Curcumin (turmeric) & Depression

Written based on 23 research studies on PubMed, searched on 2026. nov. 11..

The claim

Posts online say that curcumin (turmeric) helps with depression.

Where research stands

We found 26 published papers on curcumin (turmeric) and depression. They were published between 2009 and 2026. 8 of them are studies in people. 7 of them compared people who got it with a group that did not. 5 were studies in animals, and none was only in cells in the lab. 9 papers are reviews that sum up other studies.

• 8In people7 with a comparison group
• 5In animals
• 0Only 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. Add-on Treatment with Curcumin Has Antidepressive Effects in Thai Patients with Major Depression: Results of a Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study.2018 · Neurotox Res · Randomised trial
2. Efficacy of curcumin, and a saffron/curcumin combination for the treatment of major depression: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.2017 · J Affect Disord · Randomised trial
3. Chronic Supplementation of Curcumin Enhances the Efficacy of Antidepressants in Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study.2015 · J Clin Psychopharmacol · Randomised trial
4. Curcumin and major depression: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the potential of peripheral biomarkers to predict treatment response and antidepressant mechanisms of change.2015 · Eur Neuropsychopharmacol · Randomised trial
5. Curcumin for the treatment of major depression: a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled study.2014 · J Affect Disord · Randomised trial
6. Efficacy and safety of curcumin in major depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial.2014 · Phytother Res · Randomised trial
7. Curcumin as an add-on to antidepressive treatment: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot clinical study.2013 · Clin Neuropharmacol · Randomised trial
8. The Effect of Adding Curcumin to Sertraline in the Treatment of Severe Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial.2023 · Clin Neuropharmacol · Study in people
9. Beyond the brain: curcumin as a multi-target neuropharmacological modulator of the gut-brain axis in major depressive disorder and Parkinson's disease.2026 · Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol · Review
10. Curcumin and nano-curcumin applications in psychiatric disorders.2024 · Phytother Res · Review
11. Potential Role of Curcumin for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder.2022 · CNS Drugs · Review
12. Curcumin for depression: a meta-analysis.2020 · Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr · Review
13. Curcumin for neuropsychiatric disorders: a review of in vitro, animal and human studies.2017 · J Psychopharmacol · Review
14. The Role of Curcumin Administration in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: Mini Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials.2016 · Phytother Res · Review
15. A Curcumin-Loaded Liposomal Thermoresponsive In Situ Nasal Gel for Brain Targeted Antidepressant Therapy.2026 · ACS Appl Mater Interfaces · In animals
16. Monitoring of Cerebral ROS and Alleviating Depressive-like Phenotype with a Curcumin-Derived Theranostic Probe.2025 · ACS Chem Neurosci · In animals
17. Solid lipid nanoparticles loading with curcumin and dexanabinol to treat major depressive disorder.2021 · Neural Regen Res · In animals
18. Targeting the Endocannabinoid/CB1 Receptor System For Treating Major Depression Through Antidepressant Activities of Curcumin and Dexanabinol-Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles.2017 · Cell Physiol Biochem · In animals
19. Antidepressant effects of curcumin and HU-211 coencapsulated solid lipid nanoparticles against corticosterone-induced cellular and animal models of major depression.2016 · Int J Nanomedicine · In animals
20. Selective Anti-Inflammatory Actions of Curcumin on Cytokine Pathways in Major Depressive Disorder.2026 · Brain Behav · Other paper
21. Correction to "Efficacy and safety of curcumin in major depressive disorder: A randomized controlled trial".2024 · Phytother Res · Other paper
22. A critical examination of studies on curcumin for depression.2014 · J Clin Psychiatry · Other paper
23. Curcumin as an add-on to antidepressive treatment.2013 · Clin Neuropharmacol · Other paper