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Sesame oil use in ameliorating cough in children: a randomised controlled trial
Bassem-Roberto Saab1, Nora Pashayan, Souheil El-Chemaly
1American University of Beirut, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, P.O. Box 113-6044, Beirut, Lebanon. brsaab@aub.edu.lb
Insights
Sesame oil (SO) did not significantly reduce acute cough frequency or severity in children aged 2-12 years. While SO showed a slight improvement over placebo, the effect was not statistically significant, similar to other over-the-counter antitussives.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Pharmacology
- Complementary Medicine
Background:
- Acute cough is a common pediatric ailment, often treated with over-the-counter (OTC) remedies.
- Sesame oil (SO) is a traditional remedy, but its efficacy for acute cough in children lacks robust scientific evidence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effectiveness of sesame oil (SO) in alleviating acute cough symptoms in children aged 2 to 12 years.
- To compare the impact of SO versus placebo on cough frequency and severity.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial was conducted across seven primary health care centers in Lebanon.
- 107 children (2-12 years) with common cold-induced cough received 5 mL of SO or placebo orally at bedtime for three consecutive nights.
- Parental assessment of cough strength and frequency using a four-point Likert scale served as the primary outcome measure.
Main Results:
- Sesame oil (SO) demonstrated a non-statistically significant trend towards reducing cough frequency and strength compared to placebo.
- Effect sizes for both cough frequency and strength were small and diminished over the three-day treatment period.
- Cough symptoms improved in both the SO and placebo groups, with no adverse effects reported for SO.
Conclusions:
- Sesame oil (SO) did not provide a marked improvement in acute cough symptoms in children, mirroring the outcomes of other OTC antitussives.
- Further research may be needed to explore potential benefits or alternative applications of SO in pediatric respiratory conditions.
Objectives:
To examine the role of sesame oil (SO) in reducing the frequency and severity of acute cough in children 2-12 years of age.
Design:
Double blind, placebo controlled randomised trial.
Setting:
Seven primary health care centres/clinics in Lebanon. A total of 107 children between the age of 2 and 12 years with cough secondary to common cold were enrolled.
Intervention:
Five milliliters of SO or placebo by mouth at bed time.
Outcome Measures:
Cough strength and frequency as judged by parents on a four points Likert scale after giving three syrup doses over three consecutive nights. Analysis was performed on an intention to treat basis.
Results:
At day 1, the effect size for cough frequency and cough strength were +0.26 (95%CI -0.64,+0.12) and +0.15 (95%CI -0.53, +0.23), respectively. SO decreased cough symptoms more than placebo but these were not statistically significant. The effect size decreased from days 1 to 3. Cough symptoms improved over the 3 days both in SO and placebo group. No evidence of undesirable effects were noted to SO.
Conclusion:
Like other over the counter antitussives, SO did not result in marked improvement in cough symptoms.
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