Aloe vera in treatment of refractory irritable bowel syndrome: Trial on Iranian patients

Irritable bowel syndrome (ibs) is a functional disorder of the intestinal tract, which induces abdominal discomfort concomitant with a change in bowel habit including defecation disorders. ibs is a very common disabling disorder, with prevalence of up to 24% in women and 19% in men; moreover, 12% of visits to primary care physicians and 28% of visits to gastroenterologists belongs to patients meeting diagnostic criteria for ibs. despite all these unfavorable symptoms of the disease, effective therapies are lacking, and herbal agents are usually used for symptom control.