Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd. 2002 Oct; 9(5): 277-82.

[Efficacy of tea blends in the treatment of dyspeptic disorders--an application observation]

Iten F, Meier B, Saller R.

Abteilung f�r Naturheilkunde, Universit�tsspital Z�rich, Switzerland.

BACKGROUND: Medicinal teas present one of the oldest galenic preparations of herbal remedies. Their use is primarily determined by tradition and empirics. One of their traditional domains are gastrointestinal disorders, which belong to the most frequent wellness disorders. While the effectiveness and compatibility of essential oils, modern drug extracts, and alcoholic extracts from bitters and etheric-oil drugs in the treatment of dyspeptic disorders have been documented in placebo-controlled clinical trials, little attention has so far been given to aqueous extracts from bitters and etheric-oil drugs, which are equivalent to the standard method of preparing herbal teas. PURPOSE: The presented application observation in clinical practice tried to give evidence for effectiveness and tolerability of medicinal teas in the treatment of dyspeptic disorders and to quantify their extent. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We collected information about effectiveness, compatibility, and side effects of herbal teas from 89 patients (w = 56; m = 33) suffering from dyspeptic disorders. The data were reported with a questionnaire that was sent to physicians and pharmacists experienced in phytotherapy. RESULTS: It could be shown that complaints in patients with primary dyspeptic symptoms (n = 79) decreased by an average of 74%. Final overall assessment revealed that the physicians as well as the patients estimated an effectiveness of 2.9 points as good (3 = good). Compatibility was considered as good to very good (4 = very good), with an average rating of 3.3 points. Two patients stopped therapy because of an extreme aversion to the bitter taste of the teas. No other serious side effects were reported. CONCLUSION: The herbal teas can be considered effective, very well tolerable and to a large extent free from serious side effects. However, due to the limited observation time, no final conclusion could be given concerning long-term compatibility.Copyright 2002 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg