Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2021 Nov;35(11):6369-6376.
doi: 10.1002/ptr.7288. Epub 2021 Sep 17.

Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) fruit syrup for gastroesophageal reflux disease in children: A double-blind randomized clinical trial

Maryam Sadat Paknejad  1 , Kambiz Eftekhari  2 , Roja Rahimi  1 , Mohsen Vigeh  3   4 , Ayeh Naghizadeh  1 , Mehrdad Karimi  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) fruit syrup for gastroesophageal reflux disease in children: A double-blind randomized clinical trial

Maryam Sadat Paknejad et al. Phytother Res. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

This double-blind study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a syrup made from Myrtus communis L. fruit on children with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Children aged 1-7 years old, diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), were randomly allocated to either intervention group (omeprazole and "myrtle fruit syrup") or control group (omeprazole and placebo syrup). GERD symptom questionnaire for young children (GSQ-YC) was filled out for each patient at zeroth and eighth week, and also 4 weeks after cessation of intervention. No statistically significant difference between two groups in terms of GERD score was reported neither in 8th nor in 12th week assessments. During the 4 weeks of the drug-free period, patients in myrtle group did not experience a large shift in GERD score, while patients in placebo syrup group experienced an increase of as much as 19.4. However, this difference was not statistically significant, although it could be significant clinically. For achieving more conclusive results, more studies are needed. The symptom "refusal to eat" in the intervention group was less than in placebo group after 8 weeks (p = .018) and at the end of the study (p = .042). So myrtle fruit syrup may be considered for children with low appetite.

Keywords: Persian medicine; appetite; child; gastroesophageal reflux; herbal medicine; medicinal plant; myrtle; omeprazole.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Alipour, G., Dashti, S., & Hosseinzadeh, H. (2014). Review of pharmacological effects of Myrtus communis L. and its active constituents. Phytotherapy Research, 28(8), 1125-1136.
    1. Babaee, N., Mansourian, A., Momen-Heravi, F., Moghadamnia, A., & Momen-Beitollahi, J. (2010). The efficacy of a paste containing Myrtus communis (Myrtle) in the management of recurrent aphthous stomatitis: A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Oral Investigations, 14(1), 65-70.
    1. Baran, M., Cagan Appak, Y., Karakoyun, M., Yalcinkaya, S., Eliacik, K., & Dundar, B. N. (2017). The overlap of gastroesophageal reflux disease and functional constipation in children: The efficacy of constipation treatment. European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 29(11), 1264-1268.
    1. Cohen, S., Bueno de Mesquita, M., & Mimouni, F. B. (2015). Adverse effects reported in the use of gastroesophageal reflux disease treatments in children: A 10 years literature review. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 80(2), 200-208.
    1. Dogan, Y., & Ugulu, I. (2013). Medicinal plants used for gastrointestinal disorders in some districts of Izmir province, Turkey. Studies on Ethno-Medicine, 7(3), 149-161.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources