Many irritable bowel patients find significant relief with this natural cure

It’s annoying, embarrassing and can be painful.

IBS now strikes about 20 percent of us. And the drugs to treat it are rarely effective and come with a list of side effects that read like the disease itself.

Now there is finally something that seems to be bringing long-term relief to IBS sufferers…a peppermint oil supplement.

A recent New York Times blog reviewed a study of peppermint oil, which produced significant relief for about 150 of 200 IBS patients.

That’s a remarkable success rate. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise to HSI members. In a recent Members Alert we told you about another clinical trial that tested enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules taken daily for one month.

Nearly 80 percent of the subjects reported relief from severe abdominal pain, abdominal distension, and reduction of gas.

For centuries, healers have used peppermint oil to curb nausea, gas, and other digestive problems. Modern research shows that it kills bacteria and relaxes muscles in the digestive tract.

Peppermint oil may cause heartburn in some patients, but that’s usually not a problem with coated capsules.

Source:
“Remedies: Peppermint Oil for Irritable Bowel” Anahad O’Connor, New York Times, 1/21/11, well.blogs.nytimes.com