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Efficacy and safety of add-on Viola odorata L. in the treatment of COVID-19: A randomized double-blind controlled trial.
Adel Mehraban, MS, Shirzad, M, Mohammad Taghizadeh Kashani, L, Ahmadian-Attari, MM, Safari, AA, Ansari, N, Hatami, H, Kamalinejad, M
Journal of ethnopharmacology. 2023;:116058
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Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) due to the novel coronavirus has become the highest priority that threatens human health. This situation demands widespread vaccination and the innovation of new therapeutic methods. Despite drug discoveries, the need for approving new medicaments is felt because of adverse effects and lack of efficacy. Several medicinal plants including Viola odorata L. are recommended in traditional Persian medicine for alleviating respiratory infection symptoms. Recent studies showed anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-asthmatic, antitussive, analgesic, and antibacterial activities of sweet violet. These enhance respiratory functions, reduce pulmonary inflammation, and decline mucous membrane edema. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of sweet violet syrup in alleviating the manifestations of COVID-19 infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS A randomized parallel-group double-blind controlled trial was conducted at Al-Zahra general hospital, Isfahan, Iran. A total of 108 outpatients were enrolled in the study. The patients were randomly allocated to intervention and placebo groups, with 54 patients in each group. The allocation was concealed using sealed opaque envelopes. The intervention group received violet syrup and the control group received placebo syrup, an add-on to the conventional treatment. The outcomes were COVID-19 manifestations, such as dyspnea, cough, myalgia, headache, and diarrhea, considered as outcomes of the study and were evaluated twice using a visual analog scale before the intervention and after 7 days, at the end of the study. Patients were followed daily by phone calls to monitor proper drug consumption and possible side effects. RESULTS No significant difference was between groups regarding demographic characteristics and vital signs before and after the treatment. Although all symptoms have improved significantly in both groups, patients who received violet syrup recovered faster and the mean severity scores of cough (P = 0.025), myalgia (P = 0.036), headache (P = 0.037), and diarrhea (P = 0.044) decreased greater in comparison to control group. CONCLUSION This study, the first clinical trial on the effectiveness of Viola odorata on SARS-CoV-2 patients, showed that Viola odorata L. effectively controls prevalent manifestations of COVID-19 including cough, myalgia, headache, and diarrhea. Regarding this survey, the violet syrup can be mentioned as a complementary treatment for viral influenza-like infections in which cough, myalgia, headache, and diarrhea are prominent.
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Formulation, Standardization, and a Preliminary Before-After Clinical Trial on Effect of a Traditional Herbal Formula (Maqliasa) on Manifestations of Ulcerative Colitis.
Shirzad, M, Ahmadian-Attari, MM, Ghafoori, SMS, Kashani, LMT, Pasalar, M, Abbassian, A, Agah, S
Current drug discovery technologies. 2021;(1):113-119
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a chronic condition that represents a group of intestinal disorders causing prolonged inflammation of the digestive tract. Nowadays, efforts to investigate new remedies have led to a committed movement toward the integration of traditional and complementary medicine into mainstream medicine. In Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM), Maqliasa is one of the most frequent gastrointestinal prescriptions which is claimed to be effective in both remission and recurrent phases of UC. OBJECTIVE The aim of this pilot study was to examine the effect of Maqliasa on UC symptoms. METHODS Through a non-randomized before-after uncontrolled clinical trial, 13 outpatients with active UC were enrolled in the study. They continued their conventional drug regimens plus Maqliasa capsules (2 capsules t.i.d.) for 28 days. Three visits were arranged for each patient- the first admission, day 14th admission and day 28th admission. The patients were evaluated by Lichtiger Colitis Activity Index. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS The Lichtiger colitis activity index improved in the study group was compared to the corresponding baseline values: baseline score: 7.8 ± 0.5; after two weeks: 5.9 ± 0.6 (P=0.002); after four weeks: 3.6 ± 0.5 (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS This study showed the promising effect of Maqliasa in the treatment of active UC. However, due to some of the limitations of the study, conducting future high-quality randomized clinical trials would be crucial.
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Effect of rose oil on Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in comparison with omeprazole: A double-blind controlled trial.
Adel Mehraban, MS, Shirzad, M, Ahmadian-Attari, MM, Shakeri, R, Taghizadeh Kashani, LM, Tabarrai, M, Shirbeigi, L
Complementary therapies in clinical practice. 2021;:101361
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as one of the most common ailments of gastrointestinal system diminishes quality of life and impairs physical functioning and work productivity. Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), such as omeprazole play a more dominant role in amelioration of GERD symptoms; nonetheless, there is a growing concern about their side effects. According to traditional Persian medicine (TPM), the use of rose oil is recommended to alleviate GERD symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS Therefore, a randomized double-blind controlled trial was performed on 70 subjects who were randomly enrolled in two groups and received either rose oil softgel or omeprazole capsule combined with the placebo. Data were collected within 3 sessions of visit using the Mayo-gastroesophageal reflux questionnaire (GERQ). RESULTS Although, our findings showed that reflux symptoms were decreased in both groups after receiving medicine and the decrement was significant in treatment group, before and after the intervention, this decrease was not significant between two groups. CONCLUSION Given that the rose oil used in this study was produced according to the Iranian method and effective ingredients of Rosa damascena were preserved in sesame oil in production process, it seems that effectiveness of this product can be due to its tonic and enlivening properties. Consumption of rose oil soft capsule alleviates cardinal GERD symptoms similar to omeprazole. It seems that rose oil can have the same effects as PPIs in treatment of GERD but with no side effects due to its different mechanisms of action.
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Efficacy of Rose Oil Soft Capsules on Clinical Outcomes in Ulcerative Colitis: A Pilot Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.
Tavakoli, A, Shirzad, M, Taghavi, A, Fattahi, M, Ahmadian-Attari, M, Mohammad Taghizadeh, L, Rostami Chaijan, M, Sedigh Rahimabadi, M, Akrami, R, Pasalar, M
Galen medical journal. 2019;:e1307
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ulcerative colitis is the most common form of inflammatory bowel disease worldwide, which presents with superficial ulcers in the rectum and colon. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of rose oil soft capsules over placebo on the clinical outcomes in moderate to severe ulcerative colitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was a pilot randomized, double-blind clinical trial, and the 40 patients were assigned into rose oil and placebo groups (n=20 per group). All patients were instructed to use their prescribed two soft capsules three times daily for two months. The clinical symptoms, quality of life the patients, and calprotectin level were evaluated via partial Mayo clinic score, irritable bowel disease questionnaire (IBDQ-9), and calprotectin kit as primary outcome measures. RESULTS The mean age of the participants was 41±10 years. Most of them (53.6%) were male, and the remaining (46.4%) were female. The demographic and baseline data showed no differences between the two groups. Partial Mayo clinic scores decreased in both groups after the treatment, but the difference between the rose oil and placebo groups was not statistically significant (P=0.99). IBDQ-9 score also increased in both interventions before and after the treatment (P=0.012), though the differences between these two groups were not statistically significant (P=0.61). There were no significant differences between the two study groups either in terms of calprotectin level (P=0.219). CONCLUSION This study showed that rose oil might improve ulcerative colitis clinical outcomes, but for a better evaluation, it is imperative to conduct experiments with a large sample size and longer follow-up observation.