First of all, my body had absolutely no issues absorbing this product in spite of the absence of the additives that are supposed to help with absorption. I know that because I got a pretty strong reaction to this supplement. I started taking it the week before my period. I immediately noticed that it was doing something. My mood was much better, my energy level was high (that's unusual for me during PMS). I loved it. I also noticed that I became much more easily overcome by strong emotions (anger), and I had very vivid dreams (nightmares). Then my period came, and I started experiencing even more side effects. I became anxious and jittery. I slowed down the supplement, and was taking it every other day at that point. I noticed that the day I took it I was feeling very hyper, the day after I was feeling almost out of it (apathetic, no energy, almost sedated), and then I started experiencing pretty big mood swings. Out of nowhere I started feeling depressed and my mouth became very dry (I've never had that issue before in my life) so I stopped taking Turmeric It's been a month and a half since I took the last pill, and it has s been a pretty rough month. My PMS was awful (terrible mood swings), and the first few days of my cycle have been really rough (much more cramping than usual, much more anxiety, some more mood swings, more acid reflex). I was very anxious up until the day of my ovulation to the point where my appetite and sleep were almost non existent. Now I continue to struggle with depressed mood, acne (completely new symptom for me) and heartburn (also new), plus I still have the annoying dry mouth. Who would've thought that the "miracle drug" turmeric can cause a hell like this? I didn't, but I now strongly believe that it's not as wonderful or innocent as the internet would like us all to believe. I started doing research on Turmeric, and it turns out that curcumin may act like estrogen, which would explain why it messed up my hormones. Apparently some research suggest that it helps with some types of Breast Cancer (but interacts with chemo drugs) by blocking estrogen. Logically, I would advise anyone caution before toying around with an estrogen blocker which by itself might also act like estrogen. All those links are still pretty poorly understood, and while there is some great potential for Turmeric to be beneficial to some people, it's not a good idea for everyone to take it. At least if you do decide to take it, you should know that it can affect your hormones. I started taking it thinking that it's only action is anti inflammatory. I had no idea it was going to mess up my hormones by playing around with my estrogen. That can take months to even out after stopping the supplement. In summary, in my opinion women should be especially careful using turmeric, especially if they're sensitive to hormone fluctuations. Granted, that some women will feel great on this supplement if they metabolize estrogen more effectively or are less sensitive to hormonal fluctuations, but If you ever had a bad reaction to a birth control pill for example, I recommend that you stay clear of Turmeric