PRIMARY STUDY

Systematic review of complementary and alternative medicine treatments in inflammatory bowel diseases

Key Findings:  A systematic review identified a variety of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies including herbal treatments, mind/body interventions, and acupuncture for treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), with trials showing the best evidence for herbal medicine such as plantago ovata and curcumin in ulcerative colitis maintenance, wormwood in Crohn's disease, and acupuncture in both UC and CD; however, the heterogeneity in methodological quality and limited number of studies necessitate further rigorous research.