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Effect of Arjun Chāl on cardiovascular risk factors - a randomized controlled clinical trial
Saima Saleem1, Abdul Haseeb Ansari2, Aysha Ansari3
1Tahaffuzi wa Samaji Tib (Preventive and Social Medicine), Rehbar Ayurvedic & Unani Tibbi Medical College, Sangrur, Punjab, India.
Insights
Arjun Chāl (Terminalia arjuna) demonstrated effectiveness and safety in managing cardiovascular disease risk factors, showing a slight advantage over conventional medications. This natural intervention shows cardio-protective potential for preventing cardiovascular disease progression.
Area of Science:
- Integrative Medicine and Cardiology
- Pharmacology of Traditional Indian Medicine
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent a major global epidemic, necessitating early intervention at the risk factor stage.
- Traditional Unani medicine, referencing Ibn Sīnā, posits CVDs arise from imbalances in the nutritive faculty, managed through diet, regimens, and drugs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of Arjun Chāl (Terminalia arjuna) in mitigating cardiovascular disease risk factors.
- To assess the safety and tolerability of Arjun Chāl in patients with cardiovascular risk factors.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled clinical trial involving 48 patients with cardiovascular risk factors.
- The test group received Arjun Chāl powder (5g BD) for eight weeks; the control group received Amlodipine (5mg) and Atorvastatin (10mg) daily.
- Efficacy was assessed via lipid profile, blood pressure (BP), and body mass index (BMI) changes from baseline to eight weeks.
Main Results:
- Both treatment groups exhibited statistically significant reductions (p<0.001) in all assessed cardiovascular risk parameters.
- The Arjun Chāl group showed a numerically greater reduction across all parameters compared to the control group.
- The differences in efficacy between Arjun Chāl and the conventional drug group were not statistically significant (p>0.05).
Conclusions:
- Arjun Chāl is effective and safe for managing cardiovascular disease risk factors, comparable to Amlodipine and Atorvastatin.
- The herb exhibits a cardio-protective potential, suggesting its utility in delaying or preventing cardiovascular disease progression.
- Arjun Chāl was found to be well-tolerated, supporting its role in integrative approaches to cardiovascular health.
Objectives:
Cardiovascular diseases have a multifaceted, it causes modern epidemic; Recognizing in the risk factor stage, is crucial, given the risk of progression to cardiovascular disease. Ibn Sīnā, described CVDs as a resultant of gradual derangement of Quwwat ghādhiya (Nutritive faculty); in which management with ghidhā' (diet), tadābīr (regimens), dawā' (drug) has been received. To evaluate the effect of Arjun Chāl (Terminalia arjuna) in CVD risk factors. And to evaluate the drug safety.
Methods:
This is a randomized controlled clinical trial. Total 120 patients were screened at OPD of NIUM hospital, Bangalore during 2018-19, only 48 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria and signed written informed consent and their detailed medical history was recorded. Arjun Chāl powder (5 gm BD) for eight weeks administered in test group (n=24), Amlodipine (5 mg) and Atorvastatin (10 mg) once a day for same duration administered in control group (n=24). Efficacy of the drug assessed by the Lipid profile, BP and BMI; lipid profile were performed at baseline and at 8 weeks, while BP and BMI performed at baseline, 15, 30, 45, and 60th day intervals. Study was completed by 40 patients. The results of both the therapies were then compared and statistically analyzed.
Results:
Totally, both groups reduces assessment parameters i.e. statistically highly significant (p<0.001). Test group showed greater reduction in terms of all assessment parmeters. But, the difference between both the groups was statistically non-significant p>0.05.
Conclusions:
Both test and control drugs were effective, but Arjun Chāl had a slight edge over amlodipne and atorvastatin, and was found to be safe and well tolerated. It has a cardio protective potential and hence effective to delay/prevent CVD in patient with cardiovascular risk factor.Keywords: Unani System of Medicine; T. arjuna; Arjun Chāl; Efficacy; Safety; Cardiovascular risk factor.
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