In all forms, Curcumin Phytosome as Meriva® helps maintain a healthy inflammatory response throughout the body and provides relief from overuse of muscles and joints and relief from injuries. Used as a food ingredient in Asia for thousands of years, curcumin is a potent antioxidant that offers numerous health benefits, including support of joint, liver, GI, and cardiovascular function. Normally, however, curcumin is poorly absorbed in the bloodstream, whether it comes from food or a nutritional supplement. Meriva curcumin phytosome, the most clinically studied curcumin on the market, is a unique curcumin extract with significantly better absorption than other curcumin extracts. In fact, a human study demonstrated 29-times greater absorption from Meriva than from ordinary curcumin. Curcumin is an antioxidant flavonoid that helps maintain the body’s normal inflammatory response through the optimization of cytokine production. Meriva’s superior curcumin absorption is attributable to a unique formula that contains three curcuminoids (95% curcuminoid material) and is based on Indena S.p.A.’s proprietary “phytosome” technology. A phytosome is a plant extract that is bound to a phospholipid (from sunflower oil in the case of Meriva-SF). Phospholipids are essential components of all human cells; and although the body makes phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine, phospholipids can also be obtained from food or nutritional supplements. When taken orally, phospholipids are very well absorbed. The proprietary phytosome technology used in Thorne Curcumin Phytosome attaches a curcumin extract to a phospholipid, which optimises the curcumin’s absorption. In the case of Thorne Curcumin Phytosome, the body readily absorbs the curcumin complex, resulting in more curcumin reaching cells for improved benefit.