ABSTRACT
The effect of six weeks garlic oil administration was observed on cardiac performance and exercise tolerance in 30 patients of coronary artery disease. After initial treadmill stress test, they were administered garlic oil in the dose of four capsules twice a day for 6 weeks and treadmill stress test was repeated. Garlic significantly (P<0.01) reduced heart rate at peak exercise and also significantly reduced the work load upon the heart resulting in better exercise tolerance (P<0.05) as compared to the initial test. It appears to be a good adaptogen to be utilized in patients with coronary artery disease.
Subject(s)
Blood Pressure/drug effects , Coronary Artery Disease/drug therapy , Exercise Tolerance/drug effects , Garlic , Heart Rate/drug effects , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Phytotherapy/methods , Plant Oils/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
The effects of air dried ginger powder (0.1g/kg body weight, po, for 75 days) were studied on experimentally induced atherosclerosis in rabbits by cholesterol feeding (0.3g/kg body weight, po). Cholesterol feeding for 75 days lead to distinct development of atheroma in the aorta and coronary arteriesof the rabbits and this was significantly inhibited by about 50% following ginger administration. There was distinct decrease in lipid peroxidation and enhancement of fibrinolytic activity in ginger treated animals. However, ginger did not lower blood lipidsto any significant extent. This distinct protection from the development of atherosclerosis by ginger is probably because of its free radical scavanging, prostaglandin inhibitory and fibri properties.
Subject(s)
Animals , Arteriosclerosis/prevention & control , Cholesterol, Dietary/administration & dosage , Fibrinolysis , Zingiber officinale , Lipid Peroxidation , RabbitsABSTRACT
Administration of 50 gm of fat to 30 healthy adult volunteers decreased fibrinolytic activity from a mean of 64.20 +/- 5.31 to 52.10 +/- 3.20 units (P < 0.001). Supplementation of 5 gm of ginger powder with fatty meal not only prevented the fall in fibrinolytic activity but actually increased it significantly (P < 0.001). This fibrinolytic enhancing property is a further addition to the therapeutic potential of ginger.
Subject(s)
Adult , Dietary Fats/administration & dosage , Fibrinolysis/physiology , Zingiber officinale , Humans , Lipids/blood , Male , Middle Aged , Plants, MedicinalABSTRACT
50 mg of Saffron dissolved in 100 ml of milk was administered twice a day to 20 human subjects. Lipoprotein oxidation susceptibility (LOS) was estimated initially and after 3 and 6 weeks. There was a constant decrease in LOS during this period. From a mean of 66.4 +/- 3.18 it decreased to 38.3 +/- 2.8 in 10 healthy individuals and from 76.0 +/- 3.72 to 48.8 +/- 3.0 in 10 patients of CAD. The significant fall (P < 0.001) in LOS indicates the potential of Saffron as an antioxidant.
Subject(s)
Antioxidants/metabolism , Coronary Disease/diet therapy , Female , Humans , Liliaceae/metabolism , Lipoproteins/metabolism , Male , Oxidation-Reduction , SpicesABSTRACT
S-allyl cysteine sulphoxide (SACS), a sulphur containing aminoacid of garlic is the precursor of allicin and garlic oil, and has been found to show significant radio protective effect in albino rats which were whole body irradiated with 400 rads of irradiation by Cobalt 60 source. It markedly reduced the radiation induced mortality and showed significant protection against the tissue damaging effects of irradiation in histopathological sections of liver and lung.
Subject(s)
Animals , Garlic , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Plants, Medicinal , Radiation Injuries, Experimental/pathology , Radiation-Protective Agents , RatsABSTRACT
Ten persons were studied to observe the effect of intravenous administration of chloroquine on serum glucose level. Ten healthy individuals were given 800 mg of chloroquine in three hours infusion. There was a significant (p = 0.001) fall of 25.86 per cent of initial blood glucose level in test group, while it was only 10.47 per cent in control group. Therefore, it is emphasized that seriously III patients and those who are prore to hypoglycemia should be carefully monitored when giving IV chlorquine.
Subject(s)
Adult , Antimalarials/administration & dosage , Blood Glucose/analysis , Chloroquine/administration & dosage , Consciousness/drug effects , Double-Blind Method , Female , Headache/chemically induced , Humans , Hypoglycemia/blood , Hypoglycemic Agents/administration & dosage , Infusions, Intravenous , MaleABSTRACT
Dietary supplementation of 100 g butter in 20 healthy male volunteers for 7 days was found to enhance platelet aggregation to a significant extent (P < 0.001). Addition of 5 g of dry ginger in two divided doses with fatty meal (in 10 individuals) significantly (P < 0.001) inhibited the platelet aggregation induced by ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and epinephrine, while in the placebo control group (10 individuals), there was no significant alteration in platelet aggregation. Serum lipids, however, remained unchanged in both the groups.
Subject(s)
Adult , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Platelet Aggregation/drug effects , Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors/pharmacology , SpicesABSTRACT
Thirty patients with diastolic blood pressure of 120 mm Hg or more were administered a bolus dose of verapamil (0.15 mg/kg) followed immediately by an intravenous infusion at a rate of 0.005 mg/kg/min for one hour. The patients were monitored during this period and three hours following the discontinuation of the infusion. The systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures before verapamil administration were 221.4 +/- 7.5, 134.3 +/- 2.7 and 163.4 +/- 4.1 mm Hg respectively, which decreased to 170.1 +/- 5.2, 99.1 +/- 3.7 and 122.8 +/- 3.6 mm Hg after intravenous bolus of verapamil. The fall in all the levels of blood pressure was significant (p less than 0.001) and was maintained at the lower levels throughout the infusion period and even three hours after discontinuation of the therapy. No untowards effects were observed and there was no significant change in heart rate and electrocardiogram. It, thus, proves to be an useful addition to the therapeutic armamentarium in the acute management of severe hypertension.
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Blood Pressure/drug effects , Female , Humans , Hypertension/physiopathology , Infusions, Intravenous , Injections, Intravenous , Male , Middle Aged , Verapamil/administration & dosageABSTRACT
215 patients of different communities were selected randomly to predict the correlation between the ear-lobe crease, ear-canal hair and coronary artery disease. On analysis, it was found that prevalence of the ear-lobe crease increases with advancing age, and the incidence was much more higher in Sindhis in whom the overall incidence of CAD is also significantly high. Bilateral diagonal ear-lobe crease was found to be significantly (P less than 0.001) associated in patients with documented CAD, and a significant difference was also observed between men with and without CAD in the presence of ear-canal hair with age matched group. The combined presence of ear-lobe crease and ear-canal hair was more definite and more sensitive index of underlying CAD.