Pure Turmeric Curcumin 95% vs Turmeric With Black Pepper: UK Options Compared

Reviewed and updated: 2 November 2026

Pure turmeric curcumin 95% capsules and turmeric tablets with black pepper are two different ways of putting the same golden root into a supplement, and the right one for you depends on whether you care most about a high, standardised curcuminoid figure, a blend with black pepper and ginger, or the price per day. I'm Dr. Miron, founder of Pure Vitamins UK. Turmeric has been part of Indian cooking and Ayurvedic tradition for thousands of years, and in this guide I'll set three UK options side by side on facts you can check yourself: what is in each daily serving, the extract type, the capsule or tablet, the pack size and the cost per day.

Pure turmeric curcumin 95%: the quick answer

• Nutravita Premium Curcumin With Bioperine: one capsule a day, listed at 500mg per capsule and standardised to 95% curcuminoids, with black pepper extract. 120 capsules for £23.99, about 20p a day.
• Pure Encapsulations Curcumin (Curcumin C3 Complex): a turmeric extract standardised to curcuminoids, sold as a 500 mg, 60-capsule pack for £34.98. The label serving is 2 capsules, 1 to 3 times a day, so about £1.17 a day at the lowest serving. The UK page does not mention black pepper.
• Pure Vitamins Turmeric Tablets with 35:1 Curcumin, Ginger and Black Pepper: two tablets a day giving 58mg of 35:1 turmeric extract (equivalent to 2,000mg of turmeric powder), 43.4mg of 23:1 ginger extract and 20mg of 10:1 black pepper extract. 60 tablets for £13.99, about 47p a day.
• If you want the highest amount of standardised curcuminoids per day, a 95% capsule is the closer fit. If you want turmeric, ginger and black pepper together in one tablet, ours is built for that.
• If a doctor or practitioner recommended a specific product to you, check with them before switching.

Our pick for this guide

Looking for turmeric, ginger and black pepper in one daily tablet?

Two vegan tablets give 58mg of 35:1 turmeric extract, 43.4mg of 23:1 ginger extract and 20mg of 10:1 black pepper extract, with 60 tablets in each pouch. A food supplement, not a replacement for medical advice.

From £13.99 · 60 tablets

Shop Turmeric Tablets →

What people mean by "pure turmeric"

When someone searches for "pure turmeric", "pure turmeric capsules" or "pure turmeric curcumin 95", they usually mean one of three things. Some want a turmeric-only product with nothing else in it. Some want a product without fillers or additives they would rather avoid. And some want a concentrated extract with a declared curcuminoid percentage, rather than plain ground root in a capsule. Those are three different questions, so it helps to look at them separately.

On the first, the Pure Encapsulations product is a single turmeric extract, the Nutravita capsule pairs a 95% curcumin extract with black pepper, and ours is a deliberate blend of turmeric, ginger and black pepper extracts. I want to be clear about that: our tablet is not a turmeric-only product, and I would not want anyone to buy it expecting one. On the second, both capsules use microcrystalline cellulose (a plant fibre) inside a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose shell, which is a plant-based capsule. On the third, the 95% figure and the 35:1 figure describe different things, which is the heart of this comparison and is explained below.

A quick word on names. Some readers search for BioRoot Labs Pure Turmeric Curcumin 95. I could not find a UK product page for it today on which to check its price and contents, so I have left it out rather than guess. And our own brand name, Pure Vitamins, is just that: a name. It is a different company from Pure Encapsulations, as the note above explains.

Turmeric, black pepper and ginger have shared a chopping board for a very long time. Illustrative image.

The products side by side

Here is everything in one place. Competitor details were read from each brand's own UK website today, and ours from our product page. Price per day is the pack price divided by the number of days the pack lasts at the label's daily serving.

Pure Encapsulations UK lists standard delivery at £4.49, free on orders of £50 or more. Nutravita lists free delivery on orders over £30. Both checked 2 November 2026. Our own delivery options are shown at checkout.

95% curcuminoids vs a 35:1 extract: what the numbers mean

This is where most shoppers get tangled up, so let me take it slowly. Turmeric root is mostly starch, fibre and oils. The bright yellow compounds people are usually interested in, the curcuminoids, make up only a few per cent of the dried root by weight. Curcuminoids are a small family of three closely related molecules: curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin.

A percentage, such as 95%, tells you how much of the extract is curcuminoids. A 95% extract is almost entirely curcuminoids, with the rest of the root largely removed. That is what the Nutravita capsule declares.

