Ginkgo extract and colitis inflammation

A well-crafted study from China examined the role that Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE, the good-ol'-24% flavoglycosides stuff) can play in the guts of rats poisoned with a substance that induces severe inflammation and remodeling of the GI-tract lining. Pretty weird conditions for a plant to work under, and a fairly concentrated, drug-like preparation of the plant itself: nevertheless, the study shows that inflammation is substantially reduced and tissue is healed. There are some interesting microscopic images of the epithelium of the rats' large bowels, and the changes induced by the GBE are clearly visible. There are also detailed analyses of the various types of inflammatory markers (NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) presented both histologically and as Western Blot data.

My opinion: this animal study isn't enough to draw any conclusion about how a Ginkgo extract might affect humans with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. What it does show me is that a flavo-glycoside (the joining of a flavonoid and a sugar) has anti-inflammatory activity even after passing through a digestive process (granted, a rat's belly works very differently from mine). This continues the trend that flavonoid research has been showing: cellular processes can be altered towards healthier expression, longer life, and a reduction of both extra- and intra- cellular markers of inflammation (the interleukins, and NF-κB, TNF-α, for example). But you don't necessarily need GBE to accomplish this: there are plenty of flavonoids and flavo-glycosides in almost all colorful fruits and vegetables.

Wormwood in Crohn's

Wormwood, that famous Artemisia known as a primary ingredient in absinthe, has long been used as a tonic for the digestive tract. New research points to its use in managing Crohn's disease, an inflammatory condition that generally manifests in the lower bowel. Steroids, which are sometimes used to treat this inflammation, can only be used for short periods of time (due to their myriad powerful side-effects), and patients usually suffer relapses after the steroids are tapered off. By adding wormwood to the treatment regimen:
"...there was a steady improvement in CD [Crohn's disease] symptoms in 18 patients (90%) who received wormwood in spite of tapering of steroids as shown by CDA-Index, IBDQ, HAMD, and VAS. After 8 weeks of treatment with wormwood there was almost complete remission of symptoms in 13 (65%) patients in this group as compared to none in the placebo group. This remission persisted till the end of the observation period that was week 20, and the addition of steroids was not necessary".

Wormwood is a powerful herb, and remarkably bitter. The dose is usually lower than average - about 30 drops of a 1:5 tincture, taken 2-3 times daily before food is what I usually recommend. If it were me, I would also combine it with a warming, carminative herb (like fennel seed) and a bit of a soothing demulcent/astringent (like meadowsweet, or even licorice) in a custom herbal formula.

Cannabinoids mellow out a spastic colon

Our bodies are riddled with receptors for the class of molecules, known as cannabinoids, that are found in large concentrations in marijuana. While it may be that our own endogenous anandamide-like substances are the reason for the presence of these receptors, it seems that in the plant world marijuana is the only source of cannabinoids we have available. Co-evolution, anyone?
Regardless, a preliminary investigation by Michael Camilleri, M.D. (Mayo Clinic), who has spent the last decade researching drugs, neurotransmitters, receptors and pharmacological pathways involved in irritable bowel syndrome and other spasmodic conditions of the lower bowel, shows promise for using cannabinoid receptors in the gut to help modulate these distressing conditions. Doctor Camilleri's plan: feed folks with sensitive digestive systems over a pint of chocolate milkshake after giving them a pill of Marinol, a synthetic THC (tetra-hydro-cannabinol). Without getting into what a pint of chocolate milkshake would do to me (or anyone really) if taken on an empty stomach, and whether that represents cruel and unusual punishment for someone with colitis or irritable bowel, it seems that the synthetic cannabinoid is one of the most effective remedies the good doctor has ever seen for the cramping and pain people experience after pounding said milkshake. The next step: back to the lab, to find a synthetic cannabinoid that "does not have psychoactive properties".
If you ask me, that seems like a time-consuming, expensive proposition. Over and over, folks who have used cannabinoids as medicine (for glaucoma, wasting syndrome, chemo-induced nausea, and bowel trouble) complain that the pharmaceuticals are not as effective as a crude, inhalable folk-preparation of the marijuana plant (a.k.a. "the joint"). One puff may not be psychoactive, but it still seems to be quite medicinal if you trust the reports of those who have tried. But the feds might not appreciate that (nor the pharmaceutical companies, for that matter). And we all know the best way to fund research is to come up with a good, actionable, patentable pharmaceutical, not some devil-weed - regardless how cheap, accessible, or useful it may be.