Does Turmeric help mood? (Grade C evidence)
Explore current source-reported research for this exact question. These records are separate from the synthesis below; they do not update its grade or establish a recommendation.
Turmeric may modestly help mood in specific populations (Grade C, low certainty), especially in adults with depression. Dose range: 500–1000 mg curcumin/day.
Exact question reviewed
- Population
- adults with depression
- Intervention
- Turmeric · 500–1000 mg curcumin/day
- Comparator
- not reported
- Outcome
- mood
- Time horizon
- not reported
Bottom line. Turmeric may modestly help mood in specific populations (Grade C, low certainty), especially in adults with depression. Dose range: 500–1000 mg curcumin/day. [1 other]
- Direction
- benefit
- Magnitude
- curcumin may reduce depressive symptoms as an adjunct; bioavailability-limited
- Grade
- C
- Certainty
- low
- Clinical meaning
- small but potentially useful
- Who it applies to
- adults with depression
- Dose / form studied
- 500–1000 mg curcumin/day
- Safety
- moderate_with_warfarin
- The one limitation
- Claim-specific limitation details are not available in this public record.
Reviewed not reported · Evidence last changed · Open evidence record (version 0)
⚠ Safety in context
- moderatewith Warfarin: High-dose curcumin may have mild antiplatelet effects; caution with warfarin. full interaction →
Grade C / low: hints of benefit in small trials; a well-run RCT could easily push this to B or to null.
Who it works for
Best-studied in adults with depression. Recorded studied dose: 500–1000 mg curcumin/day.
Evidence
| Study | Design | Role | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Use of Curcumin in Depression: A Meta-Analysis. | peer-reviewed | not classified | PMID:28236605 |
Why this grade
Reasoning trace
The current record stores Grade C at low certainty and links 1 publishable source. A claim-specific domain-by-domain grading rationale is not available in this public record, so no reason for upgrading or downgrading is inferred here.
Audit and version
- Claim ID
- ec_b2-turmeric-mood
- Claim version
- not reported
- Governance
- legacy, not verified
- Clinician review
- Not yet reviewed by a licensed clinician
- Last evidence search
- not reported
- Last editorial review
- not verified
Dose & form
Studied intake: 500–1000 mg curcumin/day.
How it stacks up for mood
- Turmeric vs Vitamin D for mood — Vitamin D Grade C
- Turmeric vs St. John's Wort for mood — St. John's Wort Grade B
- Turmeric vs 5-HTP for mood — 5-HTP Grade C
- Turmeric vs N-Acetylcysteine for mood — N-Acetylcysteine Grade C
- Turmeric vs Saffron for mood — Saffron Grade B
- Turmeric vs Folate for mood — Folate Grade —
- All interventions graded for mood →
Grade history
- C → CSource correction by Claude (b2 garbage-source correction): replaced an off-topic search-fallback source (published before the pump's topica details →
Re-review cadence: every 6 months (Grade C+) · methodology v1.
Frequently asked
How long does Turmeric take to work for mood?
This record does not report a studied onset time for Turmeric and mood. Do not assume a typical timeframe.
What dose was used in studies of Turmeric for mood?
The recorded studied dose for Turmeric and mood is 500–1000 mg curcumin/day. This is a source detail, not a dose recommendation.
Does Turmeric work for mood if I'm not deficient?
The recorded studied population is adults with depression. This field alone does not show whether deficiency or baseline status changes the effect.
Turmeric or the next-best alternative for mood?
See the compare block above for the head-to-head with the most-cited alternative. Grade + certainty differences matter more than any single trial.
Related
What this is — and is not
- Evidence description
- curcumin may reduce depressive symptoms as an adjunct; bioavailability-limited
- Substrate's interpretation
- The current reviewed record assigns Grade C at low certainty. A domain-by-domain rationale is shown only when recorded.
- Discuss with a clinician
- If you're on medication or have a condition that changes the calculus, bring the interaction & population blocks above to your pharmacist or prescriber before deciding.
- Individualized medical advice
- Not provided here or on any Substrate surface (API, agent tool, embed) — see YMYL policy.
Cite this page
Citation is encouraged. The proposed reuse license is CC-BY-4.0; status: pending-governance-ratification.
Plain-text citation
Substrate. Does Turmeric help mood? (Grade C). https://evidencebased.info/interventions/turmeric/mood. Updated 2026-07-16.
BibTeX
@misc{substrate_ventionsturmericmood,
author = {Substrate editorial},
title = {Does Turmeric help mood?},
year = {2026},
url = {https://evidencebased.info/interventions/turmeric/mood},
note = {Grade C, evidencebased.info}
}Found something wrong on this page? Report an error →
Current source-reported research
Membership uses admitted intervention and measured-outcome associations for this exact question. Different populations, preparations, comparators and timepoints remain separate. No pooling or update to the synthesis is asserted.