcumin that use safe methods of extraction. There are many many companies, pretty much all of which are located in China. Most of them did not specify anything beyond "solvent extraction" - indicating to me that they were class 1 or 2, unsafe. A few of them did say they use "ethanol" extraction, but I just don't buy it. The cost of their product was not much higher and ethanol extraction would be much more ineffective and timely, so it does not add up. Some of them offer free samples so that you can send them to a lab to be tested, but who is to say that they do not keep a separate pile of "sample product" for which they use the safe ethanol extraction, and then use the cost effective solvents for their real sales (which often have minumum order quantities of 25 or 50 Kg)?
Anyways, I finally found a new wholesale company located in India that claims they do Co2 extraction of a number of herbs, including curcumin. They seem legitimate, but I am not sure of this yet. And of course, Co2 extraction isextremely pure and leaves absolutely nothing in the product... not even turmeric, it's basically straight curcumin. But like I said, this is a new company and I have no info on the actual product.
Also, I'm wondering if anyone else has found a good wholesaler of curcumin, that uses safe extraction methods and is 100% reliable and reputable, provides COAs, etc. This is especially important to me (and probably many of you) because I intend on taking a high amount of curcumin, and if there is anything bad in one pill, than taking many pills beyond the recommended use of the product multiplies the level of toxins. So the most cost effective and safe way to consume moderate to high doses of curcumin is to order 1 Kg from a (safe) wholesaler.
edit: missed a word.
EDIT 2: Source[1]
niner 30 Jan 2015
I would think that a respectable supplement company would do QC on their material, but the FDA doesn't require it, so you just have to trust them, or get it analyzed yourself. I'd like to see the analytical results that show most curcumin with toxic residue. This just sounds a little over-wrought. Most solvents really aren't all that toxic. A few micrograms of hexane isn't going to kill you. (Better wear a gas mask when you put gas in the lawn mower...)
yborcity 08 Feb 2015
Very interesting input, please kepp us informed of your progress on this matter, i would imagine that alternative ways of extracting curcumin could result in higher prices for the final retail customer i am.
I have no knowledge about solvents in food.
Edited by yborcity, 08 February 2015 - 01:43 PM.
xls 09 Feb 2015
Asked InnovixLabs (http://www.amazon.co...s/dp/B00L775W3U) for their toxicity report and its been a week and they keep giving vague "we'll get back to you"-type emails when I ask for it...lol I don't think they're ognna give it to me, and that's kinda sketchy
Logic 10 Feb 2015
http://www.bcm95.com/faq.html
Its generally what is used in all the positive studies.
Edited by Logic, 10 February 2015 - 12:10 PM.