Turmeric: Scientific Evidence

Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) are considered the highest form of scientific evidence.  A group of people with the same condition are divided into two groups, and randomly assigned to receive the medicine or a placebo.  Neither the patient nor the doctors know which group they are in until the results are assessed.

The following are RCTs in the National Library of Medicine listed when you search “Turmeric double blind.”

Nutrients Jun 2020.  Results: Compared with placebo, curcumin was associated with several significant effects. These included better working memory performance at 12-weeks, and lower fatigue scores on the Profile of Mood States (POMS), and of tension, anger, confusion and total mood disturbance. (1)

Eur J Appl Physiol. Jul 2020. Conclusion: Curcuma longa L. extract supplementation leads to a decrease in inflammation and muscle break down in recreational male runners after a half-marathon race. (2)

Clin Nutr. Mar 2020. Conclusion: Three months treatment with curcumin in Chronic Kidney Disease patients resulted in decreased markers of inflammation, suggesting that oral supplementation of curcumin have an anti-inflammatory effect in this patient group. (3)

Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes Mar 2020: Conclusion: A nutraceutical containing Berberine, Curcumin, Inositol, Banaba, and Chromium Picolinate can be helpful in improving glyco-metabolic compensation, Cholesterol and Triglyceride value, and in reducing inflammatory status in patients with dysglycemia. (4)

Phytotherapy Res Aug 2020. The results of this study indicated that intake of the selected herbs (Ginger, Turmeric, Black Pepper) twice a day for 4 weeks improved the inflammation levels in patients with chronic knee osteoarthritis just as well as Naproxen drug. (5)

Complement Ther Med. Mar 2020.  Conclusions: Curcumin improved Quality of Life in liver cirrhotic patients. (6). Sick patients were able to do more, feel better.  A win!

J Res Med Sci Aug 2019. Conclusion: Our study showed that curcumin was effective therapy for ameliorating protein in the urine (kidney disease) in type 2 diabetic patients. (7)

Nutrients Aug 2019.  Results: The WEC group also showed significant improvement of SF-36 scores (for general health, vitality, mental health, and mental summary component) and POMS scores for positive mood states (vigor-activity and friendliness). (8)

Arthritis Ther Res Jul 2019.  Results: Turmeric significantly decreased knee pain in patients with chronic osteoarthritis over 90 days. (9)

Phytotherapy Res. Jul 2019.  Results: Three months treatment with C. longa significantly decreases arterial stiffness as compared with placebo in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. (10)

Diabetol Metab Syndr. May 2019. Result: Supplementation with curcumin in type 2 diabetes compare to placebo causes a significant changes in mean weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and fasting blood sugar. (11)

Int J Vitam Nutr Res Nov 2019.  Results: In conclusion, turmeric and chicory seed supplementation can be significantly useful in management of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. (12)

J Ethnopharmacol Jun 2019.  Results: Asthma patients receiving C. longa experienced less frequent nighttime awakenings, less frequent use of short-acting β-adrenergic agonists, and better disease control after 3 and 6 months. (13)

Complement Ther Med. Ap 2019. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that curcumin supplementation for 2 months improved and reduced the severity of Neuropathy in patients with T2Diabetes. (14)

Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets 2019.  Results: The combination of ω-3 fatty acids and curcumin significantly reduced the frequency, severity and duration of migraine headaches. (15)

Breastfeed Med Nov 2018. Conclusion: Mixed herbal supplementation that contained fenugreek, ginger, and turmeric can increase human milk volume without adverse effects. (16)

J Dermatolog Treat Sep 2019. Conclusions: Curcumin is a safe treatment and can be used to reduce pain, burning sensations, and the clinical appearance of oral lesions in Oral Lichen Planus patients. (17)

J Evid Based Integr Med. Dec 2018.  Results: Turmeric significantly improved the gut microbiota. (18)

Neural Regen Res Jul 2018.  Results: These findings indicate that Zishenpingchan (Traditional Chinese Medicine with Curcumin) granules can mitigate symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, reduce toxic side effects of dopaminergic agents, and exert synergistic and detoxifying effects. (19)

3000 years of practice, and you can even make medicine to effectively treat Parkinsons Disease.

