April 5, 2005 – Artichoke leaf extracts (Cynara scolymus) and turmeric rhizome (Turmeric longa) would relieve symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
According to data from two open clinical trials (without placebo), these two plants contain substances that provide significant relief to people with IBS.
Researchers at the University of Reading (England) report that in a trial of 207 adult subjects suffering from this condition1, a two-month treatment based on an extract of artichoke leaves (320 mg to 640 mg per day) reduced the symptoms of dyspepsia associated with IBS by 41% and recurrence by 26.4%.
In a similar trial involving 208 patients2, the same researchers obtained, by administering for eight weeks a treatment based on turmeric extract (72 mg to 144 mg), a 22% to 25% reduction in dyspepsia symptoms and a 53% to 60% reduction in the prevalence of IBS at the end of treatment.
The authors of these studies now wish to conduct double-blind placebo-controlled trials in order to definitively confirm the effectiveness of these treatments.
Note that the German Commission E recognizes the effectiveness of artichoke leaf and turmeric rhizome in relieving dyspepsia. According to European herbalists, the bitter substances contained in these plants exert a stimulating activity on the gall bladder, an organ whose dysfunction is the cause of dyspepsia. In 1999, experts from the World Health Organization recognized the effects of turmeric rhizome in this regard.
IBS, a functional condition of the digestive tract, is also called “irritable bowel syndrome”. In Canada, IBS affects one in five people, particularly women, and is the subject of 30% to 50% of gastroenterology consultations.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
1. Bundy R, Walker AF, Middleton RW, Marakis G, Booth JC. Artichoke leaf extract reduces symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and improves quality of life in otherwise healthy volunteers suffering from concomitant dyspepsia: a subset analysis.J Altern Complement Med. 2004 Aug; 10 (4): 667-9.
2. Bundy R, Walker AF, Middleton RW, Booth J. Turmeric extract may improve irritable bowel syndrome symptomology in otherwise healthy adults: a pilot study.J Altern Complement Med. 2004 Dec; 10 (6): 1015-8.
