Curcumin has anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the curcumin on the improvement of the disease activity and inflammatory markers in ulcerative colitis (UC).

In this randomized double-blind clinical trial, 70 patients with UC were randomly divided into two groups. The intervention group consumed three capsules of curcumin daily (each containing 500 mg of curcumin, n=35) and the control group took the placebo (daily 3 capsules, n=35) for 2 months. Disease clinical activity (via Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index questionnaire), serum levels of high‐sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) values were measured before and after the trial.

The Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI) score decreased significantly in both intervention (P=0.001) and control (P=0.001) groups. However, changes in SCCAI were significantly higher in the curcumin than the placebo group (-5.9±2.08 vs.-2.1± 2.6; P=0.001). Furthermore, the curcumin supplementation reduced the serum hs-CRP concentration (-6.3±13.6 vs. 3.7±11.6; P=0.01) and ESR levels significantly (-1.6±2.7 vs. -0.09±2.4; P=0.02).

Consumption of the curcumin supplement, along with drug therapy, is associated with significant improvement of the clinical outcomes, quality of life, hs-CRP, and ESR in patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis.