Chinese MedicineDiarrhea/Constipation

Hemp Seed Pill to treat functional constipation

Functional constipation doesn’t have an anatomical or hormonal cause.

Researchers at Hong Kong Baptist University, in China studied ma zi ren wan (Hemp Seed Pill), which is a branded product.

First, the details.

  • The first part of the study determined the dose to be administered during the second study.
  • In the second study, 120 participants were randomly assigned to a treatment group for 8 weeks of treatment, and an 8-week follow-up.
    • Hemp Seed Pill
    • Placebo
  • Participants with an average increase of at least 1 complete spontaneous bowel movement per week compared with their baseline values were defined as responders.
  • Changes in individual and global symptoms, and adverse effects were also recorded.
  • Neither the patients nor researchers knew the treatment given — double blind.

And, the results.

  • Study 1
    • The dose of 7.5 grams twice daily showed a better response than that of 2.5 and 5.0 grams twice daily
  • Study 2
    • Responder rates for the Hemp Seed Pill and placebo groups were 43% and 8% during treatment and 30% and 15% in the follow-up period, respectively — significant differences.
  • Those in the Hemp Seed Pill group showed increased complete spontaneous bowel movement, relief in the severity of constipation and straining of evacuation, and effective reduction in the use of rescue therapy vs placebo.
  • No serious side effects were reported.

The bottom line?

The authors concluded, “Hemp Seed Pill (7.5 grams taken twice daily) is safe and effective for alleviating functional constipation.”

This appears to be the first study of Hemp Seed Pill to treat functional constipation.

11/23/10 20:49 JR

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.