Turmeric for inflammation and pain relief — what do herbalists and the European Medicines Agency say?

Aim of the study: Curcuminoids (CURs) are the principal ingredients of Curcuma longa L. [Zingiberaceae] (CL)—a herbal plant used in east Asia to alleviate pain and inflammation. Thus far, the therapeutic effects of CURs for knee osteoarthritis (OA) uncovered by multiple reviews remained uncertain due to broadly involving trials with different agents-combined or CURs-free interventions.

Results: Fifteen studies with 1670 patients were included. CURs were significantly more effective than placebo in the improvements of VAS for pain (WMD: -1.77, 95% CI: -2.44 to -1.09), WOMAC total score (WMD: -7.06, 95% CI: -12.27 to -1.84), WOMAC pain score (WMD: -1.42, 95% CI: -2.41 to -0.43), WOMAC function score (WMD: -5.04, 95% CI: -7.65 to -2.43), and WOMAC stiffness score (WMD: -0.54, 95% CI: -1.03 to -0.05). Meanwhile, CURs were not inferior to NSAIDs in the improvements of pain- and function-related outcomes. Additionally, CURs did not significantly increase the incidence of adverse events (AEs) compared with placebo (RR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.69 to 1.53, P = 0.899, I2 = 23.7%) and NSAIDs (RR: 0.71 0.65, 95% CI: 0.57 0.41 to 0.90 1.03). CURs alone can be expected to achieve considerable analgesic and functional promotion effects for patients with symptomatic knee OA in short term, without inducing an increase of adverse events.

Aim of the study: Modern pharmacological research found that the chemical components of Curcuma longa L. are mainly curcumin and turmeric volatile oil. Several recent randomized controlled trials (RCT) have shown that curcumin improves symptoms and inflammation in patients with arthritis.

Results: Twenty-nine (29) RCTs involving 2396 participants and 5 types of arthritis were included. The arthritis included Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Osteoarthritis (OA), Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and gout/hyperuricemia. Curcumin and Curcuma longa Extract were administered in doses ranging from 120 mg to 1500 mg for a duration of 4-36 weeks. In general, Curcumin and Curcuma longa Extract showed safety in all studies and improved the severity of inflammation and pain levels in these arthritis patients. However, more RCTs are needed in the future to elucidate the effect of Curcumin and Curcuma longa Extract supplementation in patients with arthritis, including RA, OA, AS and JIA. Curcumin and Curcuma longa Extract may improve symptoms and inflammation levels in people with arthritis. However, due to the low quality and small quantity of RCTs, the conclusions need to be interpreted carefully.

Aim of the study: Arthritis causes disability due to pain and inflammation in joints. There are many forms of arthritis, one of which is osteoarthritis whose prevalence increases with age.

Results: Several difficulties were encountered in examining this issue: poorly conducted studies, a lack of uniformity in disease definition and diagnosis, and muddling of conclusions from attempts to isolate the efficacious molecules. The antioxidant supplements with most evidence for benefit for pain relief and function in knee osteoarthritis were based on curcumin and avocado-soya bean unsaponifiables. Boswellia and some herbs used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine may also be useful. The benefits of cuisines with the appropriate antioxidants should be assessed because they may be more economical and easier to incorporate into the lifestyle.

Aim of the study: Curcumin is the main phenolic compound in turmeric. It has been investigated recently due to its numerous medicinal properties and health benefits.

Results: Most of the studies displayed positive effects of the curcumin supplementation for athletes and physical exercise practitioners, and no side effects were reported. Participants supplemented with curcumin displayed reduced inflammation and oxidative stress, decreased pain and muscle damage, superior recovery and muscle performance, better psychological and physiological responses (thermal and cardiovascular) during training and improved gastrointestinal function. Curcumin supplementation appears to be safe and beneficial for sport and physical exercise in human beings. PROSPERO (CRD42019126763).

