Analgesic Effect of Ziziphora Tenuior Essential Oil and Lubricant Gel in Patients Referring for Colonoscopy: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Colonoscope is a diagnostic tool of choice to examine the lower part of the gastrointestinal tract, which includes the colon and the beginning of the ileum. Colonoscopes are used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Colonoscopy is also accompanied by abdominal pain. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the analgesic effect of Ziziphora tenuior essential oil and lubricant gel in patients undergoing colonoscopy using a randomized double-blind clinical trial.

In this clinical trial, 100 patients who were candidates for colonoscopy were selected through convenience sampling and were randomly divided into two groups. The control group (n=50) used lubricant gel (placebo) and the treatment group (n=50) used the gel containing Ziziphora tenuior essential oil (the compounds of the Ziziphora tenuior essential oil were identified by injection of the sample into a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) device). The patients' satisfaction and pain were assessed using a standard questionnaire and the collected data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential tests (t test).

The GC analysis revealed 42 different compounds in the essential oil. Six of the identified compounds comprised more than 60% of the compounds presented in the oil including pulegone (26.65%), alpha-terpinyl acetate (9.53%), geraniol (7.11%), menthone (5.74%), thymol (5.51%), and alpha-terpineol (3.24%) in decreasing order. The mean value of pain and the duration of colonoscopy in the control group (6.56+1.89) were significantly different from the corresponding value for the case group (4.25+1.2) (p<0.0001).

The use of the mix of Ziziphora tenuior essential oil and lubricant gel as a safe and inexpensive analgesic drug during colonoscopy is recommended.