TABLE 2.
Herbal compounds for FD: key ingredients, preclinical pharmacological effects, and clinical trial data
| Preparation | Key ingredients | Key clinical trial data outcome | Purported effects on GI functions | Purported effects on central functions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STW‐5 | Iberis amara totalis recens, Angelicae radix, Cardui mariae fructus, Chelidonii herba, Liquiritiae radix, Matricariae flos, Melissae folium, Carvi fructus and Menthae piperitae folium | Significant improvement of gastrointestinal symptom score (GIS), global effectiveness, and tolerability | Increase gastric accommodation, modulation of gastric sensorimotor function, nociception, bile and gastric acid clearance | |
| RKT | Atractylodis lanceae rhizoma, Ginseng radix, Pinelliae tuber, Poria, Zizyphi fructus, Citri unshiu pericarpium, Glycyrrhizae radix, and Zingiberis rhizoma | Improve epigastric pain, especially for Helicobacter pylori‐infected patients | Modulation of visceral afferents (sensory), increase gastric accommodation, increase plasma ghrelin, stimulation of gastric motor function | Improvement in Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), lowered anxiety‐like behavior, reduced stress markers, and ameliorate cancer anorexia–cachexia syndrome |
| ALE | Bitter compounds (cynaropicrin) | Overall symptom improvement and greater improvement in QoL | Increase bile flow exerting hepatoprotective, antioxidant and antispasmodic effects | |
| POCO | Leaf Extract of Mentha piperita L. | Reducing FD symptoms with effects for EPS and PDS subsets | Increase gastric accommodation, inhibition of gastric motor function | |
| ZZKZ | Atractylodes macrocephala (Bai Zhu), Citrus aurantium (Zhi Shi), Bupleurum (Chai Hu), and Crataegus pinnatifida or Hawthorn (Shan Zha) | Relieving postprandial fullness and early satiety | Accelerate gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion rate and mobility, stimulation of gastric motor function | Reduce depression and anxiety scores |
Abbreviations: ALE, Artichoke leaf extract; POCO, peppermint oil and caraway oil; QoL, quality of life; RKT, Rikkunshito; STW‐5, Iberogast; ZZKZ, ZhiZhu KuanZhong.