This spice treats indigestion just as well as prescription drugs

People with indigestion are often advised to stay away from spicy foods — but turmeric might be the exception.

The golden-orange spice — commonly added to curry dishes, tea, rice, soup, smoothies and marinades — has been proven to have a wide range of health benefits.

And now, researchers have discovered that turmeric can treat indigestion as well as a widely used drug.

Turmeric is derived from the root of the Curcuma longa plant, a type of ginger. The root contains curcumin, a compound known to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.

It’s long been used as an herbal remedy throughout Asia, but there have never been any head-to-head studies comparing turmeric to a prescription drug for indigestion — until now.

Researchers from Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University enrolled 151 people with recurring indigestion (functional dyspepsia) in a study comparing the curcumin found in turmeric to omeprazole, commonly known as Prilosec.

Omeprazole is a type of drug called a proton-pump inhibitor, or PPI. Though they’ve been used for many years, doctors have discovered that PPIs have a number of serious side effects.

“[R]ecent studies regarding the long-term use of PPI medications have noted potential adverse effects, including risk of fractures, pneumonia, Clostridium difficile diarrhea, hypomagnesemia, vitamin B₁₂ deficiency, chronic kidney disease, and dementia,” according to Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Turmeric for indigestion

The 151 people taking part in the indigestion study were randomly assigned to three groups: one taking omeprazole, another taking turmeric capsules, and a third taking both omeprazole and turmeric.

The participants in the study, published in BMJ, were evaluated after 28 days, and again after 56 days. The results showed that people in all three groups had similar reductions in pain and other symptoms after 28 days, and even greater improvements after 56 days.

“Oral curcumin was found to be safe and well tolerated. Patients with functional dyspepsia treated with curcumin, omeprazole and curcumin plus omeprazole had similar significant symptomatic improvement,” the study authors wrote.

Turmeric benefits

There is a large and growing body of medical evidence pointing to the health benefits of turmeric and curcumin, many of which are based on the spice’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

In a study of people with ulcerative colitis (a type of inflammatory bowel disease or IBD), those who took two grams of curcumin a day along with prescription drugs were more likely to have their symptoms stay in remission than people who took the drugs alone.

It may also lower the risk of heart disease, according to the Cleveland Clinic: Among healthy adults who took curcumin supplements for 12 weeks, resistance artery endothelial production — which is linked to high blood pressure — was improved.

Some research also suggests that curcumin may protect those at risk for heart disease by lowering certain levels of cholesterol.

And among people who had coronary artery bypass surgery, those who took four grams of curcumin a day had a 65% lower risk of having a heart attack.

And if that isn’t enough, there are numerous studies that find turmeric and curcumin can play a role in fighting depression, preventing cancer, improving memory and lessening the pain from arthritis and other conditions.

Turmeric supplements

“Curcumin has many biological activities, not all of which are understood,” said Mary-Eve Brown, an oncology clinical dietitian/nutritionist at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

“Like other colorful plant-based foods, turmeric is rich in phytonutrients [plant-based nutrients] that may protect the body by neutralizing free radicals (pollution, sunlight) and shielding the cells from damage,” Brown added.

“Anyone who’s trying to manage inflammation could benefit from adding some turmeric to their foods.” She cites inflammatory conditions like arthritis and other joint disorders, colitis, allergies and infections as conditions that might be managed with turmeric supplements.

Side effects of turmeric

Turmeric is available in the spice aisle of most grocery stores, and curcumin is often found in vitamin and supplement shops.

But the curcumin in turmeric isn’t readily available to the body, because of its poor absorption, rapid metabolism and rapid elimination from the body, according to some studies.

One trick is to combine turmeric with black pepper: Piperine is the main component of black pepper, and when combined with curcumin, it’s been shown to increase bioavailability by a whopping 2000%.

Turmeric and curcumin can interact with other drugs, such as painkillers like ibuprofen (Advil), acetaminophen (Tylenol) and aspirin, so speak to a health care provider before using them together.

It can also interfere with some chemotherapy drugs, blood thinners like warfarin and an immunosuppressant called tacrolimus.

As more research is done on the health benefits of turmeric and curcumin, the spice may move into mainstream medicine. As the authors of the indigestion study wrote, “the new findings from our study may justify considering curcumin in clinical practice.”