In an article published in the Journal of Gastroenterology in 1997** entitled: "Enteric-coated peppermint-oil capsules in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a prospective, randomized trial" researchers Liu JH, Chen GH, Yeh HZ, Huang CK, Poon SK from the Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan reported interesting and encouraging results of the effects of the essential oils of peppermint in the treatment of Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS. According to Wikepedia*** IBS is: "A functional bowel disorder characterized by abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits that is not associated with any abnormalities on routine clinical testing", and IBS is fairly common and makes up 20-50% of visits to gastroenterologists." The prognosis for patients with IBS is not fatal nor does it lead to the development of other serious bowel diseases. However it is associated with chronic pain, discomfort, and other symptoms, work absenteeism, depression, social phobias, and other negative life effects. Often the symptoms appear to have or are exacerbated by emotional life stresses that then manifest in part in physical form. For individuals with this problem it can become quite frustrating to live with a problem that can so readily cramp one's goals and dreams. In the quoted study the researchers shed some light on a solution that is not only simple; it is in my view empowering and all with next to none of the side-effects seen with common pharmaceutical agents. Here is a summary of their study; They did a well designed (i.e. a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled) clinical study with 110 subjects from an outpatient clinic. To the experimental group they gave an enteric coated (i.e. in a capsule that would prevent the oil form irritating the upper gastrointestinal tract i.e. mouth, esophagus, and stomach) dosage of peppermint oil that was allowed to reach the large bowel where the problem was without degradation. The control group received a placebo capsule. Each group received their "treatment" 3 to 4 times a day about 30 minutes before meals for 1 month. At the end of the study they found that: 1) Forty-one patients in the peppermint oil group (79%) experienced an alleviation of the severity of abdominal pain (29 were pain-free), compared to 21 patients (43%) with reduced pain (4 were pain-free in the control group. 2) Forty three in the peppermint oil group (83%) had less abdominal distension compared to 14 (29%) with reduced distension in the control group. 3) Forty three in the peppermint group (83%) had reduced stool frequency compared to 16 (32%) with reduced stool frequency. 4) Finally in the peppermint oil group they found that thirty eight in the peppermint group (73%) had fewer borborygmi (i.e. stomach growling sounds) and 11 (22%) with less flatulence. Only one patient in the peppermint oil group has some upper gastrointestinal irritation as a result of chewing the capsule and releasing the oil. The study reached a statistical significance of p<.05 which means the there is less than a 5% chance that the results occurred by chance alone i.e. the peppermint oil was clearly effective. This should be heartening news for individuals with IBS as well as gastroenterologists who treat such individuals. As more and more research is done world wide on the efficacy of therapeutic grade essential oils we start to see that nature's ability to alleviate suffering is indeed powerful. What's more it is beginning to provide a real alternative for patients whose illnesses are either not helped by conventional medical treatments or who have to endure the many side effects of such treatments. If you wish to learn more about Therapeutic Grade essential oils kindly visit the web link below. References: **Liu JH, Chen GH, Yeh HZ, Huang CK, Poon SK ,"Enteric-coated peppermint-oil capsules in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a prospective, randomized trial", J Gastroenterol. 1997 Dec; 32(6):765-8. *** Wikepedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irritable_bowel_syndrome |
