While many people suffer from the occasional bout of heartburn or sour stomach, gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, is a chronic digestive disease that occurs when stomach acid flows back up into the esophagus. Turmeric is a flowering perennial that herbalists have used medicinally for over 4,000 years to treat a number of ailments. In recent years, researchers have started to look at the plant for its potential to treat many different illnesses, including digestive complaints. You should always consult your physician before using this or any other herbal supplement.
Turmeric
Turmeric is a relative of ginger and grows throughout the tropical regions of India and Southeast Asia. The plant grows approximately five to six feet tall and produces yellow trumpet shaped flowers. Most people know turmeric as the spice that gives Indian curries its yellow color and bitter, strong flavor. Turmeric's active ingredient, curcumin, is an antioxidant that some researchers believe may be as powerful as vitamin C. Antioxidants move throughout your body scavenging and destroying free radicals that can cause cellular death and damage as well as tamper with DNA. Researchers are currently conducting clinical trials testing its effectiveness at treating diabetes, cancer, cataracts, atherosclerosis, osteoarthritis and digestive conditions.
GERD
GERD occurs when stomach acid or bile flows back up into the esophagus, irritating the lining and causing a burning sensation in the chest, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness, sore throat, a lump in the throat, regurgitation and even a dry cough. When you swallow, a circular band of muscle known as the esophageal sphincter relaxes, allowing food and liquid to move into the stomach, then closes again. In some, this valve relaxes abnormally or weakens, causing it to open and allow stomach acid to flow up into the esophagus, causing inflammation.
Over time, this can lead to narrowing of the esophagus, ulcers and precancerous changes to the esophagus known as Barrett's esophagus, which changes the color and structure of the tissue lining the lower esophagus. Common treatments include antacids to neutralize stomach acid, acid reducing medications and medications that block the production of acid as well as heal the esophagus.
The Science
Curcumin, turmeric's active ingredient, may help the occasional bout of indigestion by stimulating the gallbladder to produce bile, which some think aids digestion. However, studies have shown that curcumin and turmeric interfere with acid-reducing medications such as omeprazole, cimetidine, ranitidine, lansoprazole and famotidine, increasing stomach acid production and potentially making the condition worse, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Always discuss turmeric with your physician before use for GERD or any other condition.
Warnings
As of 2011, not enough research exists to show whether turmeric used medicinally causes side effects or adverse events. Turmeric can interfere with anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications such as warfarin and aspirin, increasing the risk for excessive bruising and bleeding.
