Herbal hope: new capsule aims to ease Opioid-Induced constipation in cancer patients

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Must meet the diagnostic criteria for \*\*opioid-induced constipation (OIC) according to the Rome IV Criteria\*\*. 2. Patients enrolled in the trial must have a history of OIC symptoms for at least 1 week. 3. Patients must be aged ≥ 18 years and ≤ 85 years. 4. Patients must have stable cancer status with a life expectancy of more than 6 months. 5. Patients must have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-2. 6. Patients must be on a relatively stable maintenance regimen of opioids, including a daily morphine-equivalent dose of 30 mg to 1000 mg for at least 2 weeks prior to the screening period. In addition, opioid therapy is expected to continue for at least 10 weeks. 7. Patients must have a spontaneous bowel movement (SBM) frequency of ≤ 2 times per week without laxative use. 8. Patients must be able to take medications, food, and fluids orally. 9. Voluntarily participate in the trial and have signed the informed consent form. 10. No use of any prokinetic agents for at least 1 week prior to randomization. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients diagnosed with clinically significant defecation disorders at enrollment caused by structural abnormalities of the gastrointestinal tract and other gastrointestinal-related tissues (excluding OIC): inflammatory bowel disease, rectal prolapse, gastrointestinal obstruction, peritoneal metastasis or peritoneal tumors. 2. Patients with a history of gastrointestinal surgery, abdominal surgery or abdominal adhesions within 1 month before screening; or a history of intestinal obstruction within 3 months before screening. 3. Diagnosis of active diverticular disease; or severe hemorrhoids; or anal fissure; or artificial rectum or anus. 4. Patients with intra-abdominal catheters or feeding tubes. 5. Diagnosis of pelvic diseases considered to significantly affect intestinal transit of feces (e.g., uterine prolapse ≥ grade 2, uterine fibroids \[located posteriorly with diameter ≥ 5 cm\] affecting defecation). 6. Patients who received a new chemotherapy regimen never used before within 14 days after screening, or who planned to receive such treatment during the study period. 7. Patients who received radiotherapy within 28 days after screening or planned to receive such treatment during the study period. 8. Patients who underwent surgery or intervention considered to significantly affect gastrointestinal function within 28 days after screening, or planned to undergo such surgery or intervention during the study period, or planned to undergo surgery or intervention expected to prevent completion of the trial. 9. Patients with uncontrolled hyperthyroidism, severe hypertension, heart disease, systemic infection or coagulation disorders (hypercoagulable state or bleeding tendency) at study enrollment. 10. Patients who took \>4 additional opioid doses per day for breakthrough pain for more than 3 days during the baseline period, or who modified the maintenance opioid dosing regimen during this period. 11. Patients with severe cancer pain unresponsive to opioid therapy at regular doses and frequencies (e.g., typical mean daily pain intensity rating of 7 to 10 on the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS; 0 \[no pain\] to 10 \[worst possible pain\])). 12. Patients with a history of opioid discontinuation due to serious adverse events, or for whom opioid discontinuation is anticipated due to potential risk of adverse events. 13. Patients treated with opioid receptor antagonists within 1 month before screening. 14. Unconsciousness, psychosis, or inability to express subjective symptoms. 15. Patients who have participated in or are participating in other clinical trials within the past 3 months. 16. Other patients considered ineligible for the study by the investigator based on concomitant treatments and medical findings.