Effects of Pistacia lentiscus and Coriander Triphala on Adult Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Randomized Double -Blinded Clinical Trial

Abstract

Abstract Background: Gastroesophageal reflux is one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases. Its prevalence in Iran has been reported from about two to 50 percent. The cardinal symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease include heartburn (pyrosis) and regurgitate in to the throat and other nearby organs. In Persian medicine, several drugs have been mentioned for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effects of Pistacia lentiscus (Mastic) and Coriander Triphala on reflux symptoms compared to omeprazole in a double-blinded randomized clinical trial. Methods: In a double-blinded, multicenter, randomized clinical trial, we assessed the effects of Pistacia lentiscus L., Coriander Triphala and omeprazole on the symptoms of GERD in Tabriz, Iran, in 2018-2019. Participants were randomly divided into three groups as group A (Pistacia lentiscus L, 1000 mg/TDS), group B (Coriander Triphala, 1000 mg/TDS) and group C (Omeprazole, 20 mg/day plus five placebo capsules per day). The assessments were done at the beginning and the end of the study using FSSG, VAS, RS and GERD-HRQL questionnaires Results: In the beginning, no significant differences were observed between the groups in the background characteristics. There was no statistically significant difference between Pistacia lentiscus, Coriander Triphala, omeprazole in the improvement of FSSG, VAS, GERD - HRQL and reflux scores. In all groups, the FFSG, VAS, reflux and GERD-HRQL scores significantly decreased and improved after four weeks of intervention compared to the respective baselines. The FSSG score improvements after four weeks of intervention were 77.24%, 75.40% and 65.36% in groups A, B, and C, respectively (P=0.000). The VAS score improvements were 66.34%, 68.78%, and 58.50% in groups A, B and C, respectively (P=0.000). Improvements in GERD-HRQL were 86.88%, 82.19% and 74.47% in groups A, B and C, respectively (P=0.000). Reflux improvements were 77.21%, 72.20% and 65.57% in groups A, B and C, respectively (P=0.000). Conclusion: The results showed that Pistacia lentiscus and Coriander Triphala are as effective as omeprazole in the treatment of GERD. Herbal medicines can be used to treat gastrointestinal diseases with fewer side effects and more benefits.