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The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of peppermint oil in the treatment of patients with irritable bowel syndrome. The study was performed in 52 patients (23 males and 29 females) with irritable bowel syndrome who showed unsatisfactory response to antispasmodics mebeverine. They were additionally treated with peppermint oil 0.2 ml (as menthol 88mg) three times daily for 4 weeks´. Symptoms are classified into seven groups, and assessed by four response categories that aggravated, unchanged, improved, remarkably improved, and latter two categories are considered "effective". General improvement´ rates are assessed by same method. At starting combination therapy, symptoms of patients were appeared assabdominal distension, bloatedness and early satiety (87%), abdominal pain (69%), diarrhea (50%0), constipation (19%), -.enesmus and stool urgency (17%), nausea and vomiting (31%), heartburn (13%0). The effective rates on each symptom were 76% (abdominal distension), 70% (constipation), 69% (abdominal pain), 67% (stool urgency and tenesmus) etc The general improvement rate was 69%. Side effects of the drug were aggravation of abdominal pain or diarrhea, bloatedness, fatigue, anorexia, heartburn, nausea and vomiting, and there was no significant difference of combination from mebeverine alone.Peppermint oil as a combination with mebeverine is considered effective regimen in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.
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