Abstract
Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder that causes diarrhoea, constipation, stomach discomfort and bloating. IBS symptoms are linked to Grahani roga. There are few trials with Kutaj parpati in IBS, but the findings are inconsistent. We tested the null hypothesis that there is no difference between the Kutaj parpati and placebo for improvement of symptoms of IBS.
Materials and Methods: This is a randomized, single blind, placebo control trial. Sample size estimation was done to have power of 80 % and 95% confidence interval. A total of 20 patients were enrolled in the trial who were diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome according to the ROME 3 criteria. Group A received Kutaj parpati in a dose of 250 mg thrice a day while Group B received placebo. The patient rated the degree of abdominal discomfort, frequency of abdominal discomfort, severity of abdominal bloating, interference with daily activities, and satisfaction with bowel habits on a numeric rating scale (NRS) of 1-10 at three time points: one ,two and three months.
Results: The demographic features of the individuals were similar. The most bothersome symptom was abdominal bloating with numeric rating scale (NRS) of 7.4± 0.942. There was improvement over the three months in other symptoms (Not statistically significant). The statistical significance was achieved (p value 0.00015) with abdominal bloating after three months of therapy.
Conclusion: Kutaj Parpati was beneficial in reducing abdominal bloating in IBS over a three month period; however it did not demonstrate substantial improvement for other symptoms.