Natural Remedies for IBS Relief: A Holistic Approach to Gut Health

I have been taking a 450mg valerian root capsule each night before bed for the past week and it has led to a marked improvement in my IBS-C symptoms. It might be due to the fact that valerian has a slowing/calming effect on the body and has allowed my digestive system to relax somewhat. The one night I missed a dose, my crampy/gurgly symptoms started coming back during the day, so I am positive that it's the valerian that is helping.

Cindy,

I was just wondering if you have IBS-C or IBS-D?

Art

Magnesium Chloride cured me right away. I was given a deadly staff infection from a surgery and then tons of antibiotics over the course of a year and became very messed up. Doctors had no answers. I couldn't even digest food any longer and had terrible problems. I tried everything. Learned of the magnesium chloride from Bill from San Fernando here on Earthclinic and followed all the really valuable links he provided on the miracle of magnesium. Don't buy the magnesium in the drug store, its not the same.

You have to take ENTERIC coated peppermint oil. Straight peppermint is way too strong to put into the stomach. Peppermint increase the gastric juices in the stomach, so it needs to bypass the stomach and get into the intestines. Peppermint relaxes muscles, ie intestinal muscles.

If I have a sudden attack and need IMMEDIATE relief, the capsules are NOT the answer. They take awhile to start working. For immediate relief, try peppermint tea ( will make you sleepy) or Altoids. With the Altoids, I usually eat around 10-15 in a 5 minutes period and it helps A LOT.

If you get stomach pain, eat some food with it or eat some DGL LICORICE chewables/lozenges from iherb. The taste is not great but it gets rid of stomach ( not intestinal) pain.

IBS Remedy. Please try Rutin 500mgs twice a day for 3 days, then once a day for a month. After that once a week, but back to original dose if any flare ups again. This remedy is Magic! Seems to work even better, if you also take a B50 weekly, selenium yeasts for a month, and vit D3 5, 000 ius for a couple of weeks too. No flare ups at all on this supplementation. But Rutin is the main remedy.

I'd like to add some additional information to this post. I was hospitalized and then diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. They did a parasite test while I was in the hospital and it came back negative. I found out later it only tested for 5 parasite types. Based on some reading I did, there are over 350 different types of parasites. I did the whole medical establishment routine for a year and then the symptoms came back. I did not want to take all those meds anymore so I started trying many of the remedies on this site with mixed results.

To make a long story short, I also have 4 dogs and I ordered some food grade diatomaceous earth because they had worms (I read about FGDE on this site). After further reading regarding the health benefits for humans, I decided to take it myself. Not to be gross, but you can imagine my surprise (and I'll spare you the details) when I realized I had parasites myself. I'm hoping that now that I've taken care of this, that the other protocols outlined on this site will be more effective or that my UC will clear up now; however, I believe I also have a mycobacterium issue.

I have IBS and nothing seems to work for me real well. I do the baking soda and EDTA. I treat for Candida regularly as well. Right now I have a little pit in the roof of my mouth and it is really sore. I think it is the herpes virus which I have had since 6 years old. I have had the IBS since 22 years old and by age 48 I thought I had kicked it. After several years of being free of it the IBS is back. I get cold sores more frequently now as well. I keep wondering if the herpes virus is part of my IBS problem. I have heard that the herpes virus is either active or dormant but I wonder if rather then going dormant it really just goes to my intestines and causes the IBS and Candida problems. I would like to know if Ted could answer this for me and if he has found the herpes virus among the people he has helped with IBS. I would also like to hear from other people with IBS that get the cold sores of the herpes virus and how long they have had both the IBS and herpes and if the herpes came first. I think there is a connection in my case but I would like to know if there is a connection with the two in other case. Thank you everyone.

Megyn, I had the chicken pox 2 years ago which is when my ibs symptoms started. Chicken pox is a form of herpes and I am convinced there is some correlation with this virus and bowel dysfunction. Now all we have to do is convince our doctors and maybe they will do a study!

