Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic, multi-symptom condition of unknown etiology for which there are currently no FDA-approved treatments. The wide variety of symptoms experienced by those with GWI (i.e., pain, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory difficulties, and dermatological complaints) have led some researchers to suggest that GWI is a neuroimmune condition involving systemic inflammation. Efforts are ongoing to rapidly screen potential treatments in order to prioritize agents for future efficacy testing. As part of a larger investigation of nine botanicals, researchers conducted this study on three botanical extract preparations, turmeric, boswellia, and maritime pine, to identify promising anti-inflammatory botanicals for treatment of GWI symptoms. Each of the three botanical agents was tested in a lower-dosage and higher-dosage condition against both baseline and placebo. Participants completed 30 days of baseline symptom reports, followed by 30 days of placebo, 30 days of lower-dose botanical, and 30 days of higher-dose botanical. Data were analyzed using linear mixed models. Turmeric reduced GWI symptom severity significantly more than placebo at both the lower (p < 0.0001) and higher (p = 0.0003) dosages. Boswellia was not more effective than placebo at reducing GWI symptoms at either the lower (p = 0.726) or higher (p = 0.869) dosages. Maritime pine was not more effective than placebo at the lower dosage (p = 0.954) but was more effective than placebo at the higher dosage (p = 0.006). All three of botanicals were found to be well-tolerated at the tested dosages, and no clinically relevant adverse events attributed to the botanicals were observed. This trial has a small sample size so the results are preliminary, yet this study provides evidence that curcumin and maritime pine may help alleviate symptoms of GWI as authors found significant reduction in GWI symptom severity for both lower- and higher-dose turmeric, and for higher-dose maritime pine.
