- The question
- Does a herbal decoction of curry leaf, pomegranate and turmeric ease diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) better than placebo?
- Who was studied
- 32 adults with diarrhoea-predominant IBS, 19 of them women, with an average age of about 50. Eleven dropped out before the end.
- What they took
- A powder of curry leaf or kadi patta (Murraya koenigii), pomegranate (Punica granatum) and turmeric (Curcuma longa), made into a decoction and drunk twice a day for four weeks, and a placebo for another four weeks. Everyone had both, in random order. This is called a crossover trial. Patients and the people assessing them did not know which phase was which.
- What happened
- The herbal decoction did no better than placebo on IBS symptom intensity (difference 24.10, 95% CI -17.12 to 65.32, P=0.26). Quality of life, anxiety and depression did not differ either. About a third of patients reported at least one minor side effect that might have come from the study treatments.[1]
- How strong is this
- Randomised and placebo-controlled, but small. The confidence interval is wide, so the trial cannot rule out a modest effect either way. It is a negative result for this one preparation.
The limits
- Small: 32 people, of whom 11 dropped out.
- The abstract's count of completed treatment phases is not possible for a 32-person crossover trial, which points to a reporting error. We could not open the full text to resolve it.
- The gram amounts of each herb are not in the abstract, so the preparation cannot be matched to a product.
- One preparation was tested. Its negative result says nothing either way about other Ayurvedic treatments for IBS.
Who paid for it
Not given in the abstract we read. We have not confirmed who paid for the trial.
Questions people ask
Does turmeric help IBS?
This trial used turmeric in a mix with curry leaf and pomegranate, and the mix did no better than placebo. It did not test turmeric on its own.[1]
Does this mean Ayurveda cannot help IBS?
No. It is a negative result for one herbal preparation in one small trial. Other preparations, and individual Ayurvedic care, were not tested here.[1]
Related
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome): what Ayurveda offers
The one placebo-controlled trial of an Ayurvedic herbal mix in IBS found no benefit. A whole-system programme beat a single powder in another.
EvidenceDoes curcumin help indigestion (functional dyspepsia)?
In a 132-person trial, curcumin eased indigestion more than placebo over four weeks. That does not make it equal to omeprazole.
Sources
Awaiting review by The Good Vaidya Medical Board. Prepared from the sources below and checked against each one.
Published 4 November 2026 · Last updated 4 November 2026
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