Improving small intestine motility is crucial in preventing SIBO from coming back and making a mess of your skin again.
While the digestive aids supplements can be considered optional and taken ‘as needed,’ prokinetics to support motility are crucial.
Prescription drugs
According to Dr. Siebecker, prokinetic prescription drugs tend to work better than herbal options. If this is an option for you, please talk to your doctor.
You don’t have to use prescription drugs, though. And there are two valid, all-natural alternatives: Iberogast and ginger.
Iberogast
Iberogast is a proprietary formulation of 9 different herbs. Despite being an herbal formulation, impressive amount of scientific evidence shows it’s effective for gastrointestinal problems.
One study compared Iberogast to cisapride (a prescription motility drug). This study showed Iberogast worked as well as the prescription drug to reduce dyspepsia (indigestion) in people with low small intestine motility.
It’s likely that Iberogast does more than merely improve motility. A 2013 systematic review states that the herbal combination supports different regions of the digestive track.
The extracts exert different proven pharmacological effects on different regions of the gastrointestinal tract and thus address the whole symptom complex of functional dyspepsia syndrome and IBS.
Ottillinger, B., Storr, M., Malfertheiner, P. & Allescher, H.-D. D. STW 5 (Iberogast®)–a safe and effective standard in the treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders. Wien Med Wochenschr 163, 65–72 (2013). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23263639
Dosage: Take 20 drops before going to bed.
Available from Amazon and iHerb.com.
Ginger
Ginger has a long history of use in digestive problems. In China, it has been used to treat flatulence, support digestion, treat stomach upset, diarrhea, and nausea. Modern studies indeed show that ginger supports gastric motility. Of the animal and human studies done to date, 66% showed improvements in gastric motility with ginger supplements.
As bitter, ginger may also stimulate bile and stomach acid secretion. All of which makes it a potentially useful digestive aid.
Dosage
Human studies used doses ranging from 200 mg to 1200 mg per day. One study that looked at the effect of ginger on migrating motor complex used 200mg per day. On the other hand, Dr. Siebecker recommends taking 1000mg/day. Studies that have used ginger before meals used dosages in the 1000mg range.
Side-effects
Some people complain that ginger causes acid reflux, called ginger burn. If this happens to you, consider using the other options.
Ginger tea
If you don’t want to spend money on supplements, you can also try to use ginger tea. Here is an easy way to make fresh and fragrant ginger tea at home:
- Get a medium-sized ginger rhizome that looks fresh without wrinkles or too many blemishes.
- Scrub it under warm water and carefully cut 3 to 6 slices as thin as you can and put them in a large mug. You can also grate it to small shreds. The key is to maximize the surface area of ginger exposed to hot water.
- Add a small amount of honey and/or lemon if you like and pour very hot, but not boiling, water over the slices (turn off the kettle just before it boils).
- Cover and let steep for 5 minutes.
- Drink and enjoy.
Drink a cup during or after a meal and in the evening before going to bed.
