Should you take a turmeric shot before or after coffee?

For a lot of us, the first coffee of the day is non-negotiable, so when a turmeric shot joins the morning routine, the obvious question is which one goes first.

Taking a shot before or after coffee hasn't been tested in any study, and for most people the order matters little. What matters more is your stomach and, if you're watching your iron, keeping coffee away from meals. EFSA says up to 400mg of caffeine a day is safe for healthy adults, and our shots add none.

Key takeaways

• No study has tested whether coffee changes how you absorb turmeric, or the other way round at the amounts in a shot.
• If your stomach is sensitive, have your shot with breakfast rather than alongside coffee on an empty stomach.
• Coffee can reduce how much iron you absorb from a meal, so if your iron is low, drink it between meals.
• None of our shots contains caffeine, so a shot doesn't add to your daily total.
• The simplest routine is a shot with breakfast and your coffee afterwards or mid-morning.

Should you take a turmeric shot before or after coffee?

Either works for most people, but with breakfast, before your coffee, is the easiest habit.

There's no research showing that one order helps turmeric or coffee work better. So the choice comes down to comfort and convenience. A shot with food is gentler if your stomach is sensitive, and having it first means it doesn't get forgotten once the coffee is in your hand. Our guide on how to take a turmeric shot covers the rest of the routine.

Does coffee affect how you absorb turmeric?

There's no evidence that it does, because nobody has studied it.

Research on turmeric absorption has looked at fat, black pepper, and how the curcumin is prepared, but not at coffee. Without a study, there's no reason to space the two apart for absorption's sake. Our guide to the best time to take turmeric goes through the timing research that does exist.

Does turmeric change how your body handles caffeine?

Possibly at high supplement doses, though caffeine levels didn't change in the one study that looked.

In a study of 16 healthy men, taking 1,000mg of curcumin extract a day for two weeks slowed one of the liver enzymes that breaks caffeine down. Despite that, the researchers found no significant change in caffeine itself. That was a concentrated extract, taken daily, and a juiced shot carries far less curcumin than that.

The same enzyme processes some medicines, so if you take prescription medicines, speak to your pharmacist or GP before taking turmeric regularly. The interaction evidence is mostly from extracts and lab work, and direct evidence on drinks like ours is limited.

What if you have a sensitive stomach?

Have your shot with breakfast, and see whether coffee is the bigger trigger.

The NHS advice on indigestion lists coffee among the things that can bring it on, and suggests cutting down. A shot and a strong coffee together on an empty stomach is a lot to ask of a sensitive gut, so try your shot with food and leave the coffee a little later. Our guides to turmeric and an upset stomach and wellness shots and a sensitive stomach have more ideas.

Does coffee affect iron absorption?

Yes. If your iron is low, timing your coffee is worth more thought than timing your shot.

In a study of coffee and iron absorption, a cup of coffee with a burger meal cut the iron absorbed from it by 39%. Coffee drunk an hour before the meal made no difference, but coffee an hour after reduced absorption as much as drinking it with the meal. The NHS advice on iron deficiency anaemia suggests eating and drinking less tea, coffee, and milk.

Curcumin itself binds iron, which our guide to turmeric and iron absorption explains. If you've been told your iron is low, speak to your GP about the best timing for your shot, your coffee, and any iron tablets.

How much caffeine is in your morning?

Less than you might think from one cup, though it adds up over the day.

Caffeine is defined as a naturally occurring compound found in coffee and cocoa beans, tea leaves, guarana berries, and the kola nut. EFSA says single doses up to 200mg, and up to 400mg spread across the day, don't raise safety concerns for healthy adults. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, the limit is 200mg a day, and the NHS guidance on foods to avoid in pregnancy gives the same figure. The coffee, tea, and cola amounts below are EFSA's typical figures.

Which shot fits a coffee routine?

One with no caffeine, taken with breakfast.

Raw Turmeric Original has nothing on its label that contains caffeine: no coffee, tea, or guarana. It's raw turmeric root at 30%, more than any other shot we make, cold-crushed with whole watermelon, pineapple, and lemon, plus magnesium and vitamin C, and our trade-secret BioMax Uptake Blend®, which includes black pepper, at a 0.1% inclusion.

Because it's a juice, it's best with food. NHS guidance on sugar suggests drinking fruit juice with meals and keeping to 150ml a day, and a 60ml shot with breakfast sits well within that.

The takeaway

There's no evidence that a shot before or after coffee changes how either one works, so pick the order that suits you. If your stomach is sensitive, have the shot with food. If your iron is low, keep coffee away from meals and talk to your GP. And if you're watching your caffeine, a shot adds none.

The routine that's easiest to keep is a Raw Turmeric Original with breakfast, then your coffee when you're ready for it.

Frequently asked questions