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Aloe Vera for I.B.S. Pain
aloe vera liquid may improve symptoms in ibs resistant to conventional treatments
Date: 3/22/2005 3:34:36 PM ( 19 y ) ... viewed 5451 times ALOE VERA LIQUID MAY IMPROVE SYMPTOMS IN IBS RESISTANT TO CONVENTIONAL TREATMENTS
K. Davis, D. Kumar, 1M.A. Mendall.St George's Hospital Medical School;1Mayday University Hospital, UK
Background: There are anecdotal reports of the efficacy of Aloe Vera in IBS.
Aims: To assess the effectiveness of a liquid formulation IBSCOL.
Subjects and Methods: We performed a double-blind placebo controlled randomised trial on Aloe Cleanse. Subjects were aged 18–65 and met the Rome 2 criteria for IBS. All had failed conventional treatments with antispasmodics or dietary manipulation. They were recruited from gastroenterology clinics at two hospitals. Treatment was with IBSCOL 50mls qds for 1 month. Subjects were interviewed at 0, 1 and 3 months. The IBS questionnaire of Whorwell (APT 1997) was used to detect change in symptoms. The primary endpoint was a response to treatment defined as greater than 50 point fall in the IBS score (0–500 scale). Secondary endpoints were improvements in individual symptoms (pain, distension, bowel habit and interference with lifestyle).
Results: 26 subjects were randomised into placebo and 32 into active treatment. 4 subjects in the placebo group and 2 in the active group failed to complete the study medication, the main reason being nausea reported by 3/26(12%)of the placebo group and 1/32(3%) of the active group respectively. 22/27(82%) and 27/32(84%)respectively of subjects were followed to 1 month and 16/27(60%) and 25/32(78%) for 3 months. 72% and 91% had diarrhoea predominant or mixed IBS. 10/22(45%) in the placebo and 18/27(67%) in the active group showed a response to treatment at 1 month (p=0.13). There was no difference by 3 months. There was significant improvement in pain score at 3 months (p=0.05). In the diarrhoea and mixed bowel habit sub-group, there was trend towards an improvement in IBS score at 1 month, 44% v 67% improving (p=0.15), a significant improvement in the proportion of subjects with any pain in the past week p=0.046, a trend towards an improvement in the % of days without pain in the past week (p=0.06), and in satisfaction with bowel habit p=0.06. By 3 months these changes had disappeared.
Conclusion: In this study of resistant IBS, there was some evidence of efficacy for the IBSCOL formulation of Aloe Vera that was well tolerated. These findings require replication in a larger, and milder group of patients.
http://gut.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/50/suppl_2/a82
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