Diabetes Obes Metab. Nov 2018:  Results: At the end of the trial period, the Curcumin, Curry, Moringa supplemented group showed significant reductions in body weight and BMI, compared with placebo. Significant reductions in waist and hip circumferences, and a 2.08-fold reduction of waist/hip ratio, were noted in the supplemented group. Supplementation also resulted in significant improvements in lipid profiles, compared with the placebo; low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol decreased, while high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol increased, resulting in a significantly improved LDL/HDL ratio. No major adverse events were reported. (20)

Phytother Res Sep 2018. Results:  Curcumin administration alleviated iron burden and liver dysfunction by reducing Iron, and improving liver enzymes, ALT and AST, in patients with β-thalassemia major. (21)

J Cosmet Dermatol Jun 2018.  Results: Compared to the placebo, turmeric significantly reduced the erythema, scaling and induration of lesions, and also improved the patients’ quality of life in patients with scalp psoriasis. (22)

BMC Complement Altern Med Jan 2018. Conclusions: Twelve-week use of curcumin complex or its combination with boswellic acid reduces pain-related symptoms in patients with OsteoArthritis. (23)

J Med Food Oct 2017. Results: Rheumatoid Arthritis patients who received the curcumin product at both low and high doses reported statistically significant changes in their clinical symptoms at the end of the study. (24)

Complement Ther Med Aug 2017.  Results: Curcumin supplementation could contribute to a reduced risk of cardiovascular events in dyslipidemic patients with T2Diabetes because of its favorable effects on cholesterol and inflammation levels. (25)

J Affect Disord Jan 2017.  Results: Curcumin and Saffron were associated with significantly greater improvements in depressive symptoms compared to placebo, and superior improvements in anxiety scores. (26)

Pak J Pharm Sci Nov 2105.  Results: In summary it is concluded that Turmeric, Pennywort, and Walnut could be used as promising source for treatment of eczema. (27)

West Ind Med J Sep 2015.  Conclusion: Turmeric was effective in faster healing of wounds of Caesarean operation. The use of turmeric is suggested to reduce the complications of the wounds from Caesarean section. (28)

Iran J Pharm Res. 2015.  Results: The clinical and therapeutic benefit of this novel topical formulation was evaluated on 34 patients with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis in a randomized, prospective intra-individual, right-left comparative, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) Questionnaire and Psoriasis area & severity index (PASI) score as well as photos before and after treatment was used to evaluate the outcomes. The results show that the clinical and quality of life parameters in treated lesions in comparison with untreated lesions have significantly improved. The reported side effects were also recorded and were trivial. (29)

Complement Ther Med Ap 2015. Conclusion: Turmeric and Black seeds showed improvement in all parameters of metabolic syndrome. (30)

The next study says Turmeric was not effective with Mastitis, but I used Oregon Grape and Red Root for Mastitis and the lady emailed me 3 hours later, saying her pain was gone.

Drug Res. 2015.  Results: Turmeric does protect the lungs from Sufur Mustard gas exposure. ?WTF? (31)

Phytotherapy Res. Oct 2014.  Results: Adjuvant therapy with a bioavailable curcuminoid preparation can significantly improve Quality of Life and suppress systemic inflammation in patients with solid tumors who are under treatment with standard chemotherapy protocols. (32)

J Nephrol. Ap 2014. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the efficacy of turmeric in decreasing inflammation and uremic pruritus (chronic itching that occurs in patients with advanced or end-stage renal disease) in end stage renal disease patients. (33)

J Nutr Biochem Feb 2014.  Results: In summary, a 6-month curcumin intervention in type 2 diabetic population lowered the atherogenic (Stroke/Heart Attack) risks. In addition, the extract helped to improve relevant metabolic profiles in this high-risk population. (34)

Am J Cardiology Jul 2012. It is well established that myocardial infarction (MI) associated with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) predicts a poor outcome. Results: In conclusion, we demonstrated that curcumin significantly decreased MI (heart attack) associated with CABG. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin may account for their cardioprotective effects shown in this study. (35)

Surg Endosc Dec 2011.  Conclusions: Turmeric (curcumin) improves postoperative pain- and fatigue following Lap.Cholecystectomy (Gall Bladder removal). (36)

Or you can follow DrStones approach, Boldo, Beet Root, and Fish oils SAVED a sick Gall Bladder in a woman scheduled for this surgery.  This approach decreased the pain of scalpels SIGNIFICANTLY.

Altern Med Rev Jun 2011.  Conclusions: Although two small studies have shown promising results, all authors conclude that larger-scale, double-blind trials need to be conducted to establish a role for curcumin in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. (37)

IDK?  If something worked for one person, and had no harmful side effects, why not give it a try?  Or use DrStones approach for Ulcerative Colitis.  Even better.  The person no longer has Ulcerative Colitis.

Turmeric is in our Natural Anti-inflammatory, natural alternative to NSAIDS that works better than any pharmaceutical in side by side testing… True Pain Relief.