Reporting effectiveness of an extract of three traditional Cretan herbs on upper respiratory tract infection: results from a double-blind randomized controlled trial

Autor: Emmanouil K. Symvoulakis, A. Bertsias, Niki Malliaraki, George Duijker, Haralambos E. Katerinopoulos, Stavros P. Derdas, Stergios Pirintsos, Joanna Moschandreas, Elias Castanas, G K Tsikalas, Christos Lionis, George Sourvinos
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Male
Near East
Pediatrics
WURSS
Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey
BMI
body mass index
GP
General Practitioner
Mediterranean
ASAT
SGOT
serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase
law.invention
AUC
area under the curve
Randomized controlled trial
law
Drug Discovery
hRv
human rhinovirus
PCR
Polymerase Chain Reaction
2.641: Traditional medicine Europe
Respiratory system
RCT
randomized controlled trial
Respiratory Tract Infections
education.field_of_study
Respiratory tract infections
medicine.diagnostic_test
Greece
2.172: Clinical trials
RBC
red blood cells
ALAT
SGPT
serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase
Liter
Middle Aged
hRSV
human respiratory syncytial virus
C-Reactive Protein
Treatment Outcome
Virus Diseases
ln
natural logarithm
CRP
C-reactive protein
PLT
thrombocytes
RNA
Viral
Female
WBC
white blood cell
Adult
hMpv
human metapneumovirus
medicine.medical_specialty
2.100: antiviral
Population
DBP
diastolic blood pressure
Physical examination
Placebo
Article
Double-Blind Method
Internal medicine
medicine
Oils
Volatile
Humans
education
hPiv
human parainfluenza virus
Pharmacology
Lamiaceae
ALP
alkaline phosphatase
business.industry
Plant Extracts
SBP
systolic blood pressure
hCov
human coronavirus
medicine.disease
ml
Milliliter
Upper respiratory tract infection
DNA
Viral
business
Phytotherapy
Zdroj: Journal of Ethnopharmacology
ISSN: 1872-7573
Popis: Ethnopharmacological relevance Observations from the island of Crete, Greece suggest that infusions of traditional Cretan aromatic plants, well known for their ethnopharmacological use in Eastern Mediterranean region and Near East, could be effective in the prevention and treatment of upper respiratory tract infections, including viral-induced infections. The aim of this study was to report the effectiveness of an essential-oil extract of three Cretan aromatic plants in the treatment of cases with an upper respiratory tract infection. Materials and methods A double blind randomized controlled trial was implemented between October 2013 and February 2014. An essential-oil extract of Cretan aromatic plants in olive oil (total volume of 15 ml of essential oil per litre of olive oil) was administered as 0.5 ml soft gel capsules, twice a day, for 7 days. Placebo treatment was 0.5 ml olive oil in soft gel capsules. Eligible patients were those presenting for clinical examination in the selected setting with signs and symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection that had begun within the previous 24 hours. Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used for the detection of respiratory viruses. The primary outcome was the severity and duration of symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, assessed using the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory System Survey (WURSS-21) questionnaire. A secondary outcome of interest was the change in C-reactive protein (CRP) status. Results One hundred and five patients completed the study: 51 in the placebo group, and 54 in the intervention (treated) group. Baseline characteristics were similar in the two groups. No statistically significant differences were found in symptom duration or severity between the two groups, although small and clinically favorable effects were observed. When the analysis was restricted to subjects with a laboratory-documented viral infection, the percentage of patients with cessation of symptoms after 6 days of treatment was 91% in the intervention group and 70% in the control group (p=0.089). At baseline, one third of the patients in each group had elevated CRP levels. At follow-up, the respective proportions were 0% in the intervention group and 15% in the placebo group (p=0.121). The data were also in a favorable direction when 50% and 80% symptom reduction points were considered for specific virus types. Conclusions Compared with placebo the essential-oil extract of three Cretan aromatic plants provided no detectable statistically significant benefit or harm in the patients with upper respiratory illness, although descriptive differences were identified in favorable direction mainly in the virus-positive population.
Graphical abstract
Databáze: OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz: