Herbal product Iberogast reader helps with gastrointestinal issues

DEAR DR. ROACH » I have had gastroparesis for many years. About two years ago, it led to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (which I once read about in your column). I worked with a dietitian for several months. One of the treatments she suggested was an herbal product called Iberogast. The combination of herbs helps the stomach to empty quicker.

I use it each night before bed (as part of a 12hour fast) or whenever I have overeaten and feel bad. It has been most helpful for me.

Iberogast is available online.

— L.E.

First, for the benefit of other readers, gastroparesis is a too-slow emptying of the digestive system.

Iberogast is a combination of nine medicinal plant extracts, and studies in Germany and Austria, where it is most commonly used, have shown the medication to be more effective than the placebo (and about as effective as one common prescription medication) in the treatment of functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel disease.

The medication has generally been regarded as safe, but there are rare cases of liver injury associated with this medication, at least one of which eventually required liver transplantation.

All medications — whether prescription or over-the-counter, natural or synthetic — have the potential for harm. Iberogast is pretty safe, with a handful of bad outcomes in its 50 years of use involving millions of doses, but it still can cause rare and severe adverse effects.

Iberogast is worth considering in people whose symptoms have not been successfully treated with other therapies.