For some reason whevener I take Vinegar it makes my joint hurt. I feel the pain in my bones! And seems to worsen IBS a bit.

I was diagnosed with IBS, awful bloating, trouble breathing awful pain. The Dr had prescibed a # of meds that didn't help. I started taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. I had almost immediate results. I wish I started this 10 years ago.I take it in the Am before breakfast and before I go to bed at night.

One thing I notice is you have to get the ENTERIC COATED peppermint oil capsules. I have had really good results by using these and usually one dose is sufficient.

TRUST ME, THIS IS ABOUT CANDIDA...

I didn't get over my illness until:

1) I discovered that I had been living with intestinal parasites. My physicians didn't believe that I was ill at all. They didn't want to waste their time and resources testing, don't you know. I was so happy to have them *diagnose* the animalia I presented to them in a box.

(a) the parasites, worms, protected themselves by secreting a biofilm which is both immunomodulating and immunosuppressing. Do you honestly believe my physicians knew / told me that?

2) My physicians explained, (ie., LIED), to me and explained that I had "IBS". Try googling the two words: "IBS" and "TRASHCAN DIAGNOSIS".

(a) "IBS" is a catch all *syndrome* which physicians use to substitute for real medical diagnosis, given that they do not have the time, inclination, energy or desire to solve your health problems for you. They have other things to think about.

3) Once I discovered, after nearly two decades of living in a near constant state of hopelessness, that there was an alternative, legitimate community of health care providers known as alternative, holistic, integrative and herbal medicine, I decided to take the initial plunge into the world of colon hydrotherapy.

(a) This felt great.

4) I went on a candida free diet. I went to an alternative health clinic. I paid $40 for a refrigerated, very fine grain powder, mycostatin. In 3 weeks, I was 85% better. I can now eat fruit, veggies, grains, eggs, etc.,. I had not eaten these things in over a decade. How awful is that!

5) I returned to my HMO with the good news. They were upset. Pissed off even. They couldn't believe that I would BETRAY them like that! How dare I go outside of my HMO! I had gotten off their hook!

(a) I visited a gastroenterologist at my HMO, for kicks. I asked him to take a look at the word, nystatin, which is the generic form of mycostatin. He had never heard of it before but he was willing to do what I asked. It turns out, my HMO's database stated that NYSTATIN WAS INDICATED IN THE TREATMENT OF IBS. Funny thing is, nystatin is a broad spectrum antifungal. And very, very few doctors in mainstream medicine are using it to treat IBS. I met a woman suffering from the same thing I had. She gave me the name of her gastroenterologist. Same dude. I asked her if he had given her a prescription for nystatin. She told me, "No, what is that!"

And so it goes...

Thanks for the valuable info on IBS and possible link to infection. This has been very helpful to me and I believe I may have an infection that has been going on for some time.

I have suffered intestinal problems for years finally diagnosed by a 'functional' doctor as dairy intolerance. A friend finally convinced me to try taking straight lemon juice from two smaller, greener lemons from Mexico and it has cured my problem almost immediately. Apparently I also cannot handle soy as I had a bad reaction to Chinese food. I have been treated by normal MDs and none have ever diagnosed this dairy intolerance, they only treated the symptoms and never identified the cause.

i suffered from BV for almost six months after taking just one round of powerful antibiotics! the smell was awful, and my self esteem really began to suffer. i just went to work and came straight home! i knew i had to restore my good flora, and it does take time, so i had to be patient. i kept going to my gynecologist, and thankfully, she encouraged my attempts to find a natural cure, and respected my desire to refrain from taking any more antibiotics. after finding out about probiotics, i started with just regular acidophilus, which did nothing! then, i found out that they need to contain more than acidophilus, specifically L. Rahmnosus and bifidobacterium longum. This combination worked magic!! it is sold in the United States...i was living in Atlanta at the time, and found it easily at co-ops and health food stores. also widely available online. just make sure those two are in there along with the acidophilus. i should also mention that i was suffering from IBS at the time, which also cleared up. i still take probiotics (one a day) to maintain intestinal health, and they are great. (this was three years ago.) generally only get sick once a year, and a bad cold doesn't turn into bronchitis anymore. good luck!

