Effectiveness of Curcuma longa extract versus placebo for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of all types of Curcuma longa extract versus placebo for knee osteoarthritis (OA) treatment. The research was conducted by using the databases of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library through April 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the effect of Curcuma longa extract with placebo for patients with knee OA were considered eligible. The pooled results were expressed as mean differences or relative risks with 95% confidence intervals. A total of 10 RCTs with 783 patients were eligible for this meta-analysis. The pooled analysis showed that Curcuma longa extract was associated with significantly better pain relief and functional improvement compared with placebo for knee OA. Moreover, the smallest effect sizes of VAS for pain and WOMAC total score exceeded the minimum clinically important differences (MCIDs). Current evidence indicates that, compared with placebo, Curcuma longa extract has more benefit in pain relief and functional improvement for symptomatic knee OA. However, considering the potential heterogeneity in the included studies, more future high-quality RCTs with large sample sizes are necessary to confirm the benefits of Curcuma longa extract on knee OA.

Automated summary

The analysis of 10 RCTs shows that Curcuma longa extract is significantly associated with pain relief and functional improvement in knee OA patients, exceeding the minimum clinical importance differences. More high-quality RCTs with large sample sizes are needed to further confirm the benefits of Curcuma longa extract on knee OA.