Spices in Food vs Supplements: Why a Pinch Is Not a Capsule

A pinch is a different thing from a capsule

In cooking, a spice is a small amount of dried plant that adds flavor or color. The USDA lists how much common spices weigh by the teaspoon, and the numbers are small. [6]

Source for the weights: USDA SR Legacy household measures. [6] Those weights say how heavy a teaspoon is. They are not a recommended amount, and we found no source that sets a usual recipe amount.

A supplement works differently. It is sold to be swallowed on its own, often daily, and it may be a powder, a standardized extract, a tincture or an essential oil. NCCIH notes that oral curcumin products vary in how much curcumin they contain and often include substances from other plants. [5] The label tells you less than you might expect, as the next sections explain.

Why most trials use extracts, not the spice

When researchers test a plant, they need a product they can measure and repeat. That is why they often choose a capsule or an extract. Our spice pages show the same pattern. Their summaries come from the sources listed on each of those pages, not from the sources below. Here is what each reports:

• Cinnamon: the blood sugar trials we summarize used capsules, powders and extracts for 30 to 120 days, not cinnamon sprinkled on food. See Cinnamon and the cinnamon herb guide.
• Turmeric: NCCIH describes studies of oral turmeric or curcumin products, mostly for knee pain. [5] We found no study of turmeric eaten as a spice. See Turmeric and turmeric vs curcumin.
• Black pepper: our page reports a small 1998 study in which isolated piperine, not pepper on food, raised curcumin levels in the blood of healthy volunteers. That is a result about absorption, not a proven health benefit. See Black pepper and the black pepper herb guide.
• Cayenne and capsaicin: the strongest research is on capsaicin patches and creams on skin, not on chili in cooking. See Cayenne and chili and the cayenne herb guide.
• Ginger and fenugreek: the trials we summarize used supplement or seed preparations. See Ginger, the ginger herb guide, Fenugreek and the fenugreek herb guide.

So a headline such as "spice X lowered blood sugar" usually means "an extract of spice X did, in one group of people". Ask what form was used, in whom, and for how long.

How to read a supplement label

FDA says a supplement label must show a "Supplement Facts" panel listing serving size and each dietary ingredient, plus any other ingredients. [2] Proprietary blends do not have to show the amount of each ingredient. [2] Here is what to look for:

• Part used. Root, seed, bark or fruit can differ. We found no FDA rule on plant-part wording in the pages we read, so check that the part is named. [2]
• Whole powder or extract. A capsule of ground spice is close to the food. An extract has been processed to pull out some parts of the plant.
• Extract ratio. A label such as "10:1" is the plant-to-extract ratio. A 10:1 dry extract needs about 10 g of dried plant for about 1 g of extract. [4] It records how the extract was made. It is not a measure of strength, and a higher ratio does not mean a better product. [4] If a carrier was added, a finished-product ratio can look like more plant than the extract really holds. [4]
• Standardization. This usually means the extract is tested for named compounds, such as curcuminoids in turmeric. [4] But NCCIH says words like "standardized," "verified" or "certified" do not necessarily ensure quality or consistency. [3]
• Added piperine. NCCIH says combining curcumin with piperine from black pepper is one way to improve absorption. [5] Check the label for it if you take prescription medicine, because our black pepper page reports that isolated piperine can change how some medicines are handled by the body.
• The label may not match the bottle. NCCIH says what is on the label may not be what is in the product, and FDA has found prescription drugs in some products sold as supplements. [3]

How the FDA treats foods and supplements

The FDA regulates supplements under a different set of rules than ordinary foods and drugs. [1] Some key points from the FDA pages we opened:

• FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are sold. [2]
• Under the 1994 law known as DSHEA, makers and sellers must evaluate safety and labeling before sale, and may not sell adulterated or misbranded products. FDA can act against a product after it reaches the market. [1][2]
• A new dietary ingredient must be notified to FDA at least 75 days before marketing, with safety information. [2]
• NCCIH adds that FDA generally can act only after a product is on the market and cannot test every product. [3]

We did not open an FDA source on how spices sold as ordinary food are regulated, so we make no claim about that here. The cooking pages on this site treat a spice in meals as food.

When a spice is food and when claims turn it into a drug

FDA says a supplement may make a "structure/function" claim, which describes an effect on the body's structure or function, if the maker can support it. [2] That claim must carry the statement that FDA has not evaluated it. [2] Disease claims are not allowed on a supplement. [2][3]

If a product is presented as treating, preventing or curing a specific disease, it meets the definition of a drug and is regulated as one. [2] So "supports joint comfort" and "treats arthritis" are not the same kind of sentence. The second makes a drug claim. NCCIH cites a 2012 government study in which 20 percent of 127 weight-loss and immune-support products made illegal claims. [3]

Our pages follow the same line: we write "a trial found" and never say a spice treats a disease.

Essential oils are not culinary spice oils

An essential oil is a different product again from the ground spice. We did not open a source that compares oil and spice strength, so we give no numbers. Read our cinnamon oil page before using any oil.

When to ask a clinician

Talk with a doctor, pharmacist or other health professional before you start a spice supplement, extract or oil if any of these apply. FDA and NCCIH both advise this. [2][3]

• You take prescription medicine. Supplements may interact with medicines. [2][3]
• You are pregnant, breastfeeding, or choosing a product for a child. Many supplements have not been tested in these groups. [3]
• You have surgery planned. Tell the team about every supplement, since some may raise bleeding risk. [3]
• You have liver problems, or you notice tiredness, nausea, poor appetite, dark urine or yellow skin or eyes after starting a product. Stop it and call a provider. [5]

For the safety questions in detail, see Spice safety: medicines, pregnancy and allergy. To understand what counts as a spice in the first place, see What are spices?.