The benefit of Curcuma longa and Boswellia serrata to improve quality of life in osteoarthritis patients: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Quality of life (QoL) can be affected by chronic pain in osteoarthritis (OA). Previous studies showed that combination of <em>Curcuma longa</em> (CL) and <em>Boswellia serrata</em> (BS) extract (CB extract) are promising for alternative treatment for pain in OA. This study aimed to measure the benefit of CB extract to improve QoL in patients with OA.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> This was a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in OA patients. Subjects were randomized to 3 different group (Group 1: CB extract (350 mg of CL and 150 mg BS) and NSAID (400 mg ibuprofen or 50 mg diclofenac sodium); group 2: CB extract; group 3: NSAID). Each medication was taken two times per day for 4 weeks. QoL measured using 5Q-5D-5L that include five dimensiones in 5Q-5D: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression, with 5 levels of severity.<strong></strong></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> There were 105 subjects at baseline. After 4 weeks of study, remained 95 subjects. The most common problem in group 1, 2, and 3 was pain (n=23, n=8, n=15 respectively). The improvement of level of severity in group 1 after 4 weeks of treatment was significant in mobility problems (p=0.002), pain/discomfort (p<0.001), and anxiety/depression (p=0.008). A significant improvement was only seen in usual activity problems (p=0.013) in group 2. The decrease of level of severity in usual activity problems (p=0.034), pain/discomfort (p=0.005), and anxiety/depression (p=0.018) in group 3 were also statistically significant.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> CB extract was beneficial to improve QoL in OA patients with a less side effect compared to NSAID.</p>