Herbs for SIBO

 

In a healthy gut, the number of microbes increases as you move down the intestinal tract, with low levels in the small bowel, and high levels down in the large bowel. If the delicate environment is disrupted, bacteria can overgrow in the small intestine causing small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)^1,2.  Specialised herbal SIBO supplements can help restore the balance.

Patients with SIBO have chronic symptoms which adversely affects their quality of life. Present treatment of SIBO is limited to oral antibiotics, which have variable success. A growing number of patients are interested in using complementary and alternative therapies such as herbal SIBO supplements for their gastrointestinal health and clinical studies are currently being undertaken.

 

A ground breaking study in 2014³ of 104 patients determined the remission rate of SIBO using either the antibiotic rifaximin or 4 types of herbal SIBO supplements which included herbs such as Oregano, Berberine, Ginger, Sage, Lemon Balm, Thyme and Stinging Nettle.

At the end of the trial a higher number of patients who received a herbal SIBO supplement (46%) had a negative SIBO test compared to those on rifaximin (34%).  In fact, 57% of those didn’t respond to rifaximin, that then tried the SIBO supplement, had a negative SIBO test.

 

The study concludes that herbal SIBO supplements are at least as effective as rifaximin for resolution of SIBO.

 

Hundreds of studies have since been published on the individual uses of thyme, sage, berberine, oregano, ginger, lemon balm, olive leaf, stinging nettle root and hop extract, showing antimicrobial, calming and anti-inflammatory effects in the gut, leading to the development of AltruVita SIBO Complex+.

 

1. Bures, J., Cyranu, J., Kohoutova, D., Forstl, M., Rejchrt, S., Kvetina, J., Vorisek, V. and Kopacova, M. (2010). Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 16(24): 2978-2990
2. Rao, S.S.C. and Bhagatwala, J. (2019). Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth: Clinical Features and Therapeutic Management. Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology, 10(10): e00078
3. Chedid V, Dhalla S, Clarke JO, Roland BC, Dunbar KB, Koh J, Justino E, Tomakin E, Mullin GE. Herbal therapy is equivalent to rifaximin for the treatment of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Glob Adv Health Med. 2014 May;3(3):16-24.