Effect of Herbal Powder (Flaxseed, Garlic and Cinnamon) On Hypercholesterolemia
Keywords:
Herbal powder, Hypercholesterolemia, Flaxseed, Garlic, CinnamonAbstract
Background: Hypercholesterolemia is a condition whereby there is raised levels of plasma lipids such as triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL, VLDL while the level of HDL is reduced
Objective: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of herbal powder; flaxseed, garlic, and cinnamon powder on elevated cholesterol levels.
Methodology: The raw materials were examined to determine their composition and bioactive components as nutraceutical powder. For the effectiveness study, six rats were assigned to different groups including control groups, G0 (on a normal diet), positive control, G1 (also on a normal diet), and G2, G3, and G4 (which were fed the mixture with specified concentrations). The G0 group consisted of healthy rats, while the other groups had hypercholesterolemia induced by P-407.
Results: Following statistical analysis of the data collected, it was found that flaxseed contained a significant amount of fat (42.13%) and fiber (6.1%), garlic contained allicin (4.2mg/g), and cinnamon contained cinnamaldehyde (41.2mg/g). The efficacy study revealed that the rats in group G4 (on a diet of 3 g flaxseed, 4.5 g garlic, and 4.5 g cinnamon) exhibited reductions in total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, VLDL, ALP, ALT, and AST levels (191.09±0.80; 129.29±0.60; 43.90±0.30, 28.94±1.10, 112.00±1.95; 32.05±0.19; 83.27±0.73, respectively) while showing an increase in HDL (45.61±0.49) compared to the control group. This group experienced a 48% reduction in cholesterol levels after 28 days, followed by group G3 with a 41% decrease, and G2 with a 33% reduction.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that a higher content of garlic and cinnamon was most effective in enhancing lipid profiles and liver function. Adding flaxseed, garlic, and cinnamon to daily diets may act as an economical, natural complementary therapy for controlling high cholesterol levels.
References
Vijayan M, Vinay S, Khan MA. Prevalence of hypercholesterolemia and associated risk factors among adults in Pakistan. Int J Health Sci. 2018;12(3):45–52.
Migliara G, Baccolini V, Rosso A, D’Andrea E, Massimi A, et al. Familial hypercholesterolemia: a systematic review of guidelines on genetic testing and patient management. Front Public Health. 2017;5:252.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2017.00252
Bloedon LT, Szapary PO. Flaxseed and cardiovascular risk. Nutr Rev. 2004;62(1):18–27.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2004.tb00002.x
Kristensen M, Jensen MG, Aarestrup J, Petersen KE, Søndergaard L, et al. Flaxseed dietary fibers lower cholesterol and increase fecal fat excretion, but magnitude of effect depends on food type. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2012;9:8.
https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-9-8
Nawerli S. Phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Cinnamomum zeylanicum: a review. J Herb Med Res. 2022;12(1):45–53.
Goyal A, Sharma V, Upadhyay N, Gill S, Sihag M. Flax and flaxseed oil: an ancient medicine and modern functional food. J Food Sci Technol. 2014;51(9):1633–1653.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-013-1247-9
Database GSD. Allicin and related compounds in cardiovascular therapy. In: Clinical Reference Guide. Elsevier Health Sciences; 2018.
Zaidi SFH, Awale S, Kalauni SK, Tezuka Y, Esumi H, et al. Diterpenes from Pini resina and their preferential cytotoxic activity under nutrient-deprived conditions. Planta Med. 2006;72(13):1231–1234.
https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2006-947189
American Association of Cereal Chemists. AACC approved methods. St. Paul (MN): AACC; 2000.
Tiwari U, Cummins AM, Brunton E, O’Donnell D, Gallagher NM. Effect of thermal processing on antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of selected spices. Int J Food Sci Technol. 2011;46(2):219–228.
Ashraf M, Saeed F, Ahmed R, Khan MA. Effect of dehydration on the nutritional and functional characteristics of garlic (Allium sativum). J Food Process Preserv. 2016;40(6):1198–1204.
Mahmood A, Mahmood Z, Sattar A. Effect of drying methods on the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of cinnamon bark. Int J Food Sci. 2015;2015:324256.
Kajla P, Sharma A, Sood DR. Flaxseed—a potential functional food source. J Food Sci Technol. 2015;52(4):1857–1871.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-014-1293-y
Singh K, Mridula D, Rehal J, Barnwal P. Flaxseed: a potential source of food, feed and fiber. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2011;51(3):210–222.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10408390903537241
Amagase H. Clarifying the real bioactive constituents of garlic. J Nutr. 2006;136(3 Suppl):716S–725S.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/136.3.716S
Oomah BD. Flaxseed as a functional food source. J Sci Food Agric. 2001;81(9):889–894.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.898
Musa KH, Abdullah A, Al-Haiqi A. Nutritional composition and antioxidant activity of garlic varieties. J Med Plants Res. 2012;6(13):2625–2630.
Mathew S, Abraham TE. Studies on the antioxidant activities of cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) bark extracts through various in vitro models. Food Chem. 2006;94(4):520–528.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2004.11.043
Ravindran PN, Babu KN, Shiva KN. Cinnamon and cassia: the genus Cinnamomum. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press; 2018.
Naik R, Kanwar N, Kulkarni MM. Cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors: a global perspective. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2018;5(6):2203–2208.
Al-Jawad FH, Hashim M, Al-Salmani MH, Fadhil OK. Changing the lipid profile by turmeric, garlic and cinnamon in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Al-Yarmouk J. 2014;:112–124