A ratio, such as 35:1, tells you how much dried root went into making the extract: roughly 35 parts of turmeric root concentrated down to 1 part of extract. That is why our label can say 58mg of extract is equivalent to 2,000mg of turmeric powder. A ratio describes concentration of the whole root, but on its own it does not tell you the curcuminoid percentage, and our product page does not state one.

So the honest summary is this. If the number you care about is milligrams of standardised curcuminoids per day, a 95% capsule at 500mg gives you a declared, high figure, and it will be well above what a 58mg extract can provide. Our tablet is a different idea: a smaller amount of concentrated turmeric extract alongside ginger and black pepper extracts, in one tablet. Neither approach is the "right" one; they suit different buyers. If you want the background on the root versus the compound, my guide to turmeric vs curcumin goes further.

A slow breakfast at the counter is where the little daily habits stick. Illustrative image.

Why black pepper keeps turning up

Curcumin on its own is famously hard for the body to absorb. A widely cited review described its low absorption, rapid metabolism and quick elimination as the main hurdles researchers face when studying it (Anand and colleagues, 2007). That is why so many formulas pair it with something else.

Black pepper is the classic partner. Its main compound, piperine, has been studied for how it affects the way curcumin is handled in the body. In a small, much-quoted study in healthy volunteers, taking 20mg of piperine alongside 2g of curcumin was associated with a large increase in the amount of curcumin measured in the blood compared with curcumin alone (Shoba and colleagues, 1998). It was a small, short study, but later reviews still point to it when explaining why piperine is paired with curcumin, and it is the reason black pepper appears in so many turmeric products (Hewlings and Kalman, 2017).

How do the three products handle this? Ours includes 20mg of 10:1 black pepper extract per daily serving, included to support the absorption of curcumin. Nutravita lists piperine from black pepper; the amount per capsule is shown differently in two places on its page today, so I have not quoted a figure. The Pure Encapsulations UK page for Curcumin does not mention black pepper or piperine; its extract is the Curcumin C3 Complex on its own. Some people actively prefer a curcumin product without piperine, which I come back to in the cautions below. For the wider picture on getting more from turmeric, see my guide to the best form of curcumin to take.

Where ginger fits in

Ginger is the one ingredient that sets our tablet apart from the two capsules. It is a close botanical cousin of turmeric, both belonging to the same plant family, and the two have been cooked together across South Asia for generations. In traditional practice ginger is long valued as a warming kitchen spice and a comforting addition to everyday meals. In our formula it is a 23:1 extract standardised for gingerols, at 43.4mg per daily serving, equivalent to 1,000mg of ginger powder.

If you only want turmeric, this is a reason to choose one of the capsules instead. If you like the idea of the two roots together, I have written more about why turmeric and ginger are combined.

Capsule or tablet?

• Capsules (Nutravita and Pure Encapsulations): plant-based HPMC shells. Nutravita is one capsule a day; Pure Encapsulations is two capsules, one to three times a day.
• Tablets (ours): two tablets a day with water, ideally with a meal that contains some healthy fat, because curcumin is fat-soluble.

Whichever you choose, taking turmeric with food is a sensible habit. My pillar guide on how to take turmeric covers food, fat and timing in more detail.

A bowl of dal with a swirl of oil is my favourite reminder that turmeric likes a bit of fat. Illustrative image.

The cost per day, worked out

Pack prices can mislead, because packs last different lengths of time. Dividing the pack price by the days it lasts at the label serving gives a fairer picture:

• Nutravita Premium Curcumin With Bioperine: £23.99 ÷ 120 days = about 20p a day.
• Pure Vitamins Turmeric Tablets: £13.99 ÷ 30 days = about 47p a day.
• Pure Encapsulations Curcumin: £34.98 ÷ 30 days = about £1.17 a day at 2 capsules daily, rising to £34.98 ÷ 10 days = about £3.50 a day at the top serving of 6 capsules.

Three things are worth noting. The Nutravita pack is the lowest cost per day in this comparison and lasts four months, so you reorder far less often. Pure Encapsulations UK adds £4.49 delivery below £50, so a single pack bought on its own costs more than the shelf price. And cost per day only tells you part of the story, because the three products contain different things in different amounts.

What to look for on any turmeric label

• The amount per daily serving, not per capsule or tablet. Some products need one a day, others two or more.
• Whether a curcuminoid percentage is declared. If it is, you can work out roughly how much curcuminoid you are getting. If only a ratio is given, you know the concentration of the root, not the curcuminoid content.
• Whether black pepper or piperine is included, and how much, especially if you take regular medication.
• The capsule or tablet type and any vegan or allergen labelling that matters to you.
• Where it is made and how it is tested. Our tablets are made in GMP-certified facilities and tested for purity and heavy metals, and we publish a Certificate of Analysis for each batch.

