Study: Turmeric may be as effective as medicine in treating indigestion

A study says turmeric, a natural compound found in spice, may be as good for treating indigestion as medicine.

According to the study published in the medical journal, curcumin, a natural compound found in turmeric, may be as effective as omeprazole, a drug used to treat dyspepsia (indigestion).

Turmeric is thought to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties and has long been used as a medicinal remedy, including for the treatment of indigestion.

The study involved 206 patients aged 18 to 70 with recurrent upset stomach who were recruited from hospitals in Thailand between 2019 and 2020.

The participants were randomly assigned to three treatment groups for 28 days.

One group received two large 250 mg capsules of curcumin (turmeric) four times a day and one small dummy capsule; another received one small 20 mg capsule omeprazole daily and two large dummy capsules 4 times a day; and the last group received turmeric plus omeprazole.

Patients in all three groups were evaluated for their symptoms after 28 days and then again after 56.

The researchers found that oral curcumin was safe and well tolerated, and that patients in all three groups experienced a similar improvement in symptoms.

“Curcumin and omeprazole had comparable efficacy for functional dyspepsia with no obvious synergistic effect,” the researchers concluded.

“This multi-centre randomised controlled trial provides highly reliable evidence for the treatment of functional dyspepsia.

“The new findings from our study may justify considering curcumin in clinical practice.”