Ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, is a chronic intestinal inflammation. Heredity may play a role in causing this disorder, or it may be due to your immune system responding to a virus or bacteria. The symptoms include weight loss, fatigue, diarrhea, bloody stools, dehydration and abdominal pain. Conventional treatment aims at reducing the inflammation and relieving pain, but the drugs may have unpleasant side effects when taken over a long term. Traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, herbs may relieve ulcerative colitis naturally. Consult your health care provider before starting herbal treatment.
Herbal Actions
In TCM, symptoms associated with ulcerative colitis are regulated by the spleen and stomach meridians, which are energy channels through which Qi, vital energy, flows. TCM herbs for this disorder will fortify the spleen and replenish Qi. These herbs may also have anti-inflammatory, immune-stimulating or astringent actions. Check with a knowledgeable practitioner for advice about dosage and preparing TCM herbs for ulcerative colitis.
Changtai Granule
Changtai granule is a TCM formula composed of four herbs: Chinese corktree, or Phellodendro Chinense; great burnet, or Sanguisorba officinalis; creeping euphorbia, or Euphorbia humifusa; and marshpepper knotweed, or Polygonum hydropiper. Practitioners use it to treat ulcerative colitis because it has pain relieving, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-diarrheal actions. A study published in the January 2008 issue of the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology" found that the formula works on the immune system by regulating the cytokines, or chemical messengers, involved in inflammation and immune response. The researchers also found that the herbs have a synergistic effect, and work better together than individually. Do not use the mixture during pregnancy.
Chinese Plum Tree
Chinese plum tree, or Prunus mume, is a deciduous tree native to China. TCM practitioners call the fruit "wu mei" and have used it for thousands of years to treat gastrointestinal disorders involving deficient stomach yin and spleen dysfunction. The plant contains acids, carbohydrates and plant sterols, and has potent astringent, immune-stimulating and antimicrobial actions. A study published in the December 2009 issue of the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology" found that wu mei works by restoring the balance of bacteria in your intestines. This may reduce inflammation and diarrhea. Do not use this herb if you have a fever, cold or flu, or if you are taking medicine containing sulpha.
Atractylodes
Atractylodes, or Atractylodes macrocephala, is a perennial with frilly purple flowers, native to China. The roots are called "bai zhu" in TCM, and practitioners use them to treat digestive disorders. Atractylodes is an important Qi tonic, useful for stomach and spleen deficiency. It may relieve diarrhea, fatigue, abdominal bloating, nausea and poor appetite---all symptoms of ulcerative colitis. Atractylodes is effective alone, or in combination with 11 other herbs in an ulcerative colitis formula known as Jianpiling. Do not use this herb for more than seven weeks. It may cause nausea in large doses.
References
- "Journal of Ethnopharmacology"; Changtai granule, a traditional Chinese drug, protects hapten-induced colitis by attenuating inflammatory and immune dysfunctions; B. G. Liu, et al.; January 2008
- "Journal of Ethnopharmacology"; The possible mechanisms of Fructus Mume pill in the treatment of colitis induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid in rats; L. Liu et al.; December 2009
- "The Holistic Herbal Directory"; Penelope Ody; 2009
