Curcumin beats medication for rheumatoid arthritis

Posted on Sat, 28 Jul 12

In a clinical study the dietary supplement curcumin from turmeric has performed better than treatment with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for rheumatoid arthritis.

Forty-five patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were randomized into three groups; Group 1: curcumin (500 mg of turmeric extract BCM-95) and diclofenac sodium (50 mg), Group 2: diclofenac sodium (50 mg), or Group 3: curcumin (500 mg).

All of the treatments improved RA symptoms however the curcumin alone had some unique effects. People taking curcumin showed the highest percentage of improvement in symptoms scores that were significantly better than the patients taking diclofenac.

Also, curcumin was well tolerated with 0% dropping out because of side effects while 14% dropped out of the diclofenac group. This promising study suggests an excellent safety and efficacy profile of curcumin in rheumatoid arthritis.

Reference:

Chandran B, Goel A. A Randomized, Pilot Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Curcumin in Patients with Active Rheumatoid Arthritis. Phytother Res. 2012 Mar 9. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4639. [Epub ahead of print]