Study on effectiveness and user satisfaction of anti-inflammatory ointment of Curcuma albiflora Thw. in Bentota divisional secretariat, Southern Sri Lanka

Abstract

Under the same Sinhalese vernacular name, three plants (Curcuma albiflora Thw., Curcuma zedoaria Rosc., and Zingiber zerumbet Smith) are being reported. Amongst them, C. albiflora is an endangered and less explored plant. The current study was conducted to study the anti-inflammatory activity of the ointment produced using C. albiflora. Clinical trial was conducted using 175 participants in community based centers (n=2) in Grama Niladari divisions of Bentota Divisional Secretariat, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. Participants treated with the ointment (98 patients) or the placebos (77 patients) were asked to complete the structured questionnaire. Treatment was applied for two weeks and the results were monitored by two Ayurvedic doctors who were involved in the study. Comparisons by chi square test showed that TM users differed from non-users in terms of previous side effects and current inflammatory conditions (P<0.05). By binary logistic regression analysis, treatment group satisfaction was found to be about 31 times the chance of the placebo group. The models indicated that the patients above 60 years of age, female, previous traditional medicine users, duration of current anti-inflammatory condition (≥ 1 year) were more likely to effectively respond to the treatment. Ointment of C. albiflora Thw. showed moderate anti-inflammatory activity.

Keywords

• binary logistic regression
• curcuma albiflora
• survey