Potential of herbal medicine in treatment of patients with functional dyspepsia

   Objective: to evaluate the dynamics of the main symptoms of functional dyspepsia (FD) in patients treated with a drug based on extracts of chamomile flowers, calendula and yarrow herb.

   Materials and methods: the study involved 40 patients with mixt clinical manifestations of FD aged from 18 to 53 years: 33 men and 7 women. The patients divided into groups: with a predominance of epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) or with postprandial distress syndrome (PDS). Treatment with a drug based on an alcoholic extract of chamomile flowers, calendula flowers and yarrow herb carried out for 10 days. The effectiveness of treatment assessed using the “7×7” questionnaire. The patient’s quality of life related to his health studied using a visual analogue scale (VAS, EQ-VAS). Psycho-emotional status assessed before the start of treatment using the 4DSQ questionnaire.

   Results: after treatment, 79.2 % of patients with EPS and 68.8 % of patients with a prevalence of PDS noted an improvement in their well-being (in dynamics 13 [10.25; 18.75] and 12 [9.25; 15.75] points, p < 0,001), which was expressed in a decrease in the intensity and frequency of pain sensation in the stomach. The number of patients with severe disorders of well-being decreased by 10 times (p = 0.007). The quality of life increased in 57.5 % of the study participants. The improvement in well-being was not associated with the psycho-emotional state of patients before the start of treatment. The dynamics of postprandial disorders was not reliable.

   Conclusion: the use of a medicinal product containing extracts of chamomile flowers, calendula and yarrow herbs may be an alternative treatment for pain symptoms in patients with FD.

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