Curcumin for the treatment of COVID-19 patients: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09
#humans #covid-19 #curcumin #randomized-controlled-trials-as-topic

Curcumin for the treatment of COVID-19 patients: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Shafiee et al., 2023 | Phytother Res | Meta Analysis

Citation

Shafiee Arman, Athar Mohammad Mobin Teymouri, ... Cheema Huzaifa Ahmad. Curcumin for the treatment of COVID-19 patients: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Phytother Res. 2023-Mar;37(3):1167-1175. doi:10.1002/ptr.7724

Abstract

Curcumin is a low-cost and easily accessible therapeutic option for COVID-19 patients. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to assess the effect of curcumin on clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Various databases, including PubMed, the Cochrane Library and Embase were searched from inception until October 2022 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating curcumin use in COVID-19 patients. Results from 13 RCTs were pooled using R software version 4.1.0. Curcumin reduced the risk of all-cause mortality (RR 0.38; 95% CI: 0.20-0.72; moderate certainty of evidence), and patients with no recovery status (RR 0.54; 95% CI: 0.42-0.70; moderate certainty of evidence) but had no effect on the incidence of mechanical ventilation and hospitalization, and the rate of a positive viral PCR test. The results of subgroup analysis suggested a higher benefit with early administration of curcumin (within 5 days of onset of symptoms) and with the use of combination regimens. Curcumin is likely to be of benefit in mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients, but large-scale RCTs are needed to confirm these findings. The limitations of our meta-analysis include the small sample sizes of the included RCTs and the variable formulations of curcumin used across the studies.

Key Findings

The limitations of our meta-analysis include the small sample sizes of the included RCTs and the variable formulations of curcumin used across the studies.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population no recovery status
Sample Size 19
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Humans
  • COVID-19
  • Curcumin
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Meta-Analysis, Journal Article, Review
  • Vertical: curcumin

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09