Curcumin vs Kratom for pain & inflammation
Short answer: For pain & inflammation, more users report improvement with Kratom — 93% of 28 reports, versus 88% of 78 for Curcumin.
Curcumin has 538 meta-analyses and 553 randomized trials on PubMed; Kratom has 18 and 5.
Based on 402 reports about Curcumin and 421 about Kratom. Not medical advice.
| Curcumin Supplement | Kratom Substance | |
|---|---|---|
| User score | 48 | 50 |
| Verdict | Mixed | Mixed |
| Positive of reports that state an outcome | 57% | 42% |
| Reports | 402 | 421 |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | BResearch: Moderate |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 538 / 553 | 18 / 5 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Weight loss % reporting improvement | — | 50% (2) |
| Appetite % reporting improvement | — | 100% (3) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 71% (7) | 77% (31) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 75% (4) | 78% (54) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 75% (4) | 71% (7) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 92% (12) | 86% (69) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | 94% (33) | 85% (97) |
| Memory % reporting improvement | 100% (8) | 0% (5) |
| Performance % reporting improvement | 33% (3) | 100% (3) |
| Recovery % reporting improvement | 89% (9) | — |
| Pain & inflammation % reporting improvement | 88% (78) | 93% (28) |
| Digestion % reporting improvement | — | 33% (9) |
| Libido % reporting improvement | 20% (5) | 0% (12) |
| Hormones % reporting improvement | 33% (3) | 22% (9) |
| Heart & lipids % reporting improvement | 100% (2) | — |
| Skin & hair % reporting improvement | 80% (5) | — |
| Immunity % reporting improvement | 100% (3) | — |
| Longevity % reporting improvement | 100% (2) | — |
| Common side effects | stomach issues, vivid dreams, headache, nausea | withdrawal, dependence, addiction, tolerance |
| Typical dose reported | 1000 mg / daily | 4 g / 2x daily |
Curcumin and Curcuma longa Extract may improve symptoms and inflammation levels in people with arthritis. However, due to the low quality and small quantity of RCTs, the conclusions need to be interpreted carefully.
Front Immunol, 2022 ↗“I recently stopped taking Curcumin because of its affect on DHT and I was looking for an alternative measure to deal with inflammation as I feel it really helped with anxiety/depression.”
Based on our analysis, patients using <20 g of kratom/d could be initiated on opioid agonist therapy with 4/1 mg-8/2 mg buprenorphine-naloxone/d, while patients using kratom doses >40 g/d could be initiated with 12/3 mg-16/4 mg of buprenorphine-naloxone/day.
J Addict Med, 2021 ↗“Green or white Kratom powder. My productivity and overall mood have skyrocketed. I dose 4 grams once per day and it’s worked wonders.”
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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate