Turmeric may be as good for treating indigestion as medicine, a study suggests.
A natural compound found in the culinary spice may be as effective as omeprazole, a drug used to reduce excess stomach acid and treat indigestion, according to the first study of its kind. The findings were published in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.
Turmeric contains a naturally active compound called curcumin, thought to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. It has long been used as a medicinal remedy, including for the treatment of indigestion, in south-east Asia.
“Could be”, “suggests”, “first study”, “thought to have” … looks like there is some more science to be done here.
Here’s a link to the study:
https://ebm.bmj.com/content/early/2023/07/26/bmjebm-2022-112231
Seems legit, except there was no placebo group, so it might not be that tumeric works, but omprazole doesn’t.
The biggest struggle with any medicine is whether it is working any better than the placebo effect.
Well… we’ve got tons of data that shows that it does. Infact omeprazole is one of the most effective meds on the market.
There’s lots of weird things like this in medicine. Tylenol is shown to be as effective at treating certain types of pain as narcotics, even serious pain sources like recent surgery. Smelling alcohol swabs is as effective as nausea medicine in some cases, even with chemo associated nausea.
If it works then great, if not what’s the harm? You ate some turmeric? No loss.
The “thought to have” is the most egregious, considering that’s the one part of turmeric that HAS been proven.
Just rediscovering ancient knowledge.
Curcumin is pretty much magic. Feeling sore? Gulp a teaspoon of turmeric spice. I’ve been using it as a migraine reliever for a few years.
It is a bit a weird in the stomach in these amounts, but I guess it might indeed help with digestion in smaller doses or better quality, as it does make the guts move a bit.
Must give rise to some interesting burps.
You need to ask other people around me
I got Gastroesophageal reflux disease that led to my throat being constantly irritated. I took tons of gaviscon and omeprazole.
At some point I discovered that I could ease the pain with a mix of baking soda and water. I experimented a bit to find the correct amount but now I keep a 1l bottle of water with a single teaspoon of baking soda. I drink a little sip every time I feel pain since a few months and the pain dramatically dimmed over time. I can spend days without needing to drink my “medicine”.
It tastes like shit, but it works.
Never touched gaviscon or omeprazole again. Keep in mind that the effect is not a long-lasting one, as the body will bring the stomach PH down to its normal. But the wounded throat will heal itself over time and the pain will slowly disappear.
I hope it helps. Gastroesophageal reflux really is awfully painful.
PS: I love whisky, but it is known to have terrible effects on people like us. I drink my mix before bed as a preventive measure every time I touch that bottle.
Yep, almost instant relief from heartburn. I try to use it sparingly because I’m not sure how much we really want to be messing with our gut pH, but when you need it, baking soda is great.
I mean, that’s pretty close to just taking tums or rolaids but probably a bit faster acting.
It’s not. Been told that before. Tried it many times at varying amounts. It always made things worse and then I had the taste of turmeric stuck in my mouth or when I’d burp. It was nasty and ineffective.
Also thins the fuck out of your blood iirc if you are taking it in large + regular quantities.
Geez, didn’t know that part. That’d be bad for anyone on thinners.
Sliced my hand open a few months ago and the cook put turmeric on the wound. Turns out it’s great at stopping bleeding and has antibacterial (or antiseptic or something) properties. Not a substitute for proper medical equipment but if it’s all you got it’s really impressive.
The only side effect was that it tinted the skin yellow for about a week and a half.
