No evidence that a mixture of turmeric and ginger will ‘reduce the growth of fibroids’ – visit doctor instead
IN SHORT: Social media posts claim that a mixture of turmeric and ginger can reduce the growth of fibroids. But this is false – there is no evidence that home remedies can shrink, or cure, fibroids.
Simply drinking turmeric and ginger can shrink fibroids. At least, that’s according to posts doing the rounds on Facebook in South Africa.
These posts instruct users to make the drink by boiling two cups of hot water and adding one teaspoon of turmeric powder and one teaspoon of chopped ginger. It advises users to drink one cup of the mixture three times a day.
“Ginger helps alleviate symptoms like pelvic pain and inflammation associated with fabroids and also have antifibrotic effects,” the posts add, saying that turmeric can “help reduce the growth of fibroids”.
The same claim has also been posted here and here.
Turmeric is a plant of the ginger family that is native to Southeast Asia. The common spice is often used as a condiment and textile dye.
Africa Check had debunked several home remedies for fibroids and other reproductive health issues. But can a tumeric-ginger mixture reduce the growth of fibroids?
We scoped out the facts.
What are fibroids?
Fibroids are common growths made up of muscle and fibrous tissue, usually within the uterus or womb. Many women will have uterine fibroids at some point in their lives, but they might not know it, as fibroids often cause no symptoms.
But if a fibroid grows big enough, it can distort the inside and the outside of the uterus, causing symptoms like pelvic pain, back pain, heavy periods, trouble emptying the bladder and bleeding between periods.
There are several types of fibroids, based mainly on where they occur, whether in the muscle wall of the uterus, outside the uterine wall into the pelvis, or in the muscle layer beneath the uterus’s inner lining.
Fibroids can be diagnosed with pelvic exams, laboratory tests and other imaging tests.
But what about claims that a simple solution of ginger and turmeric can “reduce the growth of fibroids”?
Seek proven medical treatments, not home remedies, for fibroids
US medical research agency, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), explains that there have been several research studies on turmeric, but its health effects remain uncertain.
This is because curcumin, an active component in turmeric, is an unstable substance and challenging to study.
While some studies conclude that turmeric may have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and pain-relieving properties and that garlic may affect cholesterol, there is no evidence that herbal mixtures can reduce fibroids.
Experts have also previously told us that there are no proven “natural” cures for fibroids, adding that home remedies might result in delays in the diagnosis and treatment of fibroids.
Treatment options for fibroids include anti-inflammatory painkillers for the reduction of excessive bleeding and pain relief, hormone medication to lower oestrogen levels, and surgery.
Some women with fibroids may also require emergency treatment, with symptoms such as sudden unbearable pain, severe bleeding, and extreme fatigue and weakness, but this is rare, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, a US academic institution.
It’s best to visit your doctor if you suspect that you have fibroids. There is no evidence that any herbal remedy, including a mixture of turmeric and garlic, can treat or shrink fibroids.
