Clinical Research
Copyright ©2008 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 21, 2008; 14(3): 454-462
Published online Jan 21, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.454
Effectiveness and safety of herbal medicines in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: A systematic review
Jun Shi, Yao Tong, Jian-Gang Shen, Hai-Xia Li
Jun Shi, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, Liyuan Hospital, TongJi Medical College, HuaZhong University of Sciences and Technology. Wuhan 430077, Hebei Province, China
Yao Tong, Jian-Gang Shen, Hai-Xia Li, School of Chinese Medicine, University of Hong Kong, 10 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, China
Correspondence to: Yao Tong, School of Chinese Medicine, University of Hong Kong, 10 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. tongyao@hku.hk
Telephone: +86-852-25690436
Fax: +86-852-28725476
Received: April 23, 2007
Revised: November 13, 2007
Published online: January 21, 2008
Abstract

AIM: To explore the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines (HM) in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

METHODS: A computer-based as well as manual literature search was performed. We reviewed randomized controlled trials on the treatment of IBS with and without HM.

RESULTS: A total of 22 studies with 25 HMs met the inclusion criteria. Four of these studies were of good quality, while the remaining 18 studies involving 17 Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) formulas were of poor quality. Eight of these reports using 9 HMs showed global improvement of IBS symptoms, 4 studies with 3 HMs were efficacious in diarrhea-predominant IBS, and 2 studies with 2 HMs showed improvement in constipation-predominant IBS. Out of a total of 1279 patients, 15 adverse events in 47 subjects were reported with HM. No serious adverse events or abnormal laboratory tests were observed. The incidence of the adverse events was low (2.97%; 95% CI: 2.04%-3.90%).

CONCLUSION: Herbal medicines have therapeutic benefit in IBS, and adverse events are seldom reported in literature. Nevertheless, herbal medicines should be used with caution. It is necessary to conduct rigorous, well-designed clinical trials to evaluate their effectiveness and safety in the treatment of IBS.

Keywords: Irritable bowel syndrome; Herbal medicine; Systematic review