Traditional healers from Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu boil the bark powder with water, and inhale it to cure headache and to kill worms in teeth. Decoction of the bark has been used as ulcer wash, while bark ashes have been prescribed for snakebite and scorpion sting. Chakradatta, the great ancient physician, recommended it to be given as a decoction of bark with milk or as a ghrita (a preparation with ghee or butter). The bark has been described as an astringent, demulcent, expectorant, cardiotonic, styptic, antidysenteric, urinary astringent, and has shown to be useful in fracture, ulcers, leukorrhea, diabetes, anemia, cardiopathy, and cirrhosis. Though it has been found quite useful in angina pectoris, mild hypertension, and dyslipidemia, its exact role in primary/secondary coronary prevention is yet to be explored. However, its long-term safety still remains to be elucidated. So far, no serious side effects have been reported with arjuna therapy. The drug has shown promising effect on ischemic cardiomyopathy. Triterpenoids and flavonoids are considered to be responsible for its beneficial antioxidant cardiovascular properties.
Its useful phytoconstituents are: Triterpenoids, β-sitosterol, flavonoids, and glycosides. Most of the studies, both experimental and clinical, have suggested that the crude drug possesses anti-ischemic, antioxidant, hypolipidemic, and antiatherogenic activities. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical studies of arjuna were retrieved through the use of PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane databases. Therefore, the present review is an effort to give a detailed survey of the literature summarizing the experimental and clinical studies pertinent to arjuna in cardiovascular disorders, which were particularly performed during the last decade. The utility of arjuna in various cardiovascular diseases needs to be studied further. Its bark decoction is being used in the Indian subcontinent for anginal pain, hypertension, congestive heart failure, and dyslipidemia, based on the observations of ancient physicians for centuries. Terminalia arjuna, commonly known as arjuna, belongs to the family of Combretaceae.
0 kommentar(er)
