In people diagnosed with functional dyspepsia, Curcuma longa can lead to improvement in dyspeptic symptoms and quality of life, and offer satisfaction comparable to omeprazole, according to the findings of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial published in The Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Kachonsak Yongwatana et al. undertook this study for comparing the efficacy of Curcuma longa Linn versus omeprazole and placebo for the treatment of functional dyspepsia.

Overall, 132 participants were randomly segregated into omeprazole (n=43), curcumin (n=45), and placebo (n=44) groups. For evaluating clinical effectiveness after two and four weeks, the Severity of Dyspepsia Assessment (SODA) was utilized. With the aid of the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire and EuroQol-visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS), health-related quality of life was determined.

At four weeks, the mean SODA score alteration of pain and non-pain symptoms dropped in the curcuma group in comparison with the placebo group. No profound differences were noted between the curcuma and omeprazole groups. The mean alteration of SODA satisfaction score at four weeks was greater in the curcuma group than the omeprazole group but without any statistical significance.

The mean alteration of the EQ-5D index at four weeks was highest in the curcuma group but not statistically distinct from the other two groups. The mean alteration of EQ-VAS score at four weeks was highest in the curcuma group, as shown in Table 1:

Thus, Curcuma longa is valuable to improve dyspeptic symptoms, quality of life and satisfaction in patients with functional dyspepsia.