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 aim of 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/day were 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: α (S) = +1.195 MCA score units (u), P = 0.017; placebo: α (P) = +0.347 u, P = 0.513). The intercept (α) resulted to be significantly higher in SG than in placebo (α (S) − α (P) = +0.848 u, P < 0.001). At the end of the study, the advantage of SG versus placebo persists without variation (β (S) − β (P) = +0.077 u, P = 0.542). In SG, a significant advantage is observed for nausea (β (S) − β (P) = −0.398 u, P < 0.001), epigastric fullness (β (S) − β (P) = −0.241, P < 0.001), epigastric pain (β (S) − β (P) = −0.173 u, P = 0.002), and bloating (β (S) − β (P) = −0.167 u, P = 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.