Context:Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a functional gastro-intestinal disorder with high prevalence. Among various treatment options, treatment by complementary and alternative medicines especially herbal remedies also practiced. Traditional Iranian medicine (TIM), a valuable resource of valid applied studies of ancient Iranian scholars, recommends numerous medicinal plants to treat dyspepsia symptoms. In this study, through investigation of TIM references, we aimed to identify medicinal plants for treatment of digestion insufficiency.Evidence Acquisition:In this qualitative study, dyspepsia symptoms including fullness, early satiety, bloating, nausea, and belching were checked under reliable sources of traditional medicine. Then medicinal plants recommended for the treatment of the symptoms were extracted from the books. Likewise, for investigating the pharmacological properties of medicinal plants used for the relieving of dyspepsia symptoms, electronic databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and some Iranian databases like SID and IranMedex were employed.Results:The study yielded 105 plants from 37 families which could treat various dyspepsia symptoms; fifty-seven plants, mainly from Apiaceae, Lamiaceae, Amaryllidaceae and Zingiberaceae had digestive effects. In this research, based on the information in TIM reference texts, we obtained 58 plants effective for bloating, 40 for nausea, 37 for appetite loss and 7 for belching. In human clinical trials conducted on medicinal plants effective for FD symptoms, 7 single plants were used.Conclusions:Finding the medicinal plants effective on digestion insufficiency based on TIM could suggest a better strategy for the relieving of dyspepsia symptoms. Traditional Iranian medicine prescribes medicinal plants based on each patient’s personal characteristics and practices multiple target therapies.
Background: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common gastrointestinal disease that has various treatments, including medicinal plants. Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the effect of Mentha longifolia on relieving the symptoms and improving the quality of life (QOL) in patients with functional dyspepsia from the subgroup of postprandial distress syndrome (PDS). Patients and Methods: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in a gastroenterology clinic affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. One hundred patients diagnosed with PDS according to the ROME III criteria were assigned to two groups: the M. longifolia capsules (three times daily for four weeks) group and the placebo group. Tools for gathering data were the FD severity scale and QOL (Persian version of the SF-36 questionnaire). Assessments of FD symptoms were obtained at baseline and also at the end of weeks 2, 4, and 12. QOL was evaluated at baseline and at the end of week 12. Results: At the end of treatment period, the M. longifolia group reported a more significant improvement in the mean severity scales of FD symptoms than the placebo group (P < 0.001). A significant difference was also observed between FD symptoms and severity scores in the two groups eight weeks after the medication was stopped. At the end of the fourth week, the greatest degrees of relief regarding epigastric bloating (70.5% vs. 21.4%, P < 0.001), epigastric fullness (68.2% vs. 31%, P < 0.001), loss of appetite (34.1% vs. 9.5%, P = 0.014) and early satiety (36.3% vs. 21.4%, P = 0.02) were observed in the control group. With M. longifolia, significant improvement in the scores of QOL was observed for the dimensions of general health, role-physical, social functioning, bodily pain, vitality, and mental health. Conclusions: This study showed the efficacy of M. longifolia in relieving PDS symptoms and improving the QOL of patients with PDS.
Bloating and abdominal distention are common complaints present in quite a number of organic and functional diseases. An important subject in traditional Persian medicine is digestive disorders, particularly bloating and its etiology. This is a literature review study conducted on The Canon in Medicine written by Avicenna and using the keywords: bloating, gas. In this article, causes for bloating, according to Avicenna, include diet causes, inappropriate lifestyle, gastrointestinal, and miscellaneous reasons. These were compared with causes suggested in modern medicine. Avicenna classifies causes based on the place of origin into upper part of the abdomen (stomach) and intestinal part of the abdomen. Also, 38 medicinal plants used as remedies were listed. Modern scientific data support all bloating causes that have been mentioned in the canon. Obviously, some causes such as uterine disorders and posterior nasal discharge need to be studied further.
Insomnia is one of the most prevalent sleep disorders worldwide which significantly affects the quality of life. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches have been applied in managing insomnia. The risk of tolerance and dependence on conventional medications and their other side effects leads the surveys to complementary and alternative medicine. This overview aimed to compile the clinical trials on herbal remedies in managing insomnia for facilitating future studies on medicinal plant in this issue. The keywords “Medicinal plant”, “Herbal medicine” in combination with “Hypnotic and sedative”, “Insomnia” or “Sleep” were searched through PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus electronic databases from 1st January 2000 to 31st August 2020. Then, all clinical trials focusing on the efficacy of medicinal plants on insomnia were collected. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 36 articles were selected, included 16 medicinal plants (23 studies) as a single herb and 13 polyherbal formulations. The most prevalent route of administration among these trials was oral. Matricaria chamomilla L., Valeriana officinalis L., Viola odorata L., and Passiflora incarnata L. were among the most prevalent effective herbal medicines on insomnia. Also, the modulation of the GABAergic system was the most common target of these medicinal plants. Herbal remedies can be introduced as safe and effective alternatives for conventional medications in managing insomnia. The popular herbal medicines, such as M. chamomilla, V. officinalis, V. odorata, are suitable for further therapeutic development. Other cited medicinal plants in this review can be more investigated in improvement of sleep.
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