Probiotics , fennel extract  and  spinal manipulation  show promise to alleviate symptoms of colic , although some concerns remain .
Background Infantile colic is a distressing condition characterised by excessive crying in the first few months of life .
The aim of this research was to up date the synthesis of evidence of complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) research literature on infantile colic and establish what evidence is currently available .
Effectiveness of Mentha piperita in the Treatment of Infantile Colic: A Crossover Study
Background . Infantile colic is a distressing and common condition for which there is no proven st and ard treatment . Objective . To compare the efficacy of Mentha piperita with simethicone in treatment for infantile colic . Methods . A double-blind crossover study was performed with 30 infants attending IMIP , Recife , Brazil . They were r and omized to use Mentha piperita or simethicone in the treatment of infantile colic during 7 days with each drug . Primary outcomes were mother_s opinion about responses to the treatment , number of daily episodes of colic , and time spent crying , measured by a chronometer . Mann-Whitney and chi-square tests were used to compare the results . This study was previously approved by the Ethical Committee in Research at IMIP . Results . At baseline daily episodes of infantile colic was 3.9 ( ±1.1 ) and the mean crying time per day was 192 minutes ( ±51.6 ) . At the end of the study daily episodes of colic fell to 1.6 ( ±0.6 ) and the crying duration decreased to 111 ( ±28 ) minutes . All mothers reported decrease of frequency and duration of the episodes of infantile colic and there were no differences between responses to Mentha piperita and simethicone . Conclusions . These findings suggest that Mentha piperita may be used to help control infantile colic . However , these results must be repeated by others studies
Probiotics , fennel extract  and  spinal manipulation  show promise to alleviate symptoms of colic , although some concerns remain .
Background Infantile colic is a distressing condition characterised by excessive crying in the first few months of life .
The aim of this research was to up date the synthesis of evidence of complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) research literature on infantile colic and establish what evidence is currently available .