Ginger and Cinnamon for Helicobacter-Induced Dyspepsia

by | Aug 9, 2016 | 2012, Cinnamon, Digestive Health, Ginger

Written by Joyce Smith, BS Treatments with ginger/omeprazole and cinnamon/ginger/omeprazole were significantly more effective with higher rates of eradicating H. pylori than the Cinnamon/omeprazole regimen (70% & 80% versus 50%).

botanicals - cinnamonHelicobacter pylori (H. pylori or HP) is now recognized as the primary cause of gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. According to the CDC, more than two thirds of the world’s population is infected with H. pylori 1. These gram negative bacteria are responsible for numerous gastrointestinal disorders including dyspepsia, duodenal and gastric ulcer, gastric cancer and even mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma 2-4.  It causes an inflammatory reaction that leads to gastritis that ultimately results in the clinical symptoms of the infection 4.

Because of increased antibiotic resistance and adverse reactions to antibiotic treatment, antibiotics for treating H. pylori are less effective now and successful treatment is greatly compromised. Also, reinfections of H. pylori are very common 5 and alternative treatment options are desperately needed. Herbal medicines have been used for many years to treat GI disorders such as gastritis, peptic ulcer, and dyspepsia 6.  In fact, a number of in vitro studies have shown that ginger and cinnamon extracts are effective against H. pylori 7,8.

In this study, researchers tested the effectiveness of ginger and cinnamon in treating H. pylori induced gastritis when these herbs were used in combination with omeprazole (commonly known as Prilosec) to treat H. pylori- associated functional dyspepsia. This was an open-label efficacy study of 60 H. pylori-positive patients (52 men, 8 women) aged 24-56 years with functional dyspepsia but no history of peptic ulcers, gastric reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, or treatment with proton pump inhibitors.

Patients were randomized into 3 groups of 20 per group and given a 14 day treatment of the following ginger, cinnamon, and omeprazole combinations:

  • Group 1: Ginger (400 mg twice daily) plus omeprazole (20 mg twice daily)
  • Group 2: Cinnamon (850 mg twice daily) plus omeprazole (20 mg twice daily)
  • Group 3: Ginger (400 mg twice daily), Cinnamon (850 mg twice daily) plus omeprazole (20 mg twice daily)

In addition, all study participants were advised of the following dietary and lifestyle changes:

  • Avoid high-fat meals, alcohol, caffeine, and foods that trigger dyspeptic symptoms such as coffee, onions, peppers,  citrus fruits, spices and carbonated vegetables
  • Eat frequent small meals throughout the day and  no late evening meals
  • Adopt relaxation and stress management techniques
  • Stop smoking and lose weight

Stool specimens were collected before and 4 weeks after eradication treatment and tested for the presence of  H.pylori 9 using the non-invasive Helicobacter Pylori Stool Antigen (HpSA) Test Kit, Code # 53850 10.

F130 mg L. acidophilus (5×109 CFU), 30 mg L. reuteri (5 × 109 CFU), 330 mg inulin, 5 mg silica, 5 mg talc
F212 mg L. plantarum (5×109 CFU), 20 mg L. rhamnosus (5×109 CFU) and 60mg B. animalis subsp. L. lactis (5 × 109 CFU), 298 mg inulin, 5 mg silica, 5 mg talc
F3390 mg inulin, 5 mg silica, 5 mg talc

Although all treatment regimens dramatically reduced dyspeptic symptoms and were well tolerated with negligible side effects, stool specimen analyses revealed that the ginger/omeprazole and cinnamon/ginger/omeprazole treatments had significantly higher rates of eradicating H. pylori than the Cinnamon/omeprazole regimen (70% & 80% versus 50%, P ≤ 0.05).  Also, dyspeptic symptom were dramatically reduced within hours following the administration of treatment regimens, particularly with the triple eradication (cinnamon/ginger/omeprazole) regimen.

Conclusion:  This study demonstrates that ginger and to a lesser extent cinnamon preparations traditionally used for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders are effective as components of H. pylori eradication regimens and have little or no adverse reactions. In fact, they could potentially become an inexpensive anti-H. pylori alternative for antibiotic-resistant therapies.

Limitations of this study:  Open Label studies or clinical trials do not attempt to disguise the new drug or treatment, meaning that no standard treatment or placebo is used. This leans towards bias, as both the patient and the physician are aware of which groups are receiving what type of treatment.

Source: Ali AM. Efficacy of ginger and cinnamon pharmaceutical preparations in patients with Helicobacter pylori–associated functional Dyspepsia. Prime Journal of Microbiology Research. 2012;2(1):67-72.

Posted August 8, 2016.

Joyce Smith, BS, is a degreed laboratory technologist. She received her bachelor of arts with a major in Chemistry and a minor in Biology from  the University of Saskatchewan and her internship through the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine and the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She currently resides in Bloomingdale, IL.

References:

  1. Mahady GB, Pendland SL, Stoia A, et al. In vitro susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to botanical extracts used traditionally for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Phytotherapy research. 2005;19(11):988-991.
  2. Laheij R, Van Rossum L, Verbeek A, Jansen J. Helicobacter pylori infection treatment of nonulcer dyspepsia: an analysis of meta-analyses. Journal of clinical gastroenterology. 2003;36(4):315-320.
  3. Mahady GB, Pendland SL, Yun GS, Lu ZZ, Stoia A. Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and the gingerols inhibit the growth of Cag A+ strains of Helicobacter pylori. Anticancer Res. 2003;23(5a):3699-3702.
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  8. Mahady GB, Pendland SL, Stoia A, Chadwick LR. In vitro susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to isoquinoline alkaloids from Sanguinaria canadensis and Hydrastis canadensis. Phytotherapy Research. 2003;17(3):217-221.
  9. Burette A. How (who?) and when to test or retest for H. pylori. Acta gastro-enterologica Belgica. 1997;61(3):336-343.
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