At last there’s evidence that peppermint can help calm the gut. Adelaide University research has shown that the herb can help people suffering from Irritable Bowel \Syndrome. Peppermint has been used as a soothing herbal remedy for years, of course, but the research carried in the Journal Pain, shows why this is so.
The work from the Nerve-Gut Research lab explains peppermint works on an ‘anti-pain’ channel in the colon.
"Our research shows that peppermint acts through a specific anti-pain channel called TRPM8 to reduce pain sensing fibres, particularly those activated by mustard and chilli. This is potentially the first step in determining a new type of mainstream clinical treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)," Dr Stuart Brierley says.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome which affects about a fifth of the population can cause diarrrhoea, constipation, bloating and pain.
"This is a debilitating condition and affects many people on a daily basis, particularly women who are twice as likely to experience Irritable Bowel Syndrome," Dr Brierley says.
"Some people find their symptoms appear after consuming fatty and spicy foods, coffee and alcohol, but it is more complex than that. There appears to be a definite link between IBS and a former bout of gastroenteritis, which leaves nerve pain fibres in a heightened state, altering mechanisms in the gut wall and resulting in ongoing pain."
Apart from gastroenteritis and food intolerance, IBS can be brought on by food poisoning, stress, a reaction to antibiotics, and in some cases is genetic. There is no cure for IBS and it often comes and goes over a person’s lifetime.
Source: University of Adelaide
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