The Efficacy of Combined Olive Leaf and Curcumin Extract on Healing Human Papillomavirus: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background. Genital warts are sexually transmitted diseases for which there is no definitive cure. This study aimed to determine the effect of the combination of olive leaf extract and curcumin on the number of lesions and the duration of recovery in patients with external anogenital warts. Methods. This study is a three-blind randomized controlled clinical trial conducted in 2020. In this study, women with external anogenital warts were enrolled by the consecutive nonprobability sampling method and then assigned by stratified block randomization to two groups: placebo (n = 28) and intervention (n = 26). In the intervention group, the combined olive leaf and curcumin extract was applied topically three times a day until recovery and up to 12 weeks. Routine treatment was administered to both groups in addition to the interventions. The number of warts, the duration of recovery, and the severity and duration of treatment side effects were assessed in all participants. Results. The results showed that the mean number of warts was significantly lower in the intervention group (5.65 ± 5.223) than in the placebo group (7.61 ± 5.245) from the fifth day of treatment onwards ( $p=0.027$ ). The mean duration of recovery in days in the intervention group (14.73 ± 9.735)) was significantly less than the placebo group (34.25 ± 18.863) ( $p=0.001$ ). In addition, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the frequency of drug side effects such as burning ( $p=0.083$ ), redness ( $p=0.413$ ), and itching ( $p=0.706$ ). The intervention group experienced side effects for a shorter duration of time (1.50 ± 1.924) compared to the placebo group (4.93 ± 8.366) ( $p=0.043$ ). Conclusion. The combined 10% olive leaf and curcumin extract can be effective in reducing the number of warts, duration of healing, and reducing the duration of complications in patients with external anogenital warts and is recommended as a complementary treatment for these patients. This trail is registered with IRCT20200509047350N1