Iberogast

adelie · Post by **adelie** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 9:52 am

I'm curious if anyone has tried the herbal supplement Iberogast? If you believe everything on the web (yea, right!), it will cure just about everything GI related. My GI suggested trying enteric coated peppermint oil, but it didn't help. There's a pretty hefty enteric coating and my system just doesn't break it down. Iberogast is a liquid, so I'm thinking about giving it a try.

Thanks,
Karen

teagirl · Post by **teagirl** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 12:41 pm

Hi Karen, yes I have tried it way back in June when I was first falling victim to MC. Believe it or not it was my GP who told me to try it. I'd gone to her with gas, pain, and D but not as bad as it is now. diodn't know what my problem was back then.

She suggested it and so I phoned around. No one had it except one store. I stopped by - I've been there before and found them knowledgeable and helpful. He had one bottle which he had been given recently by the rep for the company. It was about 4-5 inches tall and about 1.5 to 2 inches across so wasn't a small el cheapo bottle.

The guy didn't know much about it except that it is touted as Europe's number one solve of IBS problems, gas, and bloating ... according to the rep. As he didn't pay for it, he gave it to me for nothing provided I told him if it did any good.

I took it faithfully every day until I'd used it all. It's a dark brown liquid with a very plantlike smell. You can tell it's root and stuff. Not horrid but I wouldn't choose it as a beverage!

Essentially I got what I paid for: nothing. It didn't hurt me but it certainly didn't solve anything for me. I still had painful gas and cramps. But then I don't have IBS, I have IBD so maybe that's why it didn't do anything for me.

cheers

adelie · Post by **adelie** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 5:13 am

Thanks for the review. I have previously tried some of the herbs in the Iberogast mix individually as a tea without much success, so I was skeptical about it. I think you're right about the IBD vs. IBS. The ingredient list has a lot of herbs for calming nerves, but I don't really see anything for inflammation.

Thanks again,
Karen

adelie · Post by **adelie** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 5:08 am

Well, while the peppermint oil capsules were generally passing intact, I figured while I had the bottle and they weren't getting stuck anywhere I'd keep taking them on the off chance one would dissolve. One succeeded yesterday. I don't think I'll be taking those anymore. At about 5 hours, there were some friendly little minty burps, but then a few hours later - Holy, Mother of ....! Is this supposed to be soothing or a full GI chemical peel? I now know how people can mistake heartburn for a heart attack. It's making itself well known as it passes through the rest of the GI system as well. Guess it'll be bland diet for me for a while.

Karen

Post by **Rosie** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:33 am

Karen, I feel for you! Back before my LC diagnosis I was thinking I had IBS, and trying the various remedies. None of them worked, and the enteric coated peppermint oil capsules really did a number on me......but not as bad as you, it sounds like!

Rosie

starfire · Post by **starfire** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 5:29 pm

I'm really sorry it affected you so badly.

Yep, my late husband went to the ER twice for heart attack type pain years before he ever really had one. The first time he really thought he was having a heart attack and the second time he went to beg for the "stuff" they stopped the pain with the first time.

About 6 years ago I was occasionally having chest pain that even radiated into my jaw. I didn't go to the ER but certainly talked to the Dr. about it. Turned out to be Gerd.

It is really painful and scary too when it gets that bad. Thanks for the heads up about peppermint oil caps. I'll be sure to avoid them

Love, Shirley