Ayurvedic Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition, usually characterized by abdominal discomfort such as bloating, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain (cramps), flatulence, indigestion, and increased mucus in the stool. 

There is no definite diagnosis for irritable bowel syndrome. Usually, the symptoms are mild and don't require treatment with medications, but some people might experience severe symptoms and require treatment with medications. 

Most of the time, irritable bowel syndrome can be controlled by changes in diet and lifestyle. One approach you can use to manage irritable bowel syndrome is to incorporate Ayurvedic herbs and spices into your diet. What are Ayurvedic herbs? How can you use them to manage your IBS? That's what we are about to learn!

Ayurvedic Medicine 

First, before we talk about how you can use Ayurvedic treatment for IBS, let's find out: what is Ayurvedic treatment exactly? Because I know a lot of you might not be familiar with the word, even in the medical field, I encounter a lot of doctors and professionals who have never heard of it before. 

What is Ayurvedic Medicine?

 

Ayurvedic medicine, also known as Ayurveda, is an ancient Indian medical system. It's one of the oldest medical systems, one that's still used today in the traditional Indian health system. 

Ayurvedic medicine relies on a natural and holistic approach to both physical and mental health issues. 

Ayurveda means the Knowledge of Life.

Ayurveda believes in a holistic approach that aims to regain a balance between your body, your mind, your spirit, and the environment. Ayurvedic treatment includes internal treatment, massage therapy, herbal treatment, and yoga or mediation. 

Ayurvedic Herbs and Spices for the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome 

Now that you know enough about Ayurvedic medicine, it's about time that I share with you some Ayurvedic herbs and spices that you can use to alleviate the symptoms of IBS. So, let's start!

1. Mint Tea

Mint tea is an excellent Ayurvedic herb and a popular flavoring agent. It's also used in making the most delicious and healthy Moroccan mint tea! and on top of all of that, peppermint has a lot of benefits, like a lot! The active ingredient in peppermint is menthol, maybe you have heard of it; menthol is used in making cough syrups and also as a flavoring agent in making gums and sweets. 

Studies have shown that peppermint exerts an antispasmodic effect on your gastrointestinal tract, which means that it relaxes your smooth muscles. This effect makes it an ideal Ayurvedic herb for relieving symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, because it can relieve the spasms and stomach contractions that come with IBS. 

You can incorporate mint tea into your diet by drinking it a few times throughout the day.

2. Tumeric 

Tumeric is famous for its many uses. It is used as a natural treatment in the management of a lot of medical conditions, such as acne, joint pain, stiffness, and inflammation. I bet a lot of you use it in your kitchens as a coloring agent and food spice. If you do, then you've got something that you can use as an Ayurvedic treatment for IBS. 

Tumeric contains a compound known as curcumin. This polyphenol exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Besides that, curcumin possesses properties that are beneficial in protecting you against acid refluxes, and those who struggle with irritable bowel syndrome oftentimes experience strong acid refluxes.

You can use turmeric for acid reflux by either adding the powder to your meals or by making a turmeric tea.

3. Black Cumin

Black cumin, also known as black seed or nigella seed, is a well-known medicinal plant. In the Middle East, they call it "Habatu Albaraka," which means the blessing seed. That's because it can be used in treating a lot of medical conditions to the degree that The Prophet Muhammad said, "There is nothing the black seed can't heal, except death." Some people even believe that it can protect them from the evil eye!

Black cumin is also one of the herbal treatments used in Ayurvedic medicine. The properties of the black seed make it excellent for treating conditions that accompany irritable bowel syndrome, such as gastritis, reflux, and peptic ulcer.

To add black seed to your routine, you can take about 1 gram daily of the seed or its powder. 

4. Fenugreek seeds

Another herb and spice used in Ayurvedic medicine and other natural and traditional medicines is fenugreek. It's used in traditional medicine to treat conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and gastrointestinal tract diseases. However, what we are concerned about now is what it can do to patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

Since I was a little kid, my mother used to give me fenugreek seeds whenever I had diarrhea, and guess what? They work like magic! I only had to take one teaspoonful and wait while the fenugreek seeds did their work. This anti-diarrhoeal effect of fenugreek seed is documented by studies [source]. This is particularly useful because diarrhoea is one of the major symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Some people (like me) suffer from that symptom specifically more than any of the other symptoms. 

Take one teaspoonful of fenugreek seed when you have diarrhea, but I have to warn you, your sweat will smell like fenugreek for the rest of the day! (>.<)

5. Clove

Cloves have a lot of health benefits; they are commonly used for toothaches (don't we all know!). Recently though, clove popularity has risen, and its use for promoting hair growth has become a trend. But did you know that it also has gastroprotective properties? Those properties are the reason cloves are used in the Ayurvedic treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. 

Eugenol, the active ingredient in clove, can synthesize mucus, literally, thereby offering protection against gastrointestinal ulcers. 

6. Ginger

We simply cannot talk about Ayurvedic spices without mentioning ginger! In my opinion, ginger is one of the best spices for irritable bowel syndrome, and it's the one the majority of patients with irritable bowel syndrome use. Let's just take a look at what it can do, and you will understand what I'm talking about: 

• Dyspepsia and indigestion: if you have bloating, you can just try drinking ginger tea. Ginger stimulates gastrointestinal motility and accelerates stomach emptying. 

• Easing flatulence: the increase in gastric motility will lead to the release of more gases, hence easing down the flatulence. 

If you feel that the food you ate is sitting there in your stomach like a rock (that's how it feels to me), you may want to boil some fresh ginger and drink it.

7. Cinnamon 

Cinnamon has an amazing scent, especially when it's used in bakeries, but cinnamon has other uses besides being a widely used flavoring agent. Cinnamon is another spice on the list of Ayurvedic herbs and spices. It's also used as a KEY constituent in the Traditional Chinese Herbal formulas used to treat IBS. 

A study done on the effect of cinnamon found that it effectively attenuated bowel symptoms.

Conclusion 

The herbal treatments for irritable bowel syndrome, whether they're Ayurvedic or not, can have different results for different people. What relieved IBS for one person might serve as a trigger for you. There is no doubt that those herbs are beneficial and that they have worked with a lot of people, but in order to know what really works for you, you need to be careful and observant when you are trying a traditional treatment for the first time.