Aim of the study: Curcumin, a natural polyphenol extracted from turmeric, is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. In the past few decades, curcumin's ability to impact chronic inflammatory conditions such as metabolic syndrome, arthritis, and cancer has been widely researched, along with growing interest in understanding its role in exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD).

Results: Curcumin supplementation in the dose range of 90-5000 mg/day can decrease the subjective perception of muscle pain intensity, increase antioxidant capacity, and reduce CK activity, which reduces muscle damage when consumed close to exercise. Consumption of curcumin also improves muscle performance and has an anti-inflammatory effect, downregulating the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8. Curcumin may also improve oxidative capacity without hampering training adaptations in untrained and recreationally active individuals. The optimal curcumin dose to ameliorate EIMD is challenging to assess as its effect depends on the curcumin concentration in the supplement and its bioavailability.

Aim of the study: Pain is an unpleasant sensation that has complex and varying causative etiology. Modern drug discovery focuses on identifying potential molecules that target multiple pathways with a safer profile compared to those with a single target.

Results: Accordingly, the aim of the current review was to update the pre-clinical data of curcumin and its multiple targeting pathways for analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, and to further propose a molecular mechanism(s). A literature study was conducted using different known databases, including Pubmed, SciFinder, Google Scholar, and Science Direct.

Aim of the study: Female footballers frequently experience menstrual cycle-related symptoms, often most severe during menstruation, compounding exercise-induced muscle soreness, and impairing performance and wellbeing. Turmeric and ginger have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties and may alleviate menstrual symptoms and reduce exercise-induced muscle soreness, but have not been studied as a whole-food combined beverage.

Results: Physical menstrual symptoms were reduced 10% during TGB compared with CON (P = 0.013). No differences between trials were observed for psychological menstrual symptoms (P = 0.209), post-match soreness (leg-specific: P = 0.388; whole-body: P = 0.633), CK (P = 0.303), CRP (P = 0.917), or I-FABP (P = 0.322). This study provides preliminary evidence that a daily turmeric and ginger-containing beverage can reduce physical menstrual cycle-related symptoms in female footballers, providing scope for larger placebo-controlled trials to confirm efficacy.

Aim of the study: Curcuma longa L. (turmeric) is a widely used medicinal plant with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It has been traditionally employed to manage inflammatory diseases such as osteoarthritis. This study explored the therapeutic potential of turmeric fermentation liquid (TF) in reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and cartilage degradation in a monosodium iodoacetate-induced rat model of knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

Results: TF enhanced antioxidant capacity and significantly reduced lipid peroxidation. It suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β) and increased anti-inflammatory IL-10 levels. Histological analysis revealed cartilage preservation, reduced proteoglycan loss, and decreased synovitis severity. Safranin O staining confirmed higher proteoglycan retention in TF-treated cartilage, while immunohistochemistry showed reduced IL-6 and IL-1β expression. Furthermore, TF improved synovial fluid quality and decreased chondrocyte apoptosis, resulting in better joint mobility and reduced pain behavior in KOA rats. Turmeric fermentation liquid exhibits potential as a natural therapy for KOA by addressing oxidative stress and inflammation. The fermentation process enhances bioavailability, providing a novel approach for preserving joint health and function. Further clinical studies are needed to confirm its efficacy and safety in humans.

Aim of the study: Herbal medicine has been traditionally used in managing various health conditions, including oral diseases. With growing interest in natural treatments, numerous plant-derived compounds have been studied for their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and wound-healing properties.

Results: Among all the medical herbs, aloe vera, turmeric, ginger, and green tea have shown more promising antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties that contribute to oral health. In other words, studies suggest that the mentioned herbs may aid in reducing plaque formation, managing gingival inflammation, promoting wound healing, and controlling oral microbial infections better than other herbs. As evidenced by the obtained results, herbal medicine holds promise as a complementary or alternative approach in oral care due to its bioactive properties and potential therapeutic benefits. However, further clinical trials and scientific validation is necessary to ensure safety, efficacy, and standardization before herbal treatments can be fully integrated into modern practice.