After viewing reader comments on your web site, I tried magnesium oxide to relieve IBS with constipation. My doctor had prescribed Zelnorm twice a day, and I had used it for three years. It worked quite well, but I was having to live my life around scheduling my medication and meals so the Zelnorm would be effective. If I didn't allow one hour after taking it before I ate a meal, the constipation along with bloating and nausea would return. I just couldn't see living the rest of my life like that. Not to mention the expense of taking a one-of-a-kind drug. Then while researching IBS with constipation, I noticed your web site. I began taking 250 mg magnesium oxide on an empty stomach first thing when I awaken each morning. By the time I'm ready for breakfast, it has had its desired effect. Thanks so much! I am so appreciative of the help I found.

Thanks so much for the suggestions. Me and my husband use 3% h2o2in the ear whenever we feel the onset of a cold or flu. We have not had a cold in two years since using this method. Before my husband would get a flu that would keep him from work for 2-3 days in a week but no more. I had intestinal issues (loose stools). Went to Dr. diagnosed with IBS. Next went to homeopath. took saliva test, had sensitivity to wheat change eating habits improved but still loose stools frequently. This transpired over a year. After finding this site and reading about h2o2 had the courage to try h20s internally. I started with 5 drops in distilled water, the goal was three times a day I usually hit twice a day. By the tenth day my stools were consistently solid and well formed. It has now been over a month since the big improvement for me. Even when I eat wheat I do not get bloated or have the loose stools hardly ever. I still try to stay away from a lot of wheat but I now am the proud producer of solid log like stools!

Hi Cathie from Nebraska –

I'm not Marnie, but there was a mention of a soil-based probiotic in the article by Dr. Amy Myers (her own brand) referenced in Sylvie13fromUSA's posting on Earth Clinic. The article is “10 Signs You Have Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)” – here is the link that Sylvie provided:

https://www.amymyersmd.com/2018/04/10-signs-small-intestinal-bacterial-overgrowth-sibo/

On this page, Dr. Myers talks about the different strains useful for SIBO. https://www.amymyersmd.com/2018/02/soil-based-probiotics-best-sibo/ However, a site called SIBO Survivor might be more useful to you.

There is an article on the best probiotics for SIBO so there is more variety to help make a decision. All are available on Amazon.com when the article was posted. https://sibosurvivor.com/best-probiotics-sibo/

Good luck – hopes this helps.

Chlorinated tap water gives a relative of mine diarrhea, too.

Dave (of Fountain Inn)--I'm curious what you think of my ibs and how I should fix it. My mother had chemo that ended when they learned she was expecting me, so I know I was exposed. Her ibs-c began during her treatments. I have had daily diarrhea all my life, she always said it was her fault. the dr's say ibs-d but who know? They don't even consider the chemo may have had an impact on me. Do you have any suggestions for me? I've always been conscious about my lifestyle. I can't eat raw as it makes things worse, but mostly I eat plant (maybe 90%) and lean fish or chicken/eggs for the rest. I grow many of my own veggies and some fruits, canning/freezing for the off season and raise my own chickens for eggs and meat. I also have access to hilly grazing land--never farmed or fertilized other than by the cows, from which I gather wild plants, berries and some nuts. I don't eat cheese or milk because it bothers me and I don't eat processed foods such as tv dinners, chips, or other snacky things. Any suggestions for me?

Dave, thank you for your input as well. I am going to the Health Food Store tomorrow. I don't have a car and can't get into town until tomorrow. I will get the collodial(?) silver and echinecea but what I really would like to get is the essence of peppermint. I know several years ago and even less than when I would just get the bloating and pain, that seemed to help a lot. Yet, I started taking the vitamin D today. Although the past week or more I have not had the bloating, today I have been bloated all day. Now I can't "go". Yet, I have a feeling by late tonight it will start all over again. In the meantime, I have been drinking coconut water (ick) to make sure I don't get dehydrated. I have been unable to eat anything other than some peanut butter on some bread and I know I should stay away from carbs but other than that I am nervous about putting anything in my tummy right now.

