Iberis amara totalis

Iberis amara totalis, also called bitter farmer's mustard or bitter ribbon flower, is the ethanolic aqueous extract of the whole plant (Iberis amara totalis). This drug from the parent plant Iberis amara L. is used in herbal medicines for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, among others.

Not only the herb of the plant but also the seeds are used.

HMPC: not edited

ESCOP: not processedCommission
E:not
processed

not marketed as a single preparation, only in a finished drug (combination with angelica root, chamomile flowers, caraway fruit, milk thistle fruit, lemon balm leaves, peppermint, celandine and licorice root; Iberogast®)

Iberis amara totalis contains glucosinolates, including glucoiberin, glucocheirolin, glucoibervirin. Other ingredients are flavonoid glycosides, amines and traces of cucurbitacins E, K, I.

Farmer's mustard has spasmolytic, inflammatory, anti-ulcerogenic effects and also has a toning effect on the smooth muscles of the stomach and small intestine.
The anti-ulcerogenic effect is produced by reducing acid secretion and leukotriene concentration while simultaneously increasing mucin secretion and prostaglandin E2 concentration.

Iberis amara totalis is used in motility related gastrointestinal disorders with spasms, functional dyspepsia, gastroesophageal reflux, non-ulcer gastritis and irritable colon. Traditional indications also include soft tissue rheumatism, irritable stomach and the feeling of fullness.

The usual daily dose is 0,45 to 0,90 ml of ethanolic-aqueous fresh plant extract from the whole plant. It is taken in combination with other plant gastrointestinal remedies such as camomile flowers, peppermint leaves and liquorice root.

At a maximum content of 200 ug total cucurbitacine and 150 ug glucoiberin no adverse effects are known.

There are no known contraindications.

1. Melzer J etal.(2004) Iberis amara L. and Iberogast--results of a systematic review concerning functional dyspepsia. J Herb Pharmacother 4:51-59.
2. Reichling J et al. (2002) Iberis amara L. (bitter candytuft)--profile of a medicinal plant. Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd 9 Suppl 1:21-33.
3. Schilcher H (2016) Leitfaden Phytotherapie, Urban & Fischer Verlag Munich, pp 69 f.
4. https://arzneipflanzenlexikon.info/schleifenblume.php.