Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) fruit syrup for gastroesophageal reflux disease in children: A double-blind randomized clinical trial.

This double-blind study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a syrup made from Myrtus communis L. fruit on children with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Children aged 1-7 years old, diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), were randomly allocated to either intervention group (omeprazole and "myrtle fruit syrup") or control group (omeprazole and placebo syrup). GERD symptom questionnaire for young children (GSQ-YC) was filled out for each patient at zeroth and eighth week, and also 4 weeks after cessation of intervention. No statistically significant difference between two groups in terms of GERD score was reported neither in 8th nor in 12th week assessments. During the 4 weeks of the drug-free period, patients in myrtle group did not experience a large shift in GERD score, while patients in placebo syrup group experienced an increase of as much as 19.4. However, this difference was not statistically significant, although it could be significant clinically. For achieving more conclusive results, more studies are needed. The symptom "refusal to eat" in the intervention group was less than in placebo group after 8 weeks (p = .018) and at the end of the study (p = .042). So myrtle fruit syrup may be considered for children with low appetite.

Traditional, complementary and alternative medicine in children constipation: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: This review aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative medicine methods for constipation in the pediatric population. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Medical literature search was performed in several databases for a variety of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine in childhood constipation. Databases included Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google scholar and a number of Persian databases including IranDoc, Magiran and SID. No time limitation was determined. Clinical trials or case series that had evaluated the effectiveness of CAM therapies in functional constipation of 1-18 year old children were included. Papers not in English or Persian language were excluded. Related articles were screened independently by two reviewers according to their titles and abstracts. A data extraction form was filled in for each eligible paper. Quality assessment of eligible documents was also performed. RESULTS: 30 studies were included, comprising 27 clinical trials and 3 case series. Ten documents were on herbal medicine, nine on traditional medicine, ten on manual therapies and one on homeopathy. Except for two herbal and one reflexology interventions, all studies reported positive effects on childhood constipation, with the majority being statistically significant. As the number of studies in each method was limited, we could not perform a meta-analysis. CONCLUSION: The scarcity of research on the efficacy and safety of different types of complementary and alternative medicine methods in children with constipation necessitates conducting more studies in each field. Graphical abstract.

Prevention and treatment of constipation in children from the perspective of Iranian traditional medicine.

Constipation is one of the most common complaints of children and a common cause of referrals to pediatricians. Numerous reasons for this disease have been mentioned in the Iranian traditional medicine (ITM). It is believed that this disorder is mostly due to the lack of consideration of the six essential principles (Setteh-ye-Zarurieah), which are necessary to maintain health and prevent disease. In this descriptive study we collected and classified the concepts related to the topic by reviewing reliable ITM text books. Scientific databases were also searched for the most commonly used herbs in the treatment of constipation. The results showed that, from the perspective of ITM, the first step in treating constipation in children is making lifestyle changes. This includes giving appropriate training in the six essential principles, and making modification in existing habits where necessary. In the next steps, using some herbal remedies for topical or oral administration is recommended. On the other hand, a few clinical trials have been done concerning the effects of herbal medicines on pediatric constipation. Therefore, ITM's preventive and curative strategies can provide an efficient and cost-effective way to address constipation in children. This study can serve as a preface to performing clinical studies in this field.