In a recent study from the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, published in the British Medical Journal, it was found that the natural common spice turmeric, or more precisely one of its constituents, curcumin, was as effective as omeprazole, a commonly industrially manufactured drug, for the treatment of dyspepsia (indigestion). For many centuries turmeric has long been used to treat indigestion. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, a bright yellow chemical produced by plants of the Curcuma longa species. Curcumin is already sold as an herbal supplement and is often used as a food colouring and flavouring.
The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of curcumin versus omeprazole in improving patient reported outcomes in people who had a diagnosis of functional dyspepsia. 206 patients were enrolled in the study and split into three groups, one group taking only curcumin, one with only omeprazole and the third a combination of both and each group observed at 28 days and 56 days over the period. Significant improvements were observed in all groups using a measure of ‘Severity of Dyspepsia Assessment’ (SODA) score. The researchers concluded that curcumin and omeprazole had comparable efficacy for functional dyspepsia.
Exciting and impressive as these results may be, what are the practical implications of these different forms of treatment? Should doctors prescribe jars of turmeric for patients with dyspepsia? And how would the recipients of this ‘herbal’ remedy consume this spice in the amounts required to match the effectiveness of omeprazole as a pill, which is manufactured by the millions in pharmaceutical factories?
Before our modern, big pharmaceutical companies came along, we as humans must have experimented over millennia by consuming different plants and flowers for the treatment of various ailments. Many of these are still recognised today, for instance Chamomile tea for the relief of nausea, diarrhea and urinary tract infections and St. John’s Wort extract for the treatment of depression, to name a few. There must be a whole pharmacopeia growing in our gardens and hedgerows, yet we seem to have lost the knowledge of how beneficial these natural remedies can be, and now we only rely on that prescription from our doctor to heal ourselves.
After the dissolution of the monasteries most of the herbal knowledge was held by elderly women who were often accused of being witches, although they may have been just wise women. These women were healers, and their watchword was similar to the Hippocratic oath: “An’ ye harm none, do what ye will”. With the advent of modern medicine men tended to dismiss the ancient knowledge, but it is notable that women who gave birth were more likely to survive and thrive because the midwives insisted on boiling water and cleanliness, whereas the moneyed classes were more inclined to develop puerperal fever and die when attended by expensive male physicians who took pride in their filthy coats!
Nicholas Culpepper wrote a famous ‘herbal’ in the 17th C in which he described numerous human ailments which might be treated successfully by using his recommended herbal administrations. His ideas, however, were not original, but derived from a previous
publication called the Pharmacopoeia Londinensis which listed all the herbal and other remedies, known at that time, to successfully treat various medical conditions. It was written in Latin which hardly anyone could understand, so as a Latin scholar, Culpeper translated it into plain English and added his own humorous comments and remarks, thus revealing to the masses the benefits of alternative medicine. His book was an instant success and encouraged by this reception he went on to elaborate and extend the contents of this original work in his publication “Culpeper’s Complete Herbal” of 1653 – in effect a self-help medical guide. He thought medicine was a public asset and should not be coveted by costly physicians of the age.
So, what was recommended in this ‘Herbal’ as it became to be commonly known? He described how the foxglove plant could be used to treat heart conditions, not aware that it contained acetylsalicylic acid, better known as aspirin to us, which is an anti-inflammatory drug that can reduce the occurrence of heart attacks by thinning the blood and reducing the chance of blood clots. Other more unusual recipes were anemones crushed into a juice which was applied externally to clean skin ulcers and infections, cottonweed as a boiled efficacy against headlice and Mugwort, or Artemisia vulgaris a flowering plant known subsequently as ‘the mother of herbs’ because of its host of beneficial pharmacological properties. All these herbal remedies must have been discovered over many centuries of trial and error and acute observation of their effects. It is only today with the ability of modern science to extract the active ingredients of these natural occurring plants that we can identify their chemical composition.
If we take aspirin as an example, billions of aspirin tablets are taken each year with all the health benefits it can provide (caveat here though, as an acid it can cause stomach ulcers), yet we do not go round chewing foxglove plants if we have a headache! And the recent confirmation that turmeric is indeed as good as omeprazole for the relief of excess stomach acid, is there not a place for both alternative medicines to be used alongside the more practical pharmaceutically manufactured drugs?
So, whether it is turmeric in your curry of violet petals scattered over your summer salad do take comfort that although the quantities you might consume will not make a huge difference to your indigestion or stress levels, they do actually taste better than popping a pill!
Ian Smith | Dec 2024 | Issue 1
What do you think of herbal remedies vs manufactured drugs? Please tell us!
Comments