Turmeric for Patients With Basal Joint Arthritis

A Randomized Controlled Trial Using Turmeric for Patients With Basal Joint Arthritis

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03017118

Enrollment

Registered

2017-01-11

Start date

2017-08-09

Completion date

2028-01-31

Last updated

2025-11-24

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Thumb Osteoarthritis

Brief summary

The aim of this study is to assess whether the use of a commercially available nutraceutical, turmeric, is an effective option to manage pain and stiffness in patients with basal joint arthritis. To conduct a pilot Randomized Controlled Trial evaluating the impact of turmeric on basal joint arthritis.

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTTurmeric

Subjects will receive turmeric (100 mg pastille) 3 times per day for 6 weeks.

OTHERPlacebo

Subjects in the control group will receive a placebo 3 times per day for 6 weeks.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

40 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* 40 years of age or older * English fluency and literacy * Seeking care for basal joint pain * Tender over basal joint * Positive distraction rotation test (rotation of the thumb metacarpal base while applying axial traction) * Radiographic evidence of Eaton stage 1 and 2 only

Exclusion criteria

* Secondary gains (litigations or worker compensation) procedures that may interfere with patients' motivation for treatment * Inability or unwillingness to participate in a trial study * Rheumatoid Arthritis or other inflammatory disorder diagnoses * Post-traumatic osteoarthritis * Patients on Coumadin/Steroids/NSAIDs/Tylenol * Diabetes Mellitus * Pregnant or lactating women * Basal joint arthritis of Eaton stage 3 * Patients seeking other treatment for their basal joint arthritis (splint, corticosteroid injection, surgery)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in baseline pain intensity	Enrollment, 6 weeks, and 3 months	0-10 ordinal rating of pain intensity
Change in baseline disability	Enrollment, 6 weeks, and 3 months	Disability measured by the QuickDASH

Countries

United States

Contacts

Primary ContactNeal Chen, M.D.

nchen1@mgh.harvard.edu617-726-4700

Backup ContactKaran Amin, BA

kamin2@mgh.harvard.edu

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026