Chinese herbal medicine effective for irritable bowel syndrome

Abstract

Bensoussan A, Talley NJ, Hing M, Menzies R, Guo A, Ngu M. . . June 1999; 280: 1585–9AimTo determine whether Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is of any benefit in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).DesignRandomised, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial with three parallel arms.SettingPatients were recruited from and screened in two teaching hospitals and five private practices of gastro‐enterologists in Sydney, Australia, and treated in three Chinese herbal clinics.PatientsA total of 116 patients aged 18–75 years diagnosed as having IBS according to the Rome criteria.InterventionIndividualised Chinese herbal formulations or a standard Chinese herbal formulation or placebo taken as five capsules three times daily for 16 weeks.Main outcome measuresTotal bowel symptom scale (BSS) scores (rated by patient and clinician), global improvement (rated by patient and clinician), degree of interference in life (rated by patient).Main resultsPatient‐ and clinician‐rated BSS and global improvement scores and patient‐rated degree of interference in life improved significantly more in the two treatment groups than in the placebo group (P < 0.05). Overall, individualised CHM was no more effective than standard CHM. The numbers of patients who considered themselves improved were 76% in the standard CHM group, 64% in the individualised CHM group and 33% in the placebo group. At follow‐up 14 weeks after the end of treatment, only the individualised CHM group had maintained the improvement according to BSS scores, although the numbers of patients who felt that they had maintained the improvement were 63%, 75% and 32% for the standard CHM, individualised CHM and placebo groups, respectively.Conclusion‘Chinese herbal formulations appear to offer improvement in symptoms for some patients with IBS.’AddressAlan Bensoussan, MSc, Research Unit for Complementary Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Western Sydney Macarthur, PO Box 555, Campbelltown, New South Wales 2560, Australia