Fact Check: Can Fibroids be cured naturally with concoction of lemon juice, baking soda and a clove of garlic?

A social post on Instagram claims to cure fibroids by home remedy of lemon juice and baking soda, which is false.

CLAIM:

A post on the Instagram site claimed, “Say no to medicines and cure yourself in a natural way.” The post claims fibroids can be cured naturally by consuming a mix of two teaspoons of lemon juice and one teaspoon of baking soda. Drinking this daily early in the morning with one garlic clove will cure fibroids. The post goes on to say that it shows results in just seven Days. The link to the post is here.

Fact Check:

The Claim is False.

What are Fibroids?

According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, “Uterine fibroids, or leiomyomas, are tumours or growths made of smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and other material that grow in or on the wall of the uterus or womb.”They are the most common non-cancerous tumours in women of childbearing age. Uterine fibroids can cause pain and abnormal bleeding from the uterus. Sometimes, fibroids can make it difficult for a woman to get pregnant or maintain a pregnancy. (1)

Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health mentioned approximately one in three women who experience symptoms of fibroids may suffer from heavy and painful periods, abdominal and lower back pain, leg pains, pelvic pain or masses, a frequent need to urinate, constipation, and pain or discomfort during sex. (2)

How prevalent is fibroids?

Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumours of the female reproductive system, occurring in 20–30% of females, most often in women aged 30–50. (3)

Causes of fibroids:

The cause of fibroids is not known. Research suggests each tumour develops from an abnormal muscle cell in the uterus and multiplies rapidly when encountering the estrogen hormone, which promotes the tumour’s growth. (4)

Conversing to the Medical Dialogues team, Dr Sharmishtha Garg, Associate Consultant, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, explained, "Fibroids are common tumours found in females of reproductive age group. The incidence is as high as 20 to 25 percent. Fibroids are estrogen and progesterone -sensitive tumours. The cause of fibroids can be linked to hereditary or genetic causes, as it is quite commonly seen in females from the same family. We talk about the risk factors, including early age of onset of menses, late menopause, obesity, and women suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome. In some cases, it also presents as infertility or recurrent miscarriages. Sometimes, it presents as abdominal distension. So females harbouring any of these symptoms should consult their connective system on a regular basis, and it is recommended to have regular gynae checker to ensure a healthy body." 

Speaking to the medical dialogues team, Dr Smriti Uppal, Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, explained, "Fibroids are benign(non-cancerous) solid tumours of the uterus which are very commonly found in females and may be symptomatic or asymptomatic. The important cause of the development of these is either genetic or hormonal. Genetic-it has been found in studies that a particular gene mutation in the uterine muscles predisposes to fibroid development. Hormonal states of hyperestrogenism cause the development and growth of fibroids."

Does drinking lemon with baking soda with one clove of garlic cure fibroids?

While some studies show that these ingredients have antifibrotic properties, we cannot say that it is a cure for fibroids.

A study by Islam, M. S reported: “Allicin, an organosulfur compound derived from garlic (Allium sativum L.), which belongs to the Alliaceae family, found that it guards against fibrosis by mitigating reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent signalling pathways.”(5)

Another study by Borcan LC et.al, indicates that garlic extracts have potential therapeutic effects on fibroid management in rats. However, more research, particularly clinical trials in humans, is needed to ascertain if similar benefits can be achieved in human patients with fibroids. (6)

Similarly, a study performed by Lee et al. showed that “ Quercetin, a component in lemon, possessed antifibrotic properties in hepatic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and kidney fibroblasts”, but no evidence was present about uterine fibroids. (7)

A thorough research of scientific evidence makes it clear that there is no credible medical literature that supports the use of lemon juice, baking soda, and garlic as a cure for fibroids

Responding to the question, Dr Smriti Uppal, Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, clarified, "Natural remedies present and talked about are not to cure fibroids but to cope with the symptoms caused by them such as pain and pressure symptoms or heavy menstrual flow. This present claim about treating fibroids completely with this concoction of lemon juice, baking soda and garlic doesn’t make any scientific sense. The treatment of fibroids is either medical or surgical. Medical anti-estrogenic medicines suppress the growth of fibroids and bring about a reduction in size."

Medical Dialogues Final Intake:

No, it can't cure fibroids. Lemon and garlic may have some antifibrotic properties individually, but it cannot cure fibroids. The claim that a home remedy consisting of lemon juice, baking soda, and garlic can cure fibroids is not supported by scientific evidence or clinical research. Hence this claim is false

References:

1. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/uterine/conditioninfo

2. https://www.wrh.ox.ac.uk/research/endometriosis-care-what-are-fibroids.

3. Sabry M, Al-Hendy A. Medical treatment of uterine leiomyoma. Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif) 2012; 19: 339-53.

4.https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/uterine-fibroids#:~:text=What%20causes%20fibroids%3F,which%20promotes%20the%20tumor's%20growth.

5. Islam, M. S., Akhtar, M. M., Ciavattini, A., Giannubilo, S. R., Protic, O., Janjusevic, M., Procopio, A. D., Segars, J. H., & [additional authors] (2014). Use of dietary phytochemicals to target inflammation, fibrosis, proliferation, and angiogenesis in uterine tissues: Promising options for prevention and treatment of uterine fibroids? Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 58(8), 1667-1684.https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201400134.

6.Borcan LC, Dudas Z, Len A, Fuzi J, Borcan F, Tomescu MC. Synthesis and characterization of a polyurethane carrier used for a prolonged transmembrane transfer of a chili pepper extract. Int J Nanomedicine. 2018 Nov 6;13:7155-7166. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S181667. PMID: 30464465; PMCID: PMC6228046.

7. Lee, E. S., Lee, H. E., Shin, J. Y. et al., The flavonoid quercetin inhibits dimethylnitrosamine-induced liver damage in rats. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 2003, 55, 1169–1174.