Bangkok: A study has shown that using turmeric can be as effective as medicine to treat indigestion.
A compound found in turmeric may be as effective as omeprazole, a drug used to reduce stomach acid and treat indigestion, according to a first-of-its-kind study published in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.
Turmeric contains a naturally active compound called ‘curcumin’ which is believed to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. In Southeast Asia, turmeric has long been used as a treatment for indigestion and other ailments.
However, experts were not aware of how turmeric compares to conventional medicines for treating indigestion, largely due to a lack of comparative studies.
In a double-blind placebo clinical trial, researchers recruited 206 people between the ages of 18 and 70 who had persistent stomach problems. Among them, 151 people remained till the end of the study.
Blind trials are trials in which neither the researchers nor the research participants know which group is being given which drug.
The individuals were recruited from hospitals in Thailand between 2019 and 2021 and put into one of three study groups lasting 28 days.
These groups included a turmeric group (two large capsules of 250 mg of curcumin four times a day), a second dummy capsule and omeprazole group (one small 20 mg capsule and two large dummy capsules four times a day) and a third The group consisted of omeprazole with turmeric.
Patients in all three groups had similar symptoms of indigestion at the start of the study. These patients were re-examined after 28 days and again after 56 days.
The researchers found that oral curcumin was safe and tolerable, and patients in all three groups showed similar improvements in symptoms.
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