KMCRIC

Heart palpitation relief with Melissa officinalis leaf extract: Double blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial of efficacy and safety.

Alijaniha F, Naseri M, Afsharypuor S, Fallahi F, Noorbala A, Mosaddegh M, Faghihzadeh S, Sadrai S.

J Ethnopharmacol.

2015

164

378-84.

10.1016/j.jep.2015.02.007.

25680840

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25680840

Adult
Arrhythmias, Cardiac/drug therapy*
Double-Blind Method
Female
Humans
Male
Melissa*
Middle Aged
Phytotherapy*
Plant Extracts/therapeutic use*
Plant Leaves
Treatment Outcome

Aqueous extract; Lemon balm; Melissa officinalis; Palpitations; Traditional Iranian Medicine (TIM)

수용성 추출물; 레몬밤; 레몬밤; 심계항진; 이란의 전통의학

없음

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:
In Traditional Iranian Medicine (TIM), Melissa officinalis L. is commonly regarded as an effective therapy for heart palpitations.

OBJECTIVE:
Heart palpitation is a common complaint that is often benign and associated with a marked distress that makes the condition difficult to treat. Herbal medicines provide an alternative to conventional drugs for treating various kinds of diseases. This study was done as a double blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the dried extract of M. officinalis on adults suffering from benign palpitations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Eligible volunteers were randomly assigned as outpatients to a 14 day treatment with 500 mg twice a day of lyophilized aqueous extract of M. officinalis leaves (or placebo). Participants in the tests, physicians and researchers were blind to group assignments. Both primary and secondary outcomes were patient-reported. Primary outcomes were obtained from two measures: mean frequency of palpitation episodes per week, derived from patients׳ diaries, and mean intensity of palpitation estimated through Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) in a self-report questionnaire. Psychiatric symptoms (somatization, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction and severe depression) were evaluated as secondary outcomes by General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), before and after intervention.

RESULTS:
Fifty-five volunteers out of 71 recruited study subjects completed the trial. Results showed that 14-day of treatment with lyophilized aqueous extract of M. officinalis leaves reduced frequency of palpitation episodes and significantly reduced the number of anxious patients in comparison to the placebo (P=0.0001, P=0.004 resp.). Also, M. officinalis extract showed no indication of any serious side effects.

CONCLUSION:
Lyophilized aqueous extract of M. officinalis leaves may be a proper and safe herbal drug for the treatment of benign palpitations.

영어