Thank you again for your input.

Elizabeth

You need to take gluten out of your diet also sugar. No bread anything with flour, ibs is a leaky gut and possibly candida. I have been ill for eleven years or more, I was better after watching diet could eat a little fruit and vegetables but got careless ate a little sugar, and one sandwich and bam worse than ever. That is why I think it is with candida. Supplement that helped was l glutamine, I took 4 teaspoon on empty stomach in am. Going to buy again but don't think l glutamine is for long term. Also my twin brother has it, he lost 37 lbs in 1 month. My natural Dr. was no help at all. It also attracts your thyroid. Wishing you the best, I know how bad you feel.

Janet, can you tell exactly how you took the dhea? I'm 59, postmenopausal with ibsd for most of my life. I have dhea but didnt know how to take it & the melatonin. I never sleep without ambien, so this could be a great help for me. Thanks.

Your symptoms sound like mine were when I developed Celiac Disease.

I hope you have found relief by now...I know how terrible it can be!

A simple blood test can reveal If you're a match for Celiac. Heads up though, if you change your diet to gluten free to see if that's the issue you could get relief but at that point the blood test becomes more involved and the Dr's tell you to start eating gluten again....this is the point where I say they obviously don't understand the pain we're in!

Re: ibs-d. For those of you making recommendations that fix diarrhea, you really need to understand that ibs-d is not normal diarrhea. I see so many folks suggesting to take magnesium (malate doesn't cause loose stools) and I say HA, You wanna bet? EVERYTHING magnesium causes diarrhea for me. Sublingual mg that doesn't reach your stomach, check. Mag Oil or epsom salts that go thru your skin? Yep. ALL magnesium supplements, in any form, trigger an attack. The only mg I can take is via leafy greens. Charcoal does nothing, because it works by absorbing toxins and ibs-d is not caused by toxins, it's a reaction to stimulus, such as stress/lack of sleep/pain and more. Peppermint and calming herbs help but only a little and not for long.

If you don't have ibs-d, then you have no clue what we go thru. For instance, I had to go out of town this week for work. I took 3 immodium the night before my trip, ate/drank nothing after 8 pm the night before and barely made my flight due to diarrhea. I took 5 immodium just to get out the door. When I arrived at my destination I had half a bottle of water and spent an hour in the bathroom. Took 4 more immodium (long drive to my hotel) and stopped several times along the way. Still had not eaten since the night before. Finally got to the hotel, had crackers and water. Several bathroom trips later, I finally got to bed. This is normal for me when I travel. Food did not cause this, stress did. Immodium comes in bottles of 72 caplets. I use a bottle a week. I have juiced, tried all sorts of supplements, gone gluten free for 6 months and tried numerous other things and nothing works. Sorry for the rant but people really don't understand. And add to the diarrrhea, you get hemorhhoids from all the bathroom stops and muscle cramps from dehydration and lack of certain minerals. Headaches from dehydration and not eating. Pain from the cramping. Lack of sleep from the pain........You get the picture. I wouldn't wish this on anyone except the medical researchers. BTW, I've had all the tests and tried all the meds. I am actively lobbying my dr for a colostomy.

Janet, for the methelene blue--you said 1 dropperful is a dose? A bottle that has 4 doses of the concoction would contain 4 droppers full of MB? Seems like a lot. Also, the vit c is to prevent your eyes from turning blue? If they do get a bit blue, how long for them to go back to normal?

Hello, have you tried going gluten free? I noticed that you mention having toast and feeling awful. I would give up gluten for a month and see if your symptoms improve (you may feel worse the first week as your body detoxes).

