Background: Early return of bowel function after surgery is essential for successful patient recovery from abdominal surgery.

Objective: To compare the effect of Tamarind lozenge with standard postoperative care on the postoperative bowel function recovery following elective open abdominal surgery.

Materials and Methods: In this prospective trial, 98 eligible patients, aged between 31 and 91 years, who underwent elective open abdominal surgery at Ramathibodi Hospital between January and December 2016 were randomized into two groups. The first group received Tamarind lozenge together with standard postoperative care (treatment group, n = 49) and the second group received standard postoperative care (control group, n = 49). The primary outcome was the return of bowel function. The secondary outcome was the patient’s length of hospital stay and discomfort from bowel ileus.

Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups for the return of bowel function regarding to flatus time (p = 0.24). In addition, the time to tolerate solid food and length of hospital stay were similar with no significant difference (p = 0.32 and 0.69, respectively).

Conclusion: The addition of Tamarind lozenge to standard postoperative care did not reduce the period of postoperative bowel ileus or shorten the length of hospital stay following elective open abdominal surgery.

Keywords: Tamarind lozenge, Postoperative care, Bowel function recovery