Peppermint Soothes IBS Symptoms

ADELAIDE, AustraliaResearchers at the University of Adelaide have found peppermint may activate an anti-pain channel in the colon, reducing inflammatory pain activated by fatty and spicy foods. The findings may be lead to new treatments for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

The study, published in the journal Pain, shows that peppermint acts through a specific anti-pain channel called TRPM8 to reduce pain sensing fibers, particularly those activated by mustard and chili. Approximately 45 million people suffer from IBS that causes chronic abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea and constipation. Women are twice as likely to experience IBS.

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 fibers in a heightened state, altering mechanisms in the gut wall and resulting in ongoing pain," the researchers said.