Gert, I do know about how awful IBS-D is. I finally irritated my large colon to the point of having 9" of it removed two years ago. Just wondered if you had heard of or tried sodium butyrate? It seems magical to me. I take two caps of it three times a day and so far, it's working WELL. I buy mine on Amazon....you can also google and / or watch YouTube videos on colon health and butyrate. Good luck!

Janet, in your post to me about ibs, you gave your recipe for mixing lysine, etc, with methylene blue in water bottles. Later in the post, you said something about mixing vit C ascorbate(?).

Do you put this into each bottle or is this just a single dose? If it goes into the water bottles, is this the amount/bottle? I assume that this is a single dose, taken once per day and that you make ascorbate so it's buffered and will be better tolerated?

If I don't hear any different, that's what I'll be doing. Thanks.

I want to heal my ibs-d, so I made a nice bone broth from my neighbor's extra roosters. I've been watching the birds daily for 7 months now, since they were a chick, so I know they ran around the yard chasing/eating bugs and didn't get bad food, etc. So, now I have such bad diarrhea, so much worse than before. I've read about die off, but it's been awhile already. How long do I persist taking it (nothing else, a bone broth fast for over 2 weeks now). If gelatin is the part that fixes the gut, then why not take gelatin that I buy instead of this?

Try to eat probiotics and cut off with bread, cakes, tacos if you have constipation and try to lower carbs.

The buttermilk has live probiotics, that's why it helps. I would never say I'm cured because it does come back--eat the wrong thing or stress and I've got a flare that can last a year. I've been making and drinking my own kefir which has been a fantastic help, so if you can't get good buttermilk you can try kefir. I haven't taken supplements for my insomnia the last 3 day, took ambien b/c too much going on & had to sleep. Plan tonight to take l-glutamine + 5-htp+ taurine + vit e. Any thoughts? It's morning now & I can change it if you have any ideas. Thanks.

I suffered from IBS for many years and after 1 month of avoiding all pasteurized dairy and drinking 1 8 oz cup of RAW goats milk per day my symptoms are greatly improved.

Dear I Have Had It All, You could investigate Dr. Schulze's Intestinal Formula #2. I've been having sporadic IBS-type problems for 6 months post-food poisoning, and every time I take this it relieves the problem and I function normally for the rest of the day. I am considering doing their full 5-Day Bowel Detox, with multiple doses a day -- or maybe two 5-day detoxes back-to-back, to wipe out what I suspect is small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and attempt to restore normal motility.

When you see "the mother" in reference to Apple Cider Vinegar (apple cider vinegar) this is referring to a natural raw pure vinegar. It should have a "muddiness" appearance to it, not perfectly clear. There will be sediment in the bottom and this is the good stuff. :) It has all kinds of beneficial healing properties in it. Organic is also best.

I struggled with IBS type symptoms for 6 months following a c. Diff infection. I tried almost every natural remedy on this site with no luck. Within one day of starting Konjac-mannan, I had a noticable improvement in after meal bloating and distension. My bowels returned to almost normal after alternating between diarrhea and constipation. I read that it helps normalize bacteria in the gut so maybe that's why it helped me. To me it's been a miracle cure.

I've been struggling with IBS and Celiac for a long time. I still get cramps even though there is no more gluten ( or hidden gluten) in my diet.

I found a softgel that has peppermint oil, fennel and ginger in it from iherb. Wow, do these things work great and really tame the tummy!!! I finally have some relief! I take 1 at night and one in the morning. If I still get painful cramps, I take another one. They don't help with diaherra though.

They are a bit hard on the stomach at first so take with a bite or two of food until you get used to them.

Hi there, I was reading your post because I found myself in a similar situation about a year ago, only I was told I didnt have chrones or ulcerative colitis, yet, still had all the symptoms. I then went to a naturopath who tested for yeast and parasites and I tested positive for both. Do you feel any better?

