Curcumin in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age ≥ 18 years; read and understand English 2. Stable dose of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAID) for ≥ 2 weeks. 3. Oral prednisone or equivalent ≤ 10 mg daily and stable dose for ≥ 2 weeks(and must be kept stable throughout the duration of the protocol). * ESR \> 20 mm/hr, or CRP \> 0.8 mg/dl 4. May be using any of the following DMARDs: methotrexate, sulfasalazine, hydroxychloroquine or leflunomide. If using any of these DMARDs must be using them for ≥ 12 weeks and stable dose for ≥ 4 weeks. If using other DMARD, or DMARD combinations, these additional or other DMARDs must be stopped for ≥ 4 weeks before baseline visit. May also participate if patient not on DMARD, 5. Subjects must be diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis based on the revised American College of Rheumatology criteria:Presence of \> swollen and \> 6 tender joint count (28 joint count), and either ESR \> 20 mm/hr or CRP \> 0.8 mg/dl Exclusion Criteria: 1. Acute medical conditions deemed as inappropriate by the investigators (acute heart failure, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, uncontrolled hypertension) 2. AST/ALT \> 1.5 upper limit of normal (ULN) 3. Serum creatinine \> 1.6 mg/dl 4. Hemoglobin/Hematocrit \< 10.0 gram/dl/ 30.0 5. Platelet count \< 100,000 6. Current use of warfarin (as there is a drug interaction between curcumin and warfarin). 7. Currently on biologic therapy (must have stopped etanercept for ≥ 4 weeks or adalimumab or infliximab for ≥ 8 weeks at time of Time 1 visit), 8. Women who are pregnant, 9. Subjects who are taking digoxin, warfarin and/or heparin, 10. Subjects with a history of antiphospholipid syndrome and other thrombophilic states, 11. Subjects who have an INR \>= 1.5 at baseline, 12. Subjects with acute episode(s) of cholecystitis within the last 6 months, 13. Subjects with active peptic ulcer disease within the last 6 weeks