Amelioration of bowel movement by daily ingestion of Kumaizasa (Sasa. senanensis) powder: A placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group comparison study

Abstract

Background: Kumaizasa ( Sasa. senanensis \xa0(Franchet et Savatier) Rehder) is a bush-type bamboo grown in Hokkaido, Japan and has traditionally been used as a material for herbal medicine and health food. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of daily ingestion of Kumaizasa powder (4.2g/day) for 2 weeks for improvement of constipation. We conducted a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group comparison study on 80 healthy Japanese men and women between the ages of 20 and 65 who complained of chronic constipation. Results: The stool frequency per week as the primary outcome showed a significant increase after 2-week ingestion of the active food (Kumaizasa powder) compared with the placebo (starch). The stool odor was also significantly improved after 2-week ingestion of Kumaizasa powder compared with the placebo. Abdominal condition was also significantly improved by visual analogue scale (VAS) evaluation. Conclusions: We concluded that daily ingestion of Kumaizasa powder is useful for improvement of constipation.