Which one suits you

I want this section to be useful even if you end up buying from someone else.

A 95% curcumin capsule such as Nutravita's may suit you better if:

• You want a high, declared amount of standardised curcuminoids in a single daily capsule.
• You want the lowest cost per day in this comparison and a four-month pack.

Pure Encapsulations Curcumin may suit you better if:

• You specifically want the Curcumin C3 Complex extract.
• You prefer a curcumin product without black pepper or piperine.
• You want a flexible serving of 2 to 6 capsules a day.
• A doctor, nutritionist or practitioner recommended it. In that case, speak to them before changing anything.

Our Turmeric Tablets may suit you better if:

• You want turmeric, ginger and black pepper extracts together in one tablet, with every amount declared.
• You prefer tablets to capsules.
• You are happy with a smaller amount of turmeric extract as part of a blend, at about 47p a day.

For a wider look at UK alternatives across other categories, see our page on a UK alternative to Pure Encapsulations.

Lunch at the kitchen table, and the pouch close enough that I actually remember it. Illustrative image.

A few cautions worth knowing

• If you take blood-thinning medicine such as warfarin, or any regular medication, speak to your GP or pharmacist before taking a turmeric supplement. Concentrated turmeric and piperine can both affect how some medicines behave.
• If you have gallstones or a bile duct problem, check with your GP first.
• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, stick to turmeric as a cooking spice unless your midwife or GP advises otherwise.
• There have been rare reports of liver problems in people taking concentrated turmeric supplements. Stop and see your GP if you notice yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine or unusual tiredness.
• Do not exceed the stated serving on whichever product you choose, and do not combine several turmeric products.
• If a practitioner chose a product for you, talk to them before switching.

My full guide to turmeric safety and interactions covers this in more depth.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pure Vitamins the same company as Pure Encapsulations?

No. Pure Vitamins UK is an independent British brand. We are not connected to, endorsed by or affiliated with Pure Encapsulations or its owner.

Is your turmeric tablet a 95% curcumin product?

No. Our tablet uses a 35:1 turmeric extract, 58mg per daily serving, equivalent to 2,000mg of turmeric powder, alongside ginger and black pepper extracts. Our product page does not state a curcuminoid percentage. If you want a declared 95% curcuminoid extract, a 95% capsule is the closer fit.

What does 95% curcumin mean?

It means the extract is standardised so that about 95% of it is curcuminoids, the family of yellow compounds that includes curcumin. A ratio such as 35:1 instead tells you how much dried root was used to make the extract.

Does Pure Encapsulations Curcumin contain black pepper?

The brand's UK product page for Curcumin, checked on 2 November 2026, lists Curcumin C3 Complex turmeric extract and microcrystalline cellulose in a vegetarian capsule, and does not mention black pepper or piperine.

Which option costs least per day?

Of the three compared, Nutravita Premium Curcumin With Bioperine at about 20p a day (£23.99 for 120 one-a-day capsules), based on prices checked on 2 November 2026.

Our pick for this guide

Prefer a tablet with every extract amount on the label?

Our Turmeric Tablets combine 35:1 turmeric, 23:1 ginger and 10:1 black pepper extracts in two vegan tablets a day, and each pouch of 60 lasts a month. A food supplement, not a replacement for medical advice.

From £13.99 · 60 tablets

Shop Turmeric Tablets →

Where these facts come from

• Nutravita Premium Curcumin With Bioperine, £23.99, 120 capsules, 1 a day, 500mg per capsule, 95% curcuminoids, free delivery over £30, checked 2 November 2026: nutravita.com
• Pure Encapsulations Curcumin, 500 mg, 60 capsules, £34.98, 2 capsules 1 to 3 times daily, checked 2 November 2026: pure-encapsulations.co.uk
• Pure Encapsulations UK delivery (£4.49, free over £50), checked 2 November 2026: pure-encapsulations.co.uk
• Pure Vitamins Turmeric Tablets, £13.99, 60 tablets, 2 a day: our product page

Sources

• Anand P, Kunnumakkara AB, Newman RA, Aggarwal BB. Bioavailability of curcumin: problems and promises. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 2007. PubMed 17999464
• Shoba G, Joy D, Joseph T, et al. Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers. Planta Medica, 1998. PubMed 9619120
• Hewlings SJ, Kalman DS. Curcumin: a review of its effects on human health. Foods, 2017. PMC5664031

More reading: my pillar guide on how to take turmeric, our supplement guides hub, and the Pure Vitamins UK home page.

Dr. Miron, Founder of Pure Vitamins UK

Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Always speak to your GP or pharmacist if you have a medical condition, take medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.