Hi I know this thread was started last year. I just wanted to share quickly my experiences with vaginal herpes and IBS-C. I have had herpes since I was 18 and IBS-C symptoms that have increasingly gotten worse. I have followed a gluten and lactose free diet for over two years now which helped greatly. Then recently my food intolerances have become so bad that I started a low FODMAP diet which has also helped to mitigate a lot of the bowl discomfort I have suffered. But I was still having a lot of problems going to the bathroom. All of this is going on while I have been having almost one herpes out break after another for the past 6 months. I have been tested for SIBO, and it was inconclusive. My bathroom habits have been difficulty accessing the muscles needed to properly eliminate (a lot of twisting, turning, pushing on my abdomen) what ends up being pretty soft, sometimes not formed at all stool. So its not classic constipation. My lower left back has also been causing me pain problems chronically. I was beginning to wonder If I had a pinched nerve that wasn't signaling properly, but I don't seem to have a pinched nerve either. I also don't have any sensation in the rectal area to have a bowel movement. It is more of a bloating and discomfort in the abdomen, so I go and try and pray something happens.

So a few days ago I got a prescription for Valtrex for suppresive therapy, after just two days of taking 1 gram a day I have noticed a huge difference in my ability to eliminate! I don't know if there is a causal relationship, but it is definitely correlated. I will continue to stay on suppressive therapy for a LONG TIME as well as continue the low FODMAP diet for at least a year to let things heal. I will probably get some stool samples tested for parasites and yeast just to make sure too. But I think I am on to something. Hope this helps someone!

What is ACV? I have chronic IBS, severe constipation and have had blockage 3 times this year. I have suffered for 6 weeks and could use some good suggestion.

This is to Pocketmonkey from Colmesneil, Texas:

Constipation due to IBS is caused by severe acid in the intestines released by the pathogens(bacteria, candida). This acid should not be confused with HCL secreted by stomach(simply acid in the stomach ).

To get immediate relief from constipation and to start curing IBS take Ted's Alkalizing formula 3 times a day. One time after lunch, one time after dinner and 3 time is immediately after your bowel movement, the reason is your intestine is empty and you have more space for the alkalizing formula to reach all the regions of the intestine to start the healing process.

Do, this for 3 months once your bowel movement is improving you can explore the possible cause of IBS.

Taking Ted's Alkalizing formula is the first step towards the healing process of any chronic disease.

Good Health.

Ed2010, if Ted's formula is to be taken on an EMPTY stomach/intestines, then why do you recommend taking it AFTER lunch and dinner?

Seems like a healthy swig first thing in the morning would be beneficial too since stomach and everything else 'downstream' is empty and open!

Thanks Ed2010, it's clearer now.

Hello, Earthclinic readers. I'm a 46 y/o woman. A few years ago as I was going through a divorce, I developed severe abdominal pain. It would be located high, or near my ribs, off to one side or very low in my abdominal area. Hardly ever in the same spot. My Dr. did a few tests and sent me to radiology for a sonogram of my gall bladder, appendix and ovaries. The sonographer told me my symptoms sounded like IBS, she had it. Coincidentally, I had run out of my multi vitamins some time ago and hadn't replaced them. Sometime after that Dr. appt I did get more and noticed a few days after taking them again that the pain went away.

I was talking to a friend of mine whose granddaughter had been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and in doing her own research discovered that B12 and Royal Jelly could be beneficial. She opted to try this rather than put her 8 y/o granddaughter through the recommended surgery. It worked! The pain was completely gone in no time. I looked at the label on my vitamin bottle to find that they did indeed contain a hefty dose of B12 and bee pollen, but not Royal Jelly. Subsequently, I ran out of vitamins again and after several weeks without them - you guessed it - the abdominal pain returned! I didn't waste any time getting to the local health food store to get my multi-vitamin and sure enough, after a few days, the pain was completely gone again. I'm convinced, B12 and bee pollen or Royal Jelly must be good for the digestive system. My vitamins are Nature's ___ ___ ___. It's a whole food and chock full of good stuff.

Hi,
I'm happy that Fennel has saponins that could explain why it relieves your IBS. Saponins have some activity against protozoa and bacteria. Your testimonials are another prouve that IBS is an infection.