SynthesisBMC complementary medicine and therapies2025
Effect of turmeric products on knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Efficacy and safety of different curcumin formulations in osteoarthritis: an umbrella review of systematic reviews.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- The Anti-Osteoarthritis Effect of Medicinal and Edible Homologous Bioactive Components and Chinese Medicinal and Health Food Varieties.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTurmeric has traditionally been used to treat various inflammatory conditions, including knee osteoarthritis (OA). There are multiple turmeric preparations available. However, the comparative effectiveness of these products remains unknown. This study aimed to assess the comparative effectiveness of turmeric products for knee OA outcomes by conducting a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials (RCTs).
methodsPubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched up to August 2024, identifying RCTs that compared turmeric preparations and/or active comparators versus placebo. The primary outcome measured pain reduction, using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), while secondary outcomes evaluated pain using other tools. Mean differences (MDs) were pooled using a random-effects model, and the concept of minimum clinically important difference (MCID) was considered.
resultsSeventeen studies were included. All turmeric preparations significantly reduced WOMAC pain. The mean differences (MD, 95% CI) for WOMAC pain reduction were as follows: - 4.01 (-6.22, - 1.80) for conventional curcuminoid preparations (CT) plus active drug comparators (AC, defined as NSAIDs and acetaminophen), - 3.33 (-5.26, - 1.39) for AC, - 3.17 (-5.50, - 0.83) for CT, and - 2.47 (-3.27, - 1.67) for bioavailability-enhanced curcuminoid preparations (BE). The BE preparation also demonstrated a 30% reduction in WOMAC pain compared to placebo, reaching the MCID threshold. The BE + AC combination led to a 70% reduction in VAS pain compared to AC alone.
conclusionsAll turmeric preparations appear to be effective in reducing knee OA pain when used as monotherapy compared to placebo. However, the certainty of evidence remains low, indicating a need for further research. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42023464749. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: not applicable.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.