Written by Angeline A. De Leon, Staff Writer. A combination of two herbs, Opuntia ficus-indica and Olea europaea along with a sodium alginate/bicarbonate formulation, when consumed for two months, significantly improved gastroesophageal reflux in the 118 participating recipients.

heartburnGastroesophageal reflux (GER) is a chronic condition involving the leakage of gastric content back into the esophagus. Up to 20% of the Western population is affected by symptoms of GER, which include burning chest pain, regurgitation of acid, generalized body pain, disrupted sleep, and decreased vitality 1. Additionally, GER may cause respiratory issues, persistent cough, and episodes of sleep apnea 2, all of which severely impact quality of life and increase the risk of complications. To date, the only pharmacological treatment for GER relies on the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to suppress gastric acid secretion 3, however, GER patients have shown a significantly lower response to this form of therapy and 30-40% of patients report breakthrough symptoms 4,5. In a 2016 study out of Italy, Alecci and colleagues examined an alternative approach to the treatment of GER using a natural formulation based on sodium alginate/bicarbonate (previously used in clinical studies to alleviate heartburn symptoms in GER patients 6 in combination with two traditional plant extracts with well-documented gastroprotective properties, Opuntia ficus-indica and Olea europaea 7,8.

In a randomized-controlled, double-blind clinical trial, researchers recruited a total of 118 individuals (mean age = 49.5 years) diagnosed with moderate GER and experiencing at least 2-6 episodes of GER weekly. Participants were randomly assigned to consume 6 g of verum (a proprietary blend containing 500 mg of sodium alginate, 300 mg of sodium bicarbonate, 32-35 wt.% Opuntia ficus-indica extract, and 23-25 wt.% Olea europaea extract) or a maltodextrin placebo daily for two months. At baseline and following treatment, participants completed the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease-Health-Related Quality of Life (GERD-HRQol) and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Symptom Assessment Scale (GSAS) questionnaires.

At the end of two months, treatment with verum vs. placebo was found to produce a statistically significant decrease in GERD-HRQol (–56.5%) and GSAS (-59.1%) scores (p < 0.05). Moreover, weekly episodes of heartburn and acid regurgitation, core symptoms of GER, showed significant reduction with verum (p < 0.01).

Evidence, therefore, suggests that symptomology of gastroesophageal reflux may be successfully managed using treatment based on natural ingredients such as Opuntia ficus-indica and Olea europaea. Although the mechanism underlying their mode of action remains to be closely studied, the herbal extracts’ ability to strengthen the mucosal barrier and protect against oxidative damage may be key in their protective defense against erosive agents in the esophagus 9,10. Formulations based on gastroprotective herbal extracts appear to be safe, well-tolerated, and effective in reducing symptomology and improving patients’ quality of life.

Source: Alecci U, Bonina F, Bonina A, et al. Efficacy and Safety of a Natural Remedy for the Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux: A Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Study. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2016. DOI: 10.1155/2016/2581461.

© 2016 Umberto Alecci et al. Creative CommonsAttribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Posted July 11, 2017.

Angeline A. De Leon, MA, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010, completing a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a concentration in neuroscience. She received her master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 2013, where she studied clinical neuroscience within an integrative health program.

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