Criterion no. 1: Regular laboratory analyses to check the ingredients in the natural ointment
A 2016 study from the University of California-Davis used DNA analysis to compare the ingredients listed on the labels of 16 commercial products with the actual contents of the products.
The study found that only one of the 16 products contained the ingredients listed on the label - many contained completely different types of substances.
So it's best to buy from a company that can certify that their product actually contains the ingredients that the label says it contains.
Criterion no. 2: It must be designed in such a way that the ingredients arrive safely to the affected area
In a study published in September 2018 in the journal Cell, scientists gave 10 healthy people a natural ointment for the treatment of hemorrhoids for four weeks. In 4 of the 10 people, no ingredients from the natural ointment settled in the affected area at all.
Why was that so? Quite simply: the natural ointment containers were not properly protected against external factors. In people with specific conditions, the containers simply dissolved before they could even reach the affected area. The unprotected ingredients then largely lose their effectiveness and can no longer provide relief.
It is therefore very important to ensure that a natural ointment for the treatment of hemorrhoids has protective packaging.
Criterion #3: It must actually contain the ingredient that has been scientifically studied
There are different "versions" of each active ingredient - such as Aloe vera. Most often one or two of these variants are scientifically investigated. However, these studies cannot always be transferred to the other versions of the plant. Many manufacturers use the untested variant for their products because it is usually cheaper and leads to higher profit margins.
You can check this by doing the following: If a natural ointment's ingredients list does not contain a specific 4 or 5 letter code next to each ingredient, such as: B. “Av-11” or “BA 536” – this usually means that it is a lower quality product.