A reader asked me to review Antrantil which is often sold for digestive issues.

“Atrantíl is a nutraceutical made up of three botanical extracts that work by calming the gut with Peppermint Leaf (M. balsamea Willd extract), then soaking up hydrogen with Quebracho extract(flavonoid) and stops methane production with Horse Chestnut (Conker Tree extract).” [Product Site]

Unfortunately, there is nothing on PubMed (so no recognized published studies). It’s name is also very close to the name of some very different chemicals!

•  Rh-Catalyzed N-O Bond Cleavage of Anthranil: A C-H Amination Reagent for Simultaneous Incorporation of Amine and a Functional Group.

This is nice to have the three components listed because it allows us to determine a probable profile of it’s action.

• Peppermint impacts are listed on microbiomeprescription

Quebracho extract

Unfortunately, most of the literature deal with cattle and chicken

• Milk fatty acid composition, rumen microbial population, and animal performances in response to diets rich in linoleic acid supplemented with chestnut or quebracho tannins in dairy ewes [2016].
  • “Compared with control animals, the presence of Butyrivibrio  fibrisolvens increased about 3 times in ewes fed CHT(chestnut tannin extract) and about 5 times in animals fed QUE (quebracho tannin extract) . In contrast, the abundance of Butyrivibrio  proteoclasticus decreased about 5- and 15-fold in rumen liquor of ewes fed CHT and QUE diets, respectively. “
• Effects of quebracho tannin extract (Schinopsis balansae Engl.) and activated charcoal on nitrogen balance, rumen microbial protein synthesis and faecal composition of growing Boer goats [2016].
• Impact of Chestnut and Quebracho Tannins on Rumen Microbiota of Bovines [2017].
  • “The ratio of the phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, a parameter associated with energy harvesting function, was increased in tannins supplemented animals, essentially due to the selective growth of Ruminococcaceae over members of genus Prevotella.”
• Tannins and Bacitracin Differentially Modulate Gut Microbiota of Broiler Chickens[2018].
  • “Tannins-fed chickens showed a drastic decrease in genus Bacteroides while certain members of order Clostridiales mainly belonging to the families Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae were increased. Different members of these groups have been associated with an improvement of intestinal health and feed efficiency in poultry, suggesting that these bacteria could be associated with productive performance of birds.”

Horse Chestnut

There are some risks with this:
* Acute Effusive Pericarditis due to Horse Chestnut Consumption. [2016]

“Properly processing horse chestnut seed extract removes esculin. The processed extract is considered generally safe when used for short periods of time. However, the extract can cause some side effects, including itching, nausea, gastrointestinal upset, muscle spasm, or headache.”  [NIH]

Bottom Line

There are no human studies on PubMed for two of the ingredients. These items fall under the general classification of gallic acid and tannins , which we know the general impact of on microbiomeprescription.

The marketing site claims “clinical testing with real patients was used to truly identify what combination of a multiple array of natural botanicals could have a positive impact with finding real and meaningful relief.” It appears to be based on unpublished studies of unknown quality.

Economics

45 x 550mg = 24 grams or 0.8 Ounce for $40.00

Versus:

• $9 for 4oz for Peppermint Oil
• $10 for 1oz of Quebracho Powder or $18 for 2 oz of Extract
• $15 for 100gr (3.2 oz) of Horse Chestnut Extract

It is more economic to buy the components by far. It also allows you to see what the impact of each component is. I would avoid the horse chestnut (or do it under MD supervision).

For a digestive product to use a component know to cause “gastrointestinal upset” does raise my eyebrows. 

This is an education post to facilitate discussing this approach with your medical professionals. It is not medical advice for the treatment of any medical condition. Always consult with your medical professional before doing any  changes of diet, supplements or activity. Some items cites may interfere with prescription medicines.