Irritable bowel syndrome can be extremely uncomfortable and painful. Read here to know about natural and herbal supplements that can treat the cause and alleviate symptoms.
For many people, socialising over dinner or another meal, can be quite stressful and worrisome. And no, here we aren’t talking about counting calories or having to make a choice among the various tasty options, but instead of a distressed gastrointestinal system. Imagine a situation where you are out for dinner and soon after you consume your meal, your abdominal muscles start to cramp and you need to run to the loo! While, many of us may have one hilarious experience in our experience, this can be a regular feature for people with IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
IBS is a gastrointestinal condition that leads to pain or discomfort in the belly along with irregular bowel movements. While in itself, IBS isn’t a severe ailment, it can be quite uncomfortable to live with. Further, an unhealthy diet, irregular meal timings, food allergies, stress, anxiety and an underlying medical condition can worsen this condition.
Symptoms of IBS
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Flatulence
- Abdominal pain or discomfort
- A bloated belly
- Cramps in the abdomen after meals
Treating IBS
While this condition affects millions of people worldwide, it is often left undiagnosed as people assume it to be a digestive problem and only approach the doctor in case of serious or painful symptoms. In most cases, diet changes and relaxation techniques are advised along with certain IBS relief tablets. These can include anti-spasmodic, anti-biotics or even medicines for diarrhoea. However, while these may provide relief temporarily, they do nothing to alleviate the root cause or treat the main condition.
Further, commercial medicines tend to have plenty of side effects that can impact the overall health and even worsen the gastrointestinal system over time. Instead, there are several natural and herbal remedies for Irritable Bowel Syndrome that can help restore the gastrointestinal motility and relieve symptoms.
Going the natural route
An addition of certain herbs to the daily diet can do wonders to calm the symptoms and strengthen the gastrointestinal tract. Some of these include:
Shunthi (Zingiber officinale): A leading herb in various Ayurveda treatments, Shunthi helps relieve gas and combats belly bloating. In addition, it curbs cramps naturally thus reducing the pain and discomfort. It also has strong antidiarrheal properties that help fight against diarrhoea and regularise the bowel movement.
Bilva (Aegle marmelos extract): This herb counters indigestion, constipation and even spasms caused by IBS. In addition, it fights against infections in the intestinal tract that can often worsen IBS and works as a natural antibiotic. By normalising the gut microbiota, Bilva goes a long way in restoring gut health and reducing the symptoms naturally over time.
Kutaj (Holarrhena antidysenterica): A potent herb, Kutaj has strong antidiarrhoeal and antibacterial properties that help alleviate the symptoms and promote the treatment of IBS. It helps fight infection in the gut and regularises bowel movement.
These herbs, while acting as miracle workers, aren’t always easy to obtain. However, with Charak’s Stop-IBS tablets, one can easily add these herbs and more to their daily. This natural supplement is a balanced composition of various herbs that restore gastrointestinal motility as well as curb IBS symptoms making it the ideal Ayurvedic medicine for IBS disease. Further, as it is natural, there are no harmful side effects to worry or stress over.
Lifestyle tips to combat IBS
Along with natural solutions, there are certain lifestyle changes that can help alleviate IBS symptoms. These include:
Dietary changes: Be sure to drink at least 2 litres of water a day to flush out all toxins and limit intake of coffee and alcohol that impact the gut bacteria. In addition, add more fibre to your diet naturally through fruits, vegetables and wholegrain options for improved bowel movements. A diet rich in processed flour and sugar can worsen symptoms and should be limited.
Combat stress: Stress and anxiety often worsen symptoms of IBS. Instead, be sure to practice meditation or do some calming activity daily to alleviate stress.