Effect of a Boswellia and Ginger Mixture on the Memory Dysfunction of the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Patients: A Randomized, Double-Blind Controlled Trial.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
PubMed 36568722 · doi:10.30476/BEAT.2022.97106.1400
What was done
One hundred patients with mild traumatic brain injury and post-injury memory impairment were randomized using permuted blocks to receive either Memoral (360 mg Boswellia and 36 mg ginger) or placebo daily for one month in a double-blind design. Auditory-visual learning test (AVLT) assessments were administered at baseline, at one month (end of treatment), and at three months (two months post-treatment).
What was found
The mean age of patients was 36.83 ± 14.71 years with no significant baseline differences between groups (p = 0.41) or in baseline AVLT scores. Both groups improved across parameters over three months. The intervention group demonstrated significantly higher score changes in total learning, retroactive interference, forgetting rate, and net positive score at one- and three-month follow-ups compared to placebo. Word span and hit parameters showed no difference in improvement rate between groups. The abstract reports no numerical values or p-values for the AVLT outcome scores.
Why it matters
This trial suggests a low-risk combination of Boswellia and ginger may accelerate recovery in specific memory domains following mild head trauma, with benefits persisting two months after treatment cessation.
Limits
The abstract provides no raw scores, standard deviations, effect sizes, or p-values for cognitive outcomes. The sample is small (100 patients), safety claims lack adverse event frequency data, and follow-up was limited to three months.