Zheng T, et al. - In this systematic review and meta-analysis, researchers tested the safety and effectiveness of curcumin, a polyphenol derived from the turmeric plant (Curcuma longa), as an adjuvant treatment in ulcerative colitis. For this investigation, they searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases from original to July 2019, and relevant randomized controlled clinical trials were enlisted and examined. A total of 349 individuals were included in six randomized controlled clinical trials. Eligible trials indicated that in ulcerative colitis, adjuvant curcumin treatment was effective in inducing clinical remission, endoscopic remission, and endoscopic improvement, but not in clinical improvement. Overall, the authors concluded that curcumin has been shown to be effective and safe in ulcerative colitis as an adjuvant treatment of mesalamine. Better effectiveness can be obtained with the appropriate dose, delivery way, formation, and intervention time, which requires further study to confirm. There have been no reported severe side effects.