Introduction

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder characterized by abdominal pain, spasms, and altered bowel movements, either predominantly diarrhea (IBS-D), or predominantly constipation (IBS-C), or alternating between those states (Saha, 2014). In the Western world it affects the 10–15% of the population (Canavan et al., 2014). IBS represents a visceral hypersensitivity, with features of gastrointestinal (GI) allodynia and hyperalgesia. Considered a life-long condition, it is clear that significant gastrointestinal insults, such as food poisoning or antibiotic administration, may generate attacks that persist, often indefinitely. Attacks are associated with anxiety and depression, but controversy carries on to which incites the other (Saha, 2014). It is possible that some patients may develop a vicious cycle of worsening physical and psychological symptoms (Jones et al., 2013, 2017).

Currently, IBS sufferers are prescribed opioids, anticholinergics, and antidepressants, however with quite suboptimal results. Other compounds have been formulated to interact with serotoninergic circuitry, nevertheless these have been withdrawn from certain markets due to association with ischemic colitis (alosetron, cilansetron) and cardiovascular events (tegaserod), leaving, de facto, an urgent clinical need (Ford et al., 2014; Lexicomp Online, 2017).

The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) is known to modulate several functions, including mood, anxiety, and memory retrieval of traumatic events and it directly coordinates GI propulsion, secretion, inflammation, and nociception, providing a rationale for agents capable of interacting with the ECS as treatment candidates for IBS (Russo, 2016). artisanal preparations.