The disease is common, the leading drug has risks, and a beautiful flower might be the answer.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common condition in which the contents of your stomach move up into your esophagus. It can cause heartburn and regurgitating into the throat or mouth. It can also lead to chest pain and difficulty swallowing. In Western countries, as many as 20% of adults suffer it at least once a week.
The most common drug treatments are proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) like omeprazole. But there is growing concern about the side effects of these drugs that were once thought so safe. They can cause indigestion, nutrient deficiencies and increase the risk of kidney disease, heart disease, gastric atrophy, colon malignancies, pneumonia, dementia and osteoporosis.
All of this has led to a search for alternative therapies. In Persian traditional medicine, rose oil is used to alleviate GERD. Now science has put that traditional use to the test. It passed.
The rose oil was prepared by soaking rose petals in sesame oil. The double-blind study gave 70 people either rose oil soft gel capsules or the PPI omeprazole.
Symptoms decreased significantly and equally in the two groups. That means that a safe, natural treatment with “no side effects” works as well as a pharmaceutical treatment with a list of side effects.
This was the first double-blind study of rose oil for GERD and suggests that rose oil may be a herb to watch for: especially if you have heartburn.
Complement Ther Clin Pract. May 2021;43:101361.