- Turmeric improves indigestion symptoms similarly to a common medicine, according to a study.
- Turmeric is a popular natural remedy for indigestion in Southeast Asia.
- However, a doctor cautions that this study alone is not sufficient to change recommended treatments.
Turmeric has been found to be as effective as a drug for treating indigestion, according to a study published on Monday.
In Southeast Asia, turmeric is commonly used to treat indigestion, but there has been a lack of evidence comparing its efficacy to conventional medicine. This study, published in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, aimed to address this gap.
The study found that curcumin, an active ingredient in turmeric, improved symptoms of functional dyspepsia (chronic indigestion) similarly to the drug omeprazole.
For the study, 206 participants with functional dyspepsia were divided into three groups. One group received a daily pill containing curcumin, another group received a daily omeprazole pill (a standard indigestion treatment), and the final group received both. The researchers then compared changes in participants’ Severity of Dyspepsia Assessment scores, which measure pain and non-pain symptoms, at 28 days and 56 days into the treatment.
The study was funded by the Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine Fund, a part of the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand.
According to the US National Institute of Health, while some dietary supplements may be helpful, more research is needed to understand their effects on the human body, as well as their safety and potential interactions with medications and other natural products.
Both turmeric and medicine improved participants’ symptoms
By the 28th day, participants who took either curcumin or omeprazole experienced similar reductions in pain, which further improved by the 56th day. There were no additional benefits for the group that took both substances together.
Both curcumin and omeprazole had comparable effects on non-pain symptoms of dyspepsia, including burping, heartburn, bloating, passing gas, a sour taste in the mouth, nausea, and bad breath.
No serious side effects were reported in the study.
Lead author Dr. Krit Pongpirul, associate professor in the department of preventive and social medicine at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, told The Telegraph that turmeric may have helped the participants by coating the stomach lining to protect it from acid and inhibiting the production of digestive fluids in the stomach.
He told CNN, “Curcumin/turmeric could be an option for treating dyspepsia with comparable efficacy to omeprazole.”
The study has limitations, but moderate consumption of turmeric is generally safe
Dr. Yuying Luo, assistant professor of gastroenterology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, who was not involved in the study, told CNN that the scale used by the researchers to measure improvement in indigestion is not the standard one, and this single study is not enough for her to recommend turmeric as a treatment to patients.
Luo advises people to consult their doctors before taking turmeric for dyspepsia or indigestion to check for allergies and potential interactions with other medications.
However, Pongpirul told CNN that curcumin and turmeric are generally considered safe when consumed in typical food amounts.
He told The Telegraph that using turmeric as a spice in cooking can be part of a broader strategy for managing indigestion symptoms.
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