Artichokes for digestive problems

Artichokes for digestive problems

07/30/2012

Less and less Germans are working from Monday to Friday
firmly regulated working hours. One in four employees work on Saturdays, nights or shifts instead. This places considerable demands on the organism. Sleep and digestive disorders are often the result. Herbal medicines can provide effective relief here.

Working against the bio-rhythm disturbs especially the digestion: The irregular food intake and the wrong food at the wrong time irritate the internal clock and often lead to complaints such as flatulence, bloating and pain in the upper abdomen (above the navel). They are considered as a characteristic consequence of disturbed fat digestion due to a lack of bile flow.

Extracts from artichoke leaves have been shown to increase bile formation. As early as 1994 it was shown in an investigation that the amount of bile juice after administration of a high-dose extract from the leaves of specially grown for medicinal purposes so-called royal artichoke (artichoke extract LI 220) is significantly higher than after taking placebo.

In a non-interventional study in medical practices in Berlin, it was therefore necessary to investigate the extent to which the intake of a standardized artichoke leaf extract (test designation LI 220) can help shift workers with digestive problems.

Seventy-three women and thirty-two men suffering from digestive discomfort due to nocturnal or irregular food intake took two capsules of the herbal medicine twice a day for six weeks.

The results:
The sum score from symptoms „bloating“, „bloating“ and „fast feeling of satiety“ decreased during treatment from 8.53 to 3.63 points.

Also the sum of the accompanying symptoms like „insomnia“, „fatigue“, „listlessness“ and „exhaustion“, the patients complained fell from 8.08 to 4.22 points. In addition, 86.1 percent of patients reported that their quality of life improved by taking the artichoke extract. (KFN)

Also read about digestive problems:
Lactose intolerance causes stomach ache & flatulence
Gluten intolerance: Sick by grain
Medicinal plants for indigestion
Naturopathy: Leaky Gut syndrome

Picture credits: Petra Bork