Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, and extra-intestinal complications. Herbal remedies can be combined with medical therapy to relieve the symptoms and ailments of this disease.

Crohn’s disease, symptoms and disorders

Crohn’s disease , or regional enteritis, is an inflammatory disease that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal system, but is most commonly found in the terminal small intestine.

Crohn’s disease involves the layers of the gut wall causing lesions, ulcerations, granulomas and thickening of the wall .

In Crohn’s disease, inflammation is characterized by discontinuity : the lesions affect some portions of the intestine and are interspersed with normal areas.

The causes of Crohn’s disease are unknown and genetic predisposition appears to play an important role in the onset of the disease.

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In predisposed subjects, in response to environmental factors including abnormalities of the intestinal flora and the intake of certain foods, an autoimmune response is triggered, responsible for the symptoms of Crohn’s disease.

It is believed that in Crohn’s disease there is an abnormal recognition of some antigens by the immune system , with the release of proinflammatory cytokines and consequent tissue damage.

Symptoms of Crohn’s disease include abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and fever. Crohn’s disease is also accompanied by fatigue and weight loss as there is malabsorption of nutrients due to intestinal lesions.

The most frequent extraintestinal complications include joint diseases such as colitic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

Crohn’s disease, remedies

Inflammatory bowel diseases which include Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic diseases with still unknown etiology.

Because the etiology is unknown , the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease is complex and includes several drugs including corticosteroids, aminosalicylates, immunosuppressants and biological response modifiers.

Medicinal plants can be combined with drug therapy to relieve inflammation and, consequently, the symptoms of Crohn’s disease.

Herbal drugs normally used for Crohn’s disease are aloe gel, boswellia gum resin and chamomile flower heads.

Aloe barbadensis or Aloe arborescens gel , Boswelia serrata gum resin and chamomile flower heads ( Matricaria recutita ) have anti-inflammatory properties and, taken orally, can relieve symptoms related to inflammation that characterizes Crohn’s disease .

It is always necessary to contact your doctor for adequate therapy and for the prescription of natural remedies to be associated with drug therapy.