Peppermint oil, fiber can fight Irritable Bowel

For some patients, the best therapy for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may be fiber and peppermint oil. According to researchers, these simple treatments have fallen out of favor because of the availability of newer (and more expensive) drugs, some of which have been taken off the market due to safety concerns. But more traditional therapies should become first-line treatments in guidelines for the treatment of IBS, the experts say.

The report is published in the Nov. 14 online edition of the British Medical Journal. For the study, researchers reviewed trials that compared IBS treatment with fiber antispasmodics and peppermint oil to a placebo or no treatment. The trials included more than 2,500 IBS patients. The researchers found that fiber and peppermint oil were effective treatments for IBS. There were no serious side effects associated with any of these treatments, the researchers note. Peppermint oil appeared to be the most effective therapy of those reviewed. In trials comparing fiber with placebo, only soluble fiber reduced symptoms.

Bonnie - this is significant because of the soluble fiber finding. Fibersure (inulin) is my favorite. Psyllium husk is very aggressive on the digestive tract. Peppermint oil, while effective, can be an agitator for some.