Turmeric beats ibuprofen for arthritis

by Stepy — April 5, 2018

Turmeric is one of the most potent healing spices in the world. It is one the most researched plants in the world. There are so many reasons to eat turmeric. The medicinal properties of turmeric have been the subject of over 6000 peer-reviewed and published biomedical studies. New research shows that turmeric beats ibuprofen for arthritis pain.

As stated in the study abstract:

367 primary knee osteoarthritis patients with a pain score of 5 or higher were randomized to receive ibuprofen 1,200 mg/day or C. domestica extracts 1,500 mg/day for 4 weeks. The main outcomes were Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) total, WOMAC pain, WOMAC stiffness, and WOMAC function scores. Adverse events (AEs) were also recorded.

The researchers measure pain levels from different types of walking, including regular level walking, stairs, and more.

The groups that received ibuprofen and the groups that received turmeric both showed significant improvements. However, the turmeric group did perform better in the 100 meter walk and reported less pain. The turmeric group also showed less side effects.

The results were explained in the study abstract:

185 and 182 patients were randomly assigned into C. domestica extracts and ibuprofen groups, respectively. The baseline characteristics were no different between groups. The mean of all WOMAC scores at weeks 0, 2, and 4 showed significant improvement when compared with the baseline in both groups. After using the noninferiority test, the mean difference (95% confidence interval) of WOMAC total, WOMAC pain, and WOMAC function scores at week 4 adjusted by values at week 0 of C. domestica extracts were noninferior to those for the ibuprofen group (P=0.010, P=0.018, and P=0.010, respectively), except for the WOMAC stiffness subscale, which showed a trend toward significance (P=0.060). The number of patients who developed AEs was no different between groups. However, the number of events of abdominal pain/discomfort was significantly higher in the ibuprofen group than that in the C. domestica extracts group (P=0.046). Most subjects (96%-97%) were satisfied with the treatment, and two-thirds rated themselves as improved in a global assessment.

The study showing that turmeric beats ibuprofen for arthritis was published in the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging.

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REFERENCES:
1. “Turmeric Beats Ibuprofen for Arthritis of the Knee.” GreenMedInfo.com. GreenMedInfo.com, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
2. “Efficacy and Safety of Curcuma Domestica Extracts Compared with Ibuprofen in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Multicenter Study.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.