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The Efficacy of an Herbal Medicine, Carmint, on the Relief of Abdominal Pain and Bloating in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Pilot Study

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Abstract

Carmint contains total extracts of Melissa officinalis, Mentha spicata, and Coriandrum sativum, which have antispasmodic, carminative, and sedative effects. As abdominal pain/discomfort and bloating are commonly observed in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, we decided to evaluate the effectiveness of Carmint in relieving these symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome patients. We randomly assigned 32 irritable bowel syndrome patients to receive either Carmint or placebo, plus Loperamide or psyllium (based on their predominant bowel function), for 8 weeks. T-test analysis of the results showed that the severity and frequency of abdominal pain/discomfort were significantly lower in the Carmint group than the placebo group at the end of the treatment (P=0.016 and P=0.001, respectively), as were the severity and frequency of bloating (P=0.02 and P=0.002, respectively). This pilot study suggests that Carmint plus loperamide or Carmint plus psyllium (depending on the irritable bowel syndrome subtype) might be effective in these patients.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank POUR SINA pharmaceutical company for providing Carmint and its placebo. This study originated at The Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases (RCGLD), Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Reyhaneh Vejdani, Hamid Reza Mohaghegh Shalmani, Mina Mir-Fattahi, Faranak Sajed-Nia, Mohammad Reza Zali, Amir Houshang Mohammad Alizadeh & Ali Bahari

  2. National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute (NNFTRI), Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Morteza Abdollahi

  3. Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Gholamreza Amin

  4. Number 41, 5th Floor, Entrance Number 4, A3 Block, Phase 1, Ekbatan, Tehran, Iran, 14437-36143

    Reyhaneh Vejdani

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  1. Reyhaneh Vejdani
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  2. Hamid Reza Mohaghegh Shalmani
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  3. Mina Mir-Fattahi
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  5. Morteza Abdollahi
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  6. Mohammad Reza Zali
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  7. Amir Houshang Mohammad Alizadeh
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  8. Ali Bahari
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  9. Gholamreza Amin
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Correspondence to Reyhaneh Vejdani.

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Vejdani, R., Shalmani, H.R.M., Mir-Fattahi, M. et al. The Efficacy of an Herbal Medicine, Carmint, on the Relief of Abdominal Pain and Bloating in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Pilot Study. Dig Dis Sci 51, 1501–1507 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-006-9079-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-006-9079-3

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