Front Psychiatry 11: 601

Herbal Therapies in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: A Narrative Review and Clinical Implication

^{Wonkwang Digestive Disease Research Institute, Gut and Food Healthcare, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, South Korea,}

^{Good Breath Clinic, Gunpo, South Korea,}

^{Department of Gastroenterology, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea,}

^{Department of Clinical Korean Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea,}

^{Department of Gastroenterology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea,}

^{Brain-Gut Stress Clinic, Division of Gastroenterology, Wonkwang University Hospital, Iksan, South Korea,}

Edited by: Guillaume Gourcerol, Université de Rouen, France

Reviewed by: Juntaro Matsuzaki, University of California, San Francisco, United States; Naoki Fujitsuka, Tsumura & Co, Japan

*Correspondence: Han Seung Ryu, moc.revan@34gnuesnah; rk.ca.ukw@gnuesnah

This article was submitted to Psychosomatic Medicine, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry

Edited by: Guillaume Gourcerol, Université de Rouen, France

Reviewed by: Juntaro Matsuzaki, University of California, San Francisco, United States; Naoki Fujitsuka, Tsumura & Co, Japan

Received 2019 Nov 8; Accepted 2020 Jun 10.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Abstract

The pathophysiology of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) is still unclear and various complex mechanisms have been suggested to be involved. In many cases, improvement of symptoms and quality of life (QoL) in patients with FGIDs is difficult to achieve with the single-targeted treatments alone and clinical application of these treatments can be challenging owing to the side effects. Herbal preparations as complementary and alternative medicine can control multiple treatment targets of FGIDs simultaneously and relatively safely. To date, many herbal ingredients and combination preparations have been proposed across different countries and together with a variety of traditional medicine. Among the herbal therapies that are comparatively considered to have an evidence base are iberogast (STW-5) and peppermint oil, which have been mainly studied and used in Europe, and rikkunshito and motilitone (DA-9701), which are extracted from natural substances in traditional medicine, are the focus of this review. These herbal medications have multi-target pharmacology similar to the etiology of FGIDs, such as altered intestinal sensory and motor function, inflammation, neurohormonal abnormality, and have displayed comparable efficacy and safety in controlled trials. To achieve the treatment goal of refractory FGIDs, extensive and high quality studies on the pharmacological mechanisms and clinical effects of these herbal medications as well as efforts to develop new promising herbal compounds are required.

Keywords: herbal, functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, STW 5, peppermint

Abstract

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