The effect of ginger (Zingiber officinalis) and artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) extract supplementation on functional dyspepsia: a randomised, double-blind, and placebo-controlled clinical trial

Objective. Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a frequent clinical finding in western world. The aimof this study is to compare the efficacy of a ginger and artichoke supplementation versus placebo in the treatment of FD. Methods. A prospective multicentre, double blind, randomized, placebo controlled, parallel-group comparison of the supplement and placebo over a period of 4 weeks was performed. Two capsules/daywere supplied (before lunch and dinner) to 126 FD patients (supplementation/placebo: 65/61). Results. After 14 days of treatment, only supplementation group (SG) showed a significant amelioration (SG: S = +1.195 MCA score units (u), = 0.017; placebo: P = +0.347 u, = 0.513). The intercept () resulted to be significantly higher in SG than in placebo (S − P = +0.848 u, < 0.001). At the end of the study, the advantage of SG versus placebo persists without variation (S − P = +0.077 u, = 0.542). In SG, a significant advantage is observed for nausea (S − P = −0.398 u, < 0.001), epigastric fullness (S − P = −0.241, < 0.001), epigastric pain (S − P = −0.173 u, = 0.002), and bloating (S − P = −0.167 u, = 0.017). Conclusions.The association between ginger and artichoke leaf extracts appears safe and efficacious in the treatment of FD and could represent a promising treatment for this disease.