NovaSOL® Curcumin: The Evidence Behind 185× Bioavailability
NovaSOL® demonstrated 185× higher bioavailability than native curcumin powder in the Schiborr human study. The measurement was the total-curcumin area under the blood concentration–time curve over 24 hours. Explore the human study behind this micellar formulation advantage.
The study at a glance
| Study detail | What the paper reports |
|---|---|
| Publication | Schiborr et al., Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 2014 |
| Design | Randomised crossover bioavailability study |
| Participants | 23 healthy adults |
| Formulations | Native curcumin powder, micronised powder and liquid micelles |
| Study dose | 500 mg curcuminoids, including 410 mg curcumin, in each comparison arm |
| Main comparison here | Liquid micelles vs native curcumin powder |
| Reported result | 185-fold higher total-curcumin 24-hour AUC across all participants |
Why AUC is the important term
Blood concentration changes after a dose. The area under that curve, abbreviated AUC, combines the measurements across time. It gives researchers a measure of exposure across the sampling period.
Two other terms often appear in absorption research: Cmax is the highest measured concentration, and Tmax is the time to that peak. Together with AUC, they describe the concentration profile. The 185× figure reported here is the overall total-curcumin AUC comparison across the study participants.
What the finding supports
At the tested dose and under the trial conditions, the liquid-micelle formulation substantially increased measured exposure compared with native powder. That supports the documented 185× NovaSOL® bioavailability USP and explains why formulation deserves attention alongside an ingredient’s weight.
The comparison used native curcumin powder as its reference and the same curcuminoid dose for each tested formulation. This design lets the researchers compare the effect of the delivery format on measured bioavailability.
Micellar technology in focus
NovaSOL® carries curcumin in water-dispersible liquid micelles. The published human study gives this technology a clear, traceable point of difference: 185× higher bioavailability than native curcumin powder, measured as total-curcumin 24-hour AUC.
How to connect the research to a Licur label
Licur Max and Licur 7000 each contain 720 mg NovaSOL® micellar preparation per capsule. That amount includes the curcumin and its micellar delivery system as one complete preparation. The recommended serving is one capsule daily according to the product label.
Licur 7000 additionally supplies 7.8 µg (312 IU) vitamin D3 per capsule. Licur Max has no added vitamin D. Both use HPMC capsules; Max is vegan and 7000 is vegetarian because its D3 comes from lanolin. Use the practical NovaSOL® and extract comparison when comparing products.
Questions readers ask
Was the NovaSOL® formulation studied in people?
Yes. The 185× result comes from a published human crossover bioavailability study involving 23 healthy adults.
What was NovaSOL® compared with?
The comparator for the 185× result was native curcumin powder. Each arm used a study dose of 500 mg curcuminoids, including 410 mg curcumin.
Why can two products quote different absorption multipliers?
Dose, comparator, measurement method, participants and study design may differ. Those details explain the context of each result. For NovaSOL®, this article follows the published comparison with native curcumin powder.
For use, precautions and the full formula, consult the current Licur product labels. Do not exceed the labelled serving. Both products are unsuitable for children and during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Ask a professional about use with medicines or medical conditions.
Further human formulation research
A 2025 crossover study in nine healthy men reported the highest uptake with NovaSOL® among the formulations tested. The researchers measured total and unconjugated curcumin separately, adding detail to the human research on curcumin formulations. Read Kroon et al., 2025.
Source and formula check
Study figures checked against the published paper. Licur amounts and directions checked against the current labels on 8 September 2026.