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 .
The effect of fennel (Foeniculum Vulgare) seed oil emulsion in infantile colic: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.
CONTEXT Despite its benign , natural course , colic is a significant problem in infants and imparts a psychological , emotional , and physical burden to parents . Dicyclomine hydrochloride is the only pharmacological treatment for infantile colic that has been consistently effective . Unfortunately , 5 % of infants treated with dicyclomine hydrochloride develop serious side effects , including death .  Fennel seed oil has been shown to reduce intestinal spasms and increase motility of the small intestine . However , there have not been any clinical studies of its effectiveness . OBJECTIVES To determine the effectiveness of fennel seed oil emulsion in infantile colic . DESIGN R and omized placebo-controlled trial . SETTING S Two large multi-specialty clinics . SUBJECTS 125 infants , 2 to 12 weeks of age , who met definition of colic . INTERVENTION Fennel seed oil emulsion compared with placebo . OUTCOME MEASURE Relief of colic symptoms , which was defined as decrease of cumulative crying to less than 9 hours per week . RESULTS The use of fennel oil emulsion eliminated colic , according to the Wessel criteria , in 65 % ( 40/62 ) of infants in the treatment group , which was significantly better than 23.7 % ( 14/59 ) of infants in the control group ( P < 0.01 ) . There was a significant improvement of colic in the treatment group compared with the control group [ Absolute Risk Reduction ( ARR ) = 41 % ( 95 % CI 25 to 57 ) , Number Needed to Treat ( NNT ) = 2 ( 95 % CI 2 to 4 ) ] . Side effects were not reported for infants in either group during the trial . CONCLUSION Our study suggests that fennel seed oil emulsion is superior to placebo in decreasing intensity of infantile colic
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 .