Turmeric Curcumin C3 Contains Bioactive Compounds. Turmeric is the spice that gives curry its yellow color. It has been used in India for thousands of years as a spice. The compounds are called curcuminoids, the most important of which is curcumin. Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. However, the curcumin content of turmeric is not that high it is around 3%, by weight. Therefore, you want a supplement that contains significant amounts of curcumin.