I am allergic to mesalamines and that turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it forced me to manage my disease thru diet and supplements.
Monitoring my diet wasn't so bad because for the most part those foods that inflame my gut are the junk and processed foods that I should avoid anyway, (see my signature). God knows how many donuts I have refrained from eating in the past 10 years. Forgoing beer is a sacrifice but red wine seems OK for my gut. Of course everyone is different so you should see what food triggers apply for yourself.
The effectiveness of supplements varies from person to person. For example some people swear by boswellia and there are many good studies vouching for it. But boswellia gives me IBS symptoms. There must be dozens of posts here at HW discussing supplements that some of us have found effective.
My signature summarizes some of the effective supplements that work for me. One advantage of taking a supplement such as curcumin, for example, is that it is an effective treatment for many other conditions besides IBD.
I think we can consider the National Institutes of Health as a reliable source for research on curcumin.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc3535097/Extensive research over the past half century has shown that curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a component of the golden spice turmeric (Curcuma longa), can modulate multiple cell signaling pathways. Extensive clinical trials over the past quarter century have addressed the pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of this nutraceutical against numerous diseases in humans.
Some promising effects have been observed in patients with various pro-inflammatory diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, uveitis, ulcerative proctitis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel disease, tropical pancreatitis, peptic ulcer, gastric ulcer, idiopathic orbital inflammatory pseudotumor, oral lichen planus, gastric inflammation, vitiligo, psoriasis, acute coronary syndrome, atherosclerosis, diabetes, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic microangiopathy, lupus nephritis, renal conditions, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, β-thalassemia, biliary dyskinesia, Dejerine-Sottas disease, cholecystitis, and chronic bacterial prostatitis. Curcumin has also shown protection against hepatic conditions, chronic arsenic exposure, and alcohol intoxication.
Dose-escalating studies have indicated the safety of curcumin at doses as high as 12 g/day over 3 months.
Curcumin’s pleiotropic activities emanate from its ability to modulate numerous signaling molecules such as pro-inflammatory cytokines, apoptotic proteins, NF–κB, cyclooxygenase-2, 5-LOX, STAT3, C-reactive protein, prostaglandin E2, prostate-specific antigen, adhesion molecules, phosphorylase kinase, transforming growth factor-β, triglyceride, ET-1, creatinine, HO-1, AST, and ALT in human participants. In clinical trials, curcumin has been used either alone or in combination with other agents. Various formulations of curcumin, including nanoparticles, liposomal encapsulation, emulsions, capsules, tablets, and powder, have been examined. In this review, we discuss in detail the various human diseases in which the effect of curcumin has been investigated.