Curcumin (turmeric) & Rheumatoid arthritis

Written based on 30 research studies on PubMed, searched on 11 Nov 2026.

The claim

Posts online say that curcumin (turmeric) helps with rheumatoid arthritis.

Where research stands

We found 85 published papers on curcumin (turmeric) and rheumatoid arthritis in PubMed. They were published between 1980 and 2026. 10 of them are studies in people. 10 of them compared people who got it with a group that did not. 28 were studies in animals, and 14 were only in cells in the lab. 23 papers are reviews that sum up other studies. 1 new study in people is running or will start soon, says the trial register ClinicalTrials.gov.

• 10In people10 with a comparison group
• 28In animals
• 14Only in the lab

What the studies found

We have not summed up these studies in words yet. The most important papers are listed under Sources.

Verdict

Sources

1. Immunomodulatory effects of novel nano micelle based curcumin in rheumatoid arthritis patients: A double blind randomized clinical trial.2024 · Rheumatol Immunol Res · Randomised trial
2. The efficacy of curcumin supplementation on serum total antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde, and disease activity in women with rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.2024 · Phytother Res · Randomised trial
3. Efficacy and safety of curcumin in maintaining remission during disease-modifying antirheumatic drug withdrawal in rheumatoid arthritis at 52 weeks: a phase III double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial.2023 · Rheumatol Int · Randomised trial
4. Therapeutic Potential of Curcumin with and without Strengthening Exercises in Improving Rheumatoid Arthritis.2022 · J Coll Physicians Surg Pak · Randomised trial
5. Effects of curcumin supplementation on metabolic parameters, inflammatory factors and obesity values in women with rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.2022 · Phytother Res · Randomised trial
6. Efficacy of a mouthwash containing essential oils and curcumin as an adjunct to nonsurgical periodontal therapy among rheumatoid arthritis patients with chronic periodontitis: A randomized controlled trial.2019 · Indian J Dent Res · Randomised trial
7. Effect of curcumin nanomicelle on the clinical symptoms of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.2019 · Int J Rheum Dis · Randomised trial
8. A Novel Highly Bioavailable Curcumin Formulation Improves Symptoms and Diagnostic Indicators in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Two-Dose, Three-Arm, and Parallel-Group Study.2017 · J Med Food · Randomised trial
9. A randomized, pilot study to assess the efficacy and safety of curcumin in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis.2012 · Phytother Res · Study in people
10. Preliminary study on antirheumatic activity of curcumin (diferuloyl methane).1980 · Indian J Med Res · Study in people
11. Curcumin in Arthritis: Molecular Mechanisms, Preclinical Evidence, and Clinical Applications.2026 · Int J Mol Sci · Review
12. Curcumin for the clinical treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials.2025 · Front Immunol · Review
13. Effects of curcumin and Curcuma longa extract on inflammatory biomarkers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.2025 · Inflamm Res · Review
14. Effect of curcumin on inflammatory markers and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A meta-analysis.2025 · Medicine (Baltimore) · Review
15. Immunomodulatory effects of curcumin on macrophage polarization in rheumatoid arthritis.2024 · Front Pharmacol · Review
16. Effect of curcumin on rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.2023 · Front Immunol · Review
17. Curcumin improves myocardial redox status in an experimental model of rheumatoid arthritis.2026 · Mol Cell Biochem · In animals
18. Ultrasound-responsive microencapsulated curcumin nanobubbles for treatment of mice rheumatoid arthritis and mechanistic insights based on single-cell Transcriptomics.2026 · Nanomedicine (Lond) · In animals
19. A curcumin-borneol prodrug delays rheumatoid arthritis progression by inhibiting the activation of the MAPK/AP-1-MMP9 inflammatory axis.2026 · Front Immunol · In animals
20. Stair-climbing resistance exercise, with or without oral turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) supplementation, relieves symptoms and promotes musculoskeletal repair in experimental rheumatoid arthritis in rats.2026 · J Muscle Res Cell Motil · In animals
21. Exploring curcumin and its synthetic derivatives against key genes for therapeutics of rheumatoid arthritis in the Indian population: a computational approach.2026 · In Silico Pharmacol · In animals
22. Exploring the beneficial effects of curcumin-based hydrogel beads in rats with rheumatoid arthritis induced by Freund's complete adjuvant.2026 · Mol Cell Biochem · In animals
23. Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Curcumin via the Nrf2-cGAS-STING-NF-κB Pathway in MH7A Rheumatoid Arthritis Fibroblast-like Synoviocytes.2026 · Biomedicines · In the lab
24. QbD Approach for the Development of Tea Tree Oil-Enhanced Microemulgel Loaded with Curcumin and Diclofenac for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment.2024 · Gels · In the lab
25. Chondroitin sulfate-modified tragacanth gum-gelatin composite nanocapsules loaded with curcumin nanocrystals for the treatment of arthritis.2024 · J Nanobiotechnology · In the lab
26. Curcumin-Loaded Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes Efficiently Attenuate Proliferation and Inflammatory Response in Rheumatoid Arthritis Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes.2023 · Appl Biochem Biotechnol · In the lab
27. Computational Prediction of the Therapeutic Mechanisms From the Turmeric-Pueraria-Coix Seed Botanical Formula in Rheumatoid Arthritis.2026 · Food Sci Nutr · Other paper
28. A dual pH/ROS-responsive hyaluronan-gated hollow mesoporous silica nanoplatform with CD44-associated cellular interaction improves curcumin retention under serum challenge and attenuates TNF-α-driven inflammatory outputs in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts.2026 · BMC Biotechnol · Other paper
29. Patient-reported outcomes of curcumin supplementation in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis: a cross-sectional survey.2024 · Rheumatol Int · Other paper
30. A Nanomedicine-Enabled Ion-Exchange Strategy for Enhancing Curcumin-Based Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapy.2023 · Angew Chem Int Ed Engl · Other paper

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