Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Herbal and Traditional Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Complement Med Res. 2023;30(3):238-247. doi: 10.1159/000529386. Epub 2023 Jan 30.
Functional dyspepsia (FD) is one of the most frequent gastrointestinal disorders with a high burden. Although FD is a heterogeneous disorder without any standard therapy (treatment/treatment - repetition), there is a wide history of using herbal remedies for its treatment. Two of these herbal remedies quoted in various Persian medicine resources are celery and ajwain. Their effects have been investigated in recent clinical trials in FD patients. We aimed to compare the effect of celery and ajwain to that of domperidone in patients with postprandial distress syndrome.
This is a randomized double-blind active-control clinical trial, conducted at Kerman, Iran in 2020. Participants of this study were 100 patients suffering from FD (postprandial distress syndrome subtype). The intervention group received 1 g of the combination of celery and ajwain (Apium graveolens L. and Trachyspermum copticum [L.] Link), while the control group received 30 mg of domperidone per day for 4 consecutive weeks. Primary outcomes were symptom severity and frequency, and secondary outcomes were quality of life (QoL) and safety. All outcomes were assessed at the end of the trial and also 4 weeks after the trial was finished.
No significant differences in symptom frequency were found between groups. However, differences in symptom severity were found at the end of the follow-up (week 8) (p = 0.001). The intragroup analysis showed a significant decrease in the symptoms severity and frequency at the end of week 4 in both groups (p < 0.001). QoL in the intervention group was higher compared to the control group at the end of the study (p < 0.001) and at the point of the follow-up (week 8; p < 0.001). No serious adverse events occurred in either group.
The herbal mixture of celery and ajwain could be considered a safe and effective remedy, decreasing the severity of symptoms and increasing QoL in patients with postprandial distress syndrome. It is further suggested to confirm these findings in high-quality multi-center clinical trials.
功能性消化不良（FD）是最常见的胃肠道疾病之一，负担沉重。尽管 FD 是一种没有任何标准治疗（治疗/治疗-重复）的异质疾病，但人们广泛使用草药来治疗它。在各种波斯医学资源中引用的两种草药是芹菜和孜然。最近在 FD 患者的临床试验中对它们的效果进行了研究。我们旨在比较芹菜和孜然与多潘立酮对餐后不适综合征患者的疗效。
这是一项 2020 年在伊朗克尔曼进行的随机双盲活性对照临床试验。本研究的参与者为 100 名患有 FD（餐后不适综合征亚型）的患者。干预组每天服用 1 克芹菜和孜然（Apium graveolens L. 和 Trachyspermum copticum [L.] Link）的混合物，而对照组每天服用 30 毫克多潘立酮，连续 4 周。主要结局是症状严重程度和频率，次要结局是生活质量（QoL）和安全性。所有结局均在试验结束时以及试验结束后 4 周进行评估。
两组之间的症状频率无显著差异。然而，在随访结束时（第 8 周）发现症状严重程度存在差异（p = 0.001）。组内分析显示，两组在第 4 周结束时，症状严重程度和频率均显著下降（p < 0.001）。与对照组相比，研究结束时（p < 0.001）和随访时（第 8 周；p < 0.001）干预组的 QoL 更高。两组均未发生严重不良事件。
芹菜和孜然的草药混合物可被视为一种安全有效的治疗方法，可减轻餐后不适综合征患者的症状严重程度并提高生活质量。进一步建议在高质量的多中心临床试验中确认这些发现。
