Table 5.

Summary of human trials on “other” botanical ingredients and upper GI conditions.

Nutritional Ingredient	Reference	Population (n)	Characteristics	Study Design	Duration	Intervention	Control/Comparator	Outcome Measured	Results
Aloe Vera	Panahi et al., 2015 [28]	n = 79	Age: 18–65; 45 females and 34 males; GERD patients	RCT	4 weeks	IG: 10 mL 1x/day A. vera syrup (standardized to 5.0 mg polysaccharide per mL of syrup) (10 mL total)	CG1: omeprazole capsule (20 g once a day) CG2: ranitidine tablet (150 mg in a fasted state in the morning and 150 mg 30 min before sleep at night) (300 mg total)	GERD	A. vera was effective in significantly reducing the frequencies of all GERD symptoms except vomiting at weeks 2 and 4 for within-group comparison to baseline (p < 0.05). Omeprazole and ranitidine were both more effective at reducing heartburn and flatulence than A. vera. The frequency of other symptoms did not differ between the groups.
Aloe Vera	Panahi et al., 2016 [27]	n = 85	Age >40 years; male GERD veterans with sulphur mustard gas exposure	RCT	6 weeks	IG: pantoprazole (40 mg before breakfast) plus 5 mL, 2x/day A. vera syrup (10 mL total)	CG: pantoprazole (40 mg before breakfast)	GERD	Both IG and CG resulted in a progressive decrease in RSI score from baseline to weeks 3 and 6 ((p < 0.001) with the IG having a significantly greater reduction (p < 0.001) compared to CG. No adverse events were reported.
Ginger	Panda et al., 2020 [30]	n = 48	Age: 18–55; subjects with FD per Rome III criteria	RCT, parallel group	4 weeks	IG: 200 mg, 2x/day high concentration gingerol powder extract (400 mg total)	CG: placebo, 200 mg twice daily	FD symptoms	The IG had significantly more subjects who were “extremely” or “markedly” improved as compared to CG. (79% vs. 21%; p < 0.05). Elimination rate of symptoms both individually and collectively was greater in the IG than CG (64% vs. 13% of subjects) (p < 0.05).
Ginger	Attari et al., 2019 [29]	n = 15	Age: 18–65; 5 males and 10 females; patients with H. pylori positive FD	Pilot study	4 weeks	IG: 3 g, 1x/day ginger powder tablets (3 g total)	CG: none	H. pylori positive FD and FD	Ginger supplementation resulted in significant improvement of all dyspepsia symptoms including fullness, early satiety, nausea, belching, gastric pain, and gastric burn, but not vomiting (p = 0.180).
Ginger	Bhargava et al., 2020 [31]	n = 15	Age: 35–79; 8 males and 7 females; patients with anorexia-cachexia syndrome (ACS) in addition to a variety of advanced cancer diagnoses	Single-arm intervention trial	2 weeks	IG: 1650 mg 1×/day of ginger powder capsule (1650 mg total)	CG: none	ACS GI symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dysmotility-, ulcer-, and reflux-like symptoms	Over half of the patients reported significant improvements in GI symptoms including nausea (p < 0.02), dysmotility-like (p < 0.01), reflux-like (p < 0.01), and ulcer-like symptoms (p = 0.05).
Licorice	Prajapati and Patel, 2015 [32]	n = 40	Age: 21–60; Amlapitta (acid gastritis) patients including symptoms of indigestion, exhaustion, eructation with bitter or sour taste, burning sensation in the chest and throat, and anorexia	RCT	2 weeks	IG1: 2 g, 3×/day of Licorice root powder (6 total) IG2: 2 g, 3×/day of Jethimala (Taverniera nummularia Baker) (commercial licorice substitute)	CG: none	Gastritis; heartburn; anorexia; reflux	Licorice root and Jethimala were both effective in significantly reducing all symptoms in both groups, with licorice treatment showing overall better effects. There was no significant difference between the two treatments in treatment efficacy (p > 0.05) other than in the symptom of anorexia (p-0.001).
Licorice	Raveendra et al., 2012 [33]	n = 50	Age: 18–65; 31 males and 19 females; patients with FD as diagnosed by Rome III criteria	RCT	30 days	IG: 75 mg, 2×/day of flavonoid-rich extract of licorice (150 mg total)	CG: placebo	Functional dyspepsia	As compared to CG, IG showed a significant decrease in total symptom scores (p ≤ 0.05), and a significant improvement in quality of life (p ≤ 0.05) as well as overall treatment efficacy.
Papaya	Muss et al., 2013 [34]	n = 84	Age: 18–75; subjects with dysfunctions of the GI tract such as constipation, heartburn, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)	RCT; participants were labeled as “early” (2 days) or “late” (3–16 days) returnees based on when they returned to the trial center to complete the endpoint questionnaire	40 days	IG: 20 mL, 1×/day papaya formulation (standardized to higher papain activity)	CG: 20 mL, 1×/day of placebo	Heartburn, constipation, and bloating	In the “early returnees,” the IG showed significant improvements in symptoms of constipation (p < 0.031) and flatulence (p = 0.017) as compared to placebo. Regarding heartburn, 85% of evaluable participants (n = 13) reported improvement (p = 0.114). These effects vanished in the “late returnees,” but those in the IG showed more beneficial effects than the CG.
Papaya	Weiser et al., 2018 [35]	n = 60	Age: 18–75; 22 males and 38 females; patients with endoscopically confirmed chronic gastritis	RCT	30 days	IG: 20 g, 2×/day of papaya blend before meal (papaya pulp, organic whole meal oat flour, apple juice concentrate, natural aroma, and water)	CG: 20 g, 2×/day placebo before a main meal	Chronic Gastritis	There was a reduction in all symptoms in both the IG and CG with greater reduction in scores for the IG for acute stomach ache pain, pain severity, impact on daily routine, nausea, bloating, and pain in the upper abdomen, but no significant difference between the groups. The only symptom which was significantly reduced in the IG compared to CG was pain load (p = 0.048).

ACS: Anorexia Cachexia Syndrome.