What Optimend does
Joint comfort and mobility
Boswellia serrata eases joint discomfort and stiffness and improves how far and how freely you move: across seven controlled trials, pain, stiffness and function all improved (PMID 32680575), with relief starting in the first week (PMID 18667054).
A healthy inflammatory response
Tetrahydrocurcumin calms COX-2 and NF-κB, the two switches of the inflammatory response, and did it better than curcumin itself (PMID 30386242). Boswellia works on a third one, 5-LOX (PMID 1602379), and zinc lowers the inflammatory markers of the blood (PMID 33333394).
Your own antioxidant defenses
Tetrahydrocurcumin releases Nrf2 from KEAP1, so your cells make more glutathione and their own antioxidant enzymes (PMID 30423402). That is why Optimend is one of the three pathways of the Activz epigenetic supplements.
Tetrahydrocurcumin vs curcumin
Tetrahydrocurcumin is what curcumin becomes inside your body: one of its main metabolites (PMID 10101144). Taking it directly skips the step where most of the curcumin from turmeric is lost.
| Curcumin | Tetrahydrocurcumin | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The yellow pigment of turmeric root | The metabolite your body makes from curcumin |
| Stability | Breaks down fast at the body's neutral pH | Stable at the body's pH |
| Absorption | Poor, the known weak point of turmeric | Higher bioavailability than curcumin |
| Antioxidant enzymes (GSH-Px, GST, NQO1) | Induces them | Induces them more strongly |
| Color | Yellow, stains | Colorless, doesn't stain |
| In Optimend | — | Min. 95% tetrahydrocurcuminoids, with gamma-cyclodextrin |
Stability and absorption: Zhou et al. 2024 (PMID 38836693); antioxidant enzymes: Aggarwal et al. 2014 (PMID 25547723). Optimend carries it with gamma-cyclodextrin, the carrier that raised curcuminoid absorption 39 times in a human crossover study (PMID 28204880).
Which to choose: if you're taking turmeric for your joints, tetrahydrocurcumin is the same compound, already converted, in the form that stays in your body. Optimend adds boswellia and zinc to it in the same capsule.
How to take Optimend
- 1 capsule, twice a day, with food.
- For a stronger effect, take 2 capsules twice a day.
- A bottle is a month at the regular dose: 60 capsules.
What's in each capsule
The US Supplement Facts, as printed on the bottle:
| Amount per serving (1 capsule) · 60 servings | |
|---|---|
| Proprietary Blend | 404 mg |
| TetrahydroCurcumin Complex** (Curcuma longa, standardized to min. 95% tetrahydrocurcuminoids, with gamma-cyclodextrin) | * |
| Boswellia Serrata Extract (resin) | * |
| Zinc (from Zinc Citrate) | * |
Other ingredients: CyLoc™ gamma dextrin fiber matrix, hypromellose (derived from cellulose) capsule, isomalt, cellulose, calcium laurate, leucine, plant amylase.
If you're pregnant, nursing or taking blood thinners, talk to your doctor before starting Optimend.
Optimend questions
Is tetrahydrocurcumin better than turmeric?
For a supplement, yes: turmeric gives you curcumin and leaves the conversion to your body; tetrahydrocurcumin is the form your body converts it into, more stable and better absorbed. Optimend delivers it directly, standardized to at least 95% tetrahydrocurcuminoids.
Does tetrahydrocurcumin stain like turmeric?
No. Tetrahydrocurcumin is colorless: it loses the yellow pigment of curcumin, so it doesn't stain teeth, hands or clothes.
How long until I feel Optimend?
In the boswellia studies, joint comfort improved from the first week and kept improving through 90 days. Take a full bottle, a month at 1 capsule twice a day.
Is there a subscription?
No. Every Activz order in the US is a one-time order, shipped free by USPS in 2 to 5 business days. Nothing renews on its own.
Order Optimend in the US
The original Optimend, at the official US price, is ordered here. You'll see it listed on Amazon and eBay; this order ships from Activz, free by USPS in 2 to 5 business days, and you pay by PayPal or card.
| Order | Price | Per bottle | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bottle of Optimend | $74.69 | $74.69 | $2.49 |
| 3 bottles You save $16.98 | $207.09 | $69.03 | $2.30 |
| 5 bottles You save $74.29 | $299.16 | $59.83 | $1.99 |
Optimend with GNM-X and Linq: the Trifecta, one bottle of each, is $173.25, $39.88 less than buying the three separately. GNM-X switches on Nrf2 and Linq feeds your gut lining with butyric acid.
Sources
- Boswellia and joints: Yu et al., BMC Complement Med Ther 2020, PMID 32680575 · Sengupta et al., Arthritis Res Ther 2008, PMID 18667054.
- Tetrahydrocurcumin, COX-2 and NF-κB: Zhang et al., Front Pharmacol 2018, PMID 30386242 · Nrf2: Luo et al., Food Chem Toxicol 2019, PMID 30423402.
- Tetrahydrocurcumin vs curcumin: Pan et al. 1999, PMID 10101144 · Zhou et al. 2024, PMID 38836693 · Aggarwal et al. 2014, PMID 25547723.
- Gamma-cyclodextrin and absorption: Purpura et al., Eur J Nutr 2018, PMID 28204880.
- Boswellia and 5-LOX: Safayhi et al. 1992, PMID 1602379 · Zinc and inflammatory markers: Hosseini et al., Cytokine 2021, PMID 33333394.