When it comes to Irritable Bowel Syndrome, peppermint is finally getting some respect
March 13, 2009
Perhaps you or your dog suffer the effects of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Or you’ve heard of IBS, but were never exactly sure what it is.
Like many syndromes and diagnoses that have emerged with increasing frequency in the past 20 or so years, IBS is not really one particular syndrome. Rather, it is a set of symptoms that can include chronic digestive upset, diarrhea, constipation, and bloating. IBS is an umbrella term – a catch-all, really.
So you might think that treating symptoms of IBS, either in yourself or your dog, might require a whole host of different remedies. And you might think that newer medications resulting from advanced scientific research have displaced older, tried and true remedies.
Not so fast, say researchers in the British Medical Journal. In fact, more traditional treatments may work best with symptoms of IBS. According to the study, reported by the BBC, certain forms of fiber, anti-spasmodic drugs, and peppermint oil were shown to treat IBS. In fact, it appears the three may be more effective than newer drugs, many of which have been pulled from the market in the UK due to concerns over lack of efficacy or safety.
In clinical trials, peppermint was found to the be most effective, treating roughly 1 out of every 2.5 patients with improved results. This is no surprise to many herbalists and homeopaths.
But what’s really interesting is the fact that peppermint treats symptoms as diverse as diarrhea and constipation. How can that be? Check back for more postings addressing the various constituents in beneficial herbs that allow them to treat different symptoms with more effect than many medications.
Here’s a link to the BBC article:
Entry Filed under: Botanicals, Herbs and Botanicals. Tags: British Medical Journal, Herbs and Botanicals, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, peppermint.
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