BALANITES AEGYPTIACA METHOD OF TREATMENT

摘要

This patent application deals with the revealing of the effectiveness of Balanites aegyptiaca bark aqueous extract in treatment of both experimental obstructive jaundice in rats and infective hepatitis in humans. It also reveals the magnitude of safety of the aqueous extract. Intraperitoneal administration of the aqueous extract (15-60 % w/v) to biliary ducts-ligated rats (i.e. experimentally-induced obstructive jaundice) for 3 days in doses of 1.2-4.8 g bark/kg/day (equivalent to 4.91-29.64 mg of freeze-dried aqueous extract/kg) significantly reduced the blood bilirubin concentration by 22-45.9 %. The LD50 values in mice were 33 g bark (= 1320 mg of freeze-dried aqueous extract (F.D.E.) per kg intraperitoneally and 136 g bark (= 5440 mg of freeze-dried aqueous extract) per kg orally. Oral treatment of rats with 65-1625 mg F.D.E./kg/day for 21 days did not produce any significant changes in blood haematological parameters, various blood constituents, locomotor activity, behaviour or respiration as it did not affect any of the vital organs such as the heart, lungs, kidney, spleen, liver and gastrointestinal tract. There was no teratogenicity in rats. Similarly, feeding chicks with the powdered bark mixed in the normal daily food at a level of 2 % or 10 % did not induce any significant changes in blood cellular elements and constituents. Treatment of 242 patients with infective hepatitis with the aqueous extract (15 % w/v) at doses of 30 ml 3 times daily for 3 days resulted in complete treatment of 82 % of the patients with no bile in urine on the 5th day, 11 % of the patients improved in 10 days, 6 % in 2 weeks and 1 % death. The treatment was very well tolerated by the patients without any side effects or complications.