Curcumin, the main active compound in turmeric, has a problem: very little of what you swallow reaches your bloodstream. It dissolves poorly in water, and your gut wall and liver quickly convert it into forms the body excretes.
Piperine, the compound that makes black pepper pungent, slows that conversion. It inhibits some of the enzymes that process curcumin (and many medicines), and it affects transport proteins in the gut lining. The result is that more curcumin stays in circulation for longer.
How much piperine is used
Studies of the combination have typically used about 5–20 mg of piperine a day, usually as a standardised black pepper extract (95% piperine). That is more than you would get from seasoning food, but far less than a teaspoon of pepper would provide in pungency.
The catch: stronger, not just better
Anything that improves absorption also raises the effective dose. Regulators in Australia, the UK, France, Italy and Canada have looked at rare cases of liver injury in people taking turmeric supplements, and several noted that high-dose or "enhanced bioavailability" products may carry more risk. Health Canada now requires a liver-injury warning on turmeric products.
That is why we use whole turmeric root — about 3% curcuminoids — rather than a 95% extract, and keep piperine at 5 mg per capsule. Two capsules a day provide roughly 30 mg of curcuminoids, comfortably inside the European acceptable daily intake of 3 mg per kg of body weight.
Piperine and your medicines
Because piperine changes how the body handles many drugs, it can raise or lower medicine levels. If you take chronic medication — especially blood thinners, epilepsy medicine, antiretrovirals or transplant medicines — ask your pharmacist before taking any turmeric-and-pepper product.
Sources
Last reviewed 19 October 2026 by Spicewell editorial team. How we write our guides