gms | German Medical Science

A multitude of concomitant causes and likewise also targets for therapeutic interventions have been identified in functional gastrointestinal diseases (FGDs) [1]. Therefore, a multi-target approach is a promising therapeutic strategy, as is exemplified by the herbal combination medicinal product STW 5, which has been proven to be effective in a large number of clinical studies [2]. Likewise, a large number of studies on the mechanisms of action has been performed.

To allow an overview of these more than 100 nonclinical studies on STW 5 alone, or on STW 5 and its components, were retrieved and studies, study methods and numeric results transferred into a data base. In a second step, study results were sorted according to types of study models and respective etiologic mechanisms related to FGDs and visualized by means of 2D histograms.

The evaluation of the data shows that STW 5 is active in response to multiple etiologic factors involved in functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome, like hyper- and hypomotility, acidity, inflammation and hypersensitivity, but also in inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases. The clustering by multiple steps allows the conclusion that all components are, with a respective specific profile of activities, involved in these actions, with the 2D histograms allowing an overview of the highly complex body of data within one figure.