# Dietary therapy of the herbal porridge improves the symptoms of functional dyspepsia: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, clinical trial

## TL;DR

A herbal porridge improved symptoms and quality of life in people with functional dyspepsia compared to a placebo.

## Contribution

Demonstrated that herbal porridge is an effective and safe dietary therapy for functional dyspepsia.

## Key findings

- Herbal porridge led to higher remission rates of epigastric symptoms compared to placebo (45.71% vs. 20.69%).
- Improved quality of life as shown by increased SF-36 scores in physical, emotional, and mental health domains.
- No significant difference in adverse events between the herbal porridge and placebo groups.

## Abstract

This study (ISRCTN17174559) aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of a kind of herbal porridge (Hou Gu Mi Xi) on the clinical symptoms of functional dyspepsia (FD). This was a single‐center, single‐dose, prospective, double‐blind, randomized controlled trial involving 64 participants with FD (35 cases and 29 controls) for 2 months of intervention and 1 month of follow‐up. The 7‐point Global Overall Symptom Scale (GOSS), 36‐Item Short Form Survey (SF‐36), and other indicators were assessed at baseline (day 0), at days 15, 30, and 60 of treatment, and at follow‐up 1 month after the end of the intervention. Many participants with FD achieved remission of their epigastric symptoms at follow‐up on the 90th day after treatment with herbal porridge compared to the placebo group (45.71% vs. 20.69%, p = .036). Furthermore, herbal porridge appeared to be effective in improving the quality of life of participants with FD, which was reflected in the rising SF‐36 scores for physical role, bodily pain, emotional role, and mental health. Although adverse events were reported, there was no overall difference in the number of adverse events between the two groups (p = .578). Herbal porridge is another effective and safe method for improving the symptoms and quality of life in patients with FD.

This study (ISRCTN17174559) aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of a kind of herbal porridge on clinical symptoms of functional dyspepsia (FD), which was a single‐center, single‐dose, prospective, double‐blind, randomized controlled trial involving 64 participants of FD (35 cases and 29 controls) for 2 months of intervention and 1 month of follow‐up. In conclusion, herbal porridge provides another effective and safe method for improving the symptoms and quality of life in patients with FD.