ReviewNaunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology2026
Pathophysiology-driven use of natural products in irritable bowel syndrome: a review.
Review in Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a highly prevalent disorder of gut-brain interaction characterized by chronic abdominal pain associated with altered bowel habits, including constipation-predominant (IBS-C), diarrhea-predominant (IBS-D), mixed (IBS-M), and unsubtyped forms. The pathophysiology of IBS is believed to be multifactorial as it involves dysregulation of the gut-brain axis, visceral hypersensitivity, serotonergic imbalance, epithelial barrier dysfunction, immune activation, dysbiosis, bile acid alterations, in addition to psychosocial stressors. These interacting mechanisms are known to be involved in the generation of persistent symptoms as well as the widely reported clinical heterogeneity of the disease. Current management strategies include dietary modification, psychological therapies, microbiota-targeted approaches, and pharmacological agents targeting the prevalent symptom subtype. However, treatment responses remain variable, and many patients seek complementary and natural interventions to alleviate their symptoms. Emerging evidence suggests that natural products may exert therapeutic benefits through anti-inflammatory actions, modulation of serotonergic signaling, improvement of intestinal barrier integrity, microbiota regulation, and neuromodulatory effects. Clinical studies demonstrate that certain natural interventions, particularly peppermint oil, STW 5 (Iberogast), psyllium, and several selected probiotics, can provide modest but clinically meaningful symptom improvement, especially for abdominal pain. Nonetheless, heterogeneity in trial design, short durations, small sample sizes, and limited subtype stratification restrict the strength of the resulting recommendations. This review provides a comprehensive overview of IBS pathophysiology, current treatment strategies, and mechanistic and clinical evidence supporting natural products in IBS management, while highlighting critical gaps and future research priorities.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42065756What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.