The Effect of Myrtus communis L. Syrup in Reducing the Recurrence of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most prevalent digestive diseases. Long-term treatment and recurrence of symptoms after discontinuation of medication are amongst its problems. Objectives The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of myrtle fruit syrup on the recurrence of symptoms in reflux patients after the discontinuance of using a PPI. Methods This research is a double-blind, randomized clinical study. With regard to withdrawal rate, 45 patients were selected for each group. The trial was conducted at the traditional medicine clinic at tehran university of Medical Sciences, Tehran- Iran, between November 2014 and March 2016. Diagnosis was conducted on the basis of the Mayo clinic standardized questionnaire. Every individual with heartburn or regurgitation symptoms with frequency of at least once a week was diagnosed as suffering from reflux. Omeprazole 20 mg with fasting as well as myrtle or placebo syrup 5 mL after meal were prescribed. Treatment duration was 6 weeks, after which the medicine was discontinued and patients were evaluated for 2 weeks. The cases in which recurrence of symptoms up to 14 days did not occur were considered as being non-recurrence. Results Eighty nine people with symptoms of reflux were studied. The recurrence of symptoms was 22 people in treatment group and 27 people in control group with no significant difference (P value = 0.179). Time delay in the onset of symptoms was 9.57 days in treatment group and 6.27 days in control group which had significant difference (P value = 0.027). Conclusions Although the recurrence of symptoms was lower in the treatment group than in the control group, there was no significant difference. However, treatment significantly delayed the onset of symptoms in quantitative terms. The findings show that further research should be implemented.