diff --git a/htdocs/core/lib/functions.lib.php b/htdocs/core/lib/functions.lib.php
index ed39c6b45ef..90531104893 100644
--- a/htdocs/core/lib/functions.lib.php
+++ b/htdocs/core/lib/functions.lib.php
@@ -5471,14 +5471,36 @@ function natural_search($fields, $value, $mode=0, $nofirstand=0)
 				$newres .= ($i2 > 0 ? ' OR ' : '') . $field . " IN (" . $db->escape(trim($crit)) . ")";
             	$i2++;	// a criteria was added to string
             }
-            else
+            else    // $mode=0
 			{
 				$textcrit = '';
 				$tmpcrits = explode('|',$crit);
 				$i3 = 0;
 				foreach($tmpcrits as $tmpcrit)
 				{
-	            	$newres .= (($i2 > 0 || $i3 > 0) ? ' OR ' : '') . $field . " LIKE '%" . $db->escape(trim($tmpcrit)) . "%'";
+	            	$newres .= (($i2 > 0 || $i3 > 0) ? ' OR ' : '') . $field . " LIKE '";
+
+	            	$tmpcrit=trim($tmpcrit);
+	            	$tmpcrit2=$tmpcrit;
+	            	$tmpbefore='%'; $tmpafter='%';
+	            	if (preg_match('/^[\^\$]/', $tmpcrit)) 
+	            	{ 
+	            	    $tmpbefore='';
+	            	    $tmpcrit2 = preg_replace('/^[\^\$]/', '', $tmpcrit2); 
+	            	}
+					if (preg_match('/[\^\$]$/', $tmpcrit)) 
+	            	{ 
+	            	    $tmpafter='';
+	            	    $tmpcrit2 = preg_replace('/[\^\$]$/', '', $tmpcrit2); 
+	            	}
+	            	$newres .= $tmpbefore;
+	            	$newres .= $db->escape($tmpcrit2);
+	            	$newres .= $tmpafter;
+	            	$newres .= "'";
+	            	if (empty($tmpcrit2))
+	            	{
+	            	    $newres .= ' OR ' . $field . " IS NULL";
+	            	}
 	            	$i3++;
 				}
 				$i2++;	// a criteria was added to string