Ther Umsch. 2002 Jun; 59(6): 313-6.

[Phytotherapeutic drugs in gastroenterology and hepatology]

Dufour JF, St-Pierre MV.

Institut für Klinische Pharmakologie, Universität Bern. jf.dufour@ikp.unibe.ch

More and more patients are trying out herbal medicine. It is estimated that half of the population have used alternative products at least once in their live. Gastrointestinal diseases often require long-lasting treatments involving many side-effects that can impair the patient's motivation. The majority of persons with symptoms of the irritable bowel syndrome or chronic liver disease resort to non-conventional therapies. However, potential hepatotoxicity of herbal products should not be underestimated. In this article, we discuss herbal preparations in specific gastrointestinal and hepatological indications, concentrating on products that have been tested in randomized, controlled clinical trials. Effective symptomatic treatment of obstipation, irritable bowel and inflammatory bowel disease has been demonstrated with plant-derived preparations. On the other hand phytotherapeutic preparations can not be recommended at present for the treatment of cirrhosis or chronic viral hepatitis based on the available data.