Sixty seconds on . . . turmeric

What’s cooking?A study1 has suggested that a natural compound found in the culinary spice turmeric could be as effective as the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole for treating symptoms of indigestion.A recipe for success?Potentially. Derived from the root of the Curcuma longa plant, turmeric contains curcumin, a naturally active compound thought to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. It has long been used as a medicinal remedy in South East Asia, including for indigestion. The study, published online in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, sought to compare it with more conventional drugs in a randomised trial for the first time.A spicy encounter?For some it was. The researchers randomly assigned 206 patients aged 18 to 70 with recurrent functional dyspepsia to one of three treatment groups for 28 days; turmeric (two large 250 mg capsules of curcumin four times a day) and one small dummy capsule (69 patients), omeprazole (one small 20 mg…
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