Peppermint

 Therapy options in irritable bowel syndrome.
Enck P, Junne F, Klosterhalfen S, Zipfel S, Martens U.
Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2010 Dec;22(12):1402-11.

 Numerous meta-analyses have recently assessed the overall clinical benefit of single therapy options and groups of therapies in the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). By large, this should enable physicians to select from a number of therapy options available. We entered dichotomous outcome data from 121 IBS trials published over the last 35 years with different groups and subgroups of drugs (antispasmodics, motility-affecting agents, antidepressants, peppermint oil), dietary interventions (bran, probiotics), and psychotherapy (cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, hypnotherapy, relaxation techniques) into meta-analytic tools and estimate the overall efficacy (odds ratio, number needed to treat). Highest efficacy is currently found for peppermint oil, followed by psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological interventions and probiotics. Traditional antispasmodic therapy has a moderate efficacy, whereas the list of (partially failed or cancelled) motility affecting drugs yielded weak clinical results, and therapies by bran and fibers are of no value in IBS. Evidence-based therapy in IBS provides a number of effective treatment options beyond the fact that many novel compounds under development have failed to reach the market. An algorithm for clinical therapy decision is proposed. PMID: 21389791

 Irritable bowel syndrome – The role of complementary medicines in treatment.
Pirotta M.
Aust Fam Physician. 2009 Dec;38(12):966-8.

 Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gut problem that interferes with many people’s enjoyment of life. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gut problem that interferes with many people’s enjoyment of life. The underlying pathophysiology of IBS is not yet fully understood. People’s experience of IBS can fluctuate over time and various bowel symptoms may predominate. Many complementary medicines are used to treat IBS symptoms. Currently there is good evidence to recommend the use of probiotics, peppermint oil capsules and psyllium. Other therapies such as Chinese and Ayuvedic herbs and psychological techniques look promising, but further high quality trials are required before these approaches can be recommended. PMID: 20369148