Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry, 2010 / 25 (2) 217-218
LETTER TO EDITOR
ANTIVIRAL, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND RELATED EFFECTS OF A FOOD SUPPLEMENT MADE OF GARLIC, GINGER AND BLACK PEPPER Dear Editor, Garlic, ginger and black pepper are used as food supplements in India during the time of infectious diseases. Literature shows that they have antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects. The present work was carried out order to find their effects in a small group of at risk people. Garlic syrup showed prophylactic effect against jaundice (HepatitisA&E)) and the 3 in 1 food complex of black pepper, ginger and garlic in the ratio of 1:4:16 showed both prophylactic and curative effects against Chicungunya during the epidemic in Kerala form 2006-09. Antiviral (1), anticancer (2,3) and antiatherogenic effects (4,5) of garlic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory (6) and related effects of black pepper (7), anti-inflammatory (8) and anti clotting effects of ginger (9) have been reported by many workers. The biological actions of garlic principles have been attributed to its poly sulfides which react with –SH groups free radicals and also stimulate immune cells such as T and Natural killer cells and macrophages (10).Ginger contains many terpenes and their derivatives such as zingiberene,beta-bisabolene, sesquiphellandrene, gingerol, zingerone and shogaols. Black pepper contains terpenoids like alpha-pinene, sabinene, beta caryophyllene, delta-3-carene, limonene and beta pinene. In addition to these, it contains an alkaloid piperine also. These principles are known as nutritional medicines or nutraceuticals that give protection to our body from many diseases. Therefore these and related spices have medicinal potential and they form the common ingredients for the indigenous system of medicines in India, China and else where. During the summer of 2003, Jaundice, a disease due to hepatitis A virus, sporadically spread in the south Indian state of Kerala as water was polluted in many places. An outbreak of Hepatitis A was reported in the nearby areas of Govt.Medical College Kottayam. The Senior author along with two medical doctors, K.M Joseph and K.J. Mathew, requested the public through a press conference to consume 5 g of garlic cream along with 50 ml of boiled milk at the time of break fast, daily for ten days to get immunity against jaundice which spread in the district at that time. They were also asked to take all precautions in the matter of food. Fifty of our students (20 males and 30 females 20-24 Y) volunteered at their free will
to make garlic homogenate at home and consume the same as instructed . The authors of this paper fixed the dose of garlic cream. 50 other students in the class were observed as the control group. Of the treatment group only two of them suffered from jaundice and that too very mildly. Mean while ten students (2 M and 8 F 20-25 Y) of a control group of 50 students of the College suffered from jaundice and they required two or more weeks to recover. However garlic cream was never advocated as a remedy for any jaundice patient as it was thought to be risky even though it was proved to be effective prophylactically. Estimated RR was 0.17, 95% CI (0.02-0.89). which means it had a significant protective effect of 83 %( 1-RR) Absoluterisk reduction (ARR) is 0.16 and number needed to treat (NNT) is 7 (Table1). Our second experiment was during 2006 – 2009, chikungunya, a mosquito transmitted viral fever spread widely in Kerala.This disease was identified as chikungunya in the affected patients by laboratory tests in the Government hospitals. The patients had fever and joint pains in the body. The authors made a three in one food supplement of black pepper, ginger, and garlic in the ratio of 1:4:16 by weight as a preventive food supplement against chikungunya.The authors along with the above physicians made a press conference again at Kottayam in 2006 and requested the public to consume the three in one food supplement daily to prevent chikungunya. Black pepper was added to the Chinese formula of garlic and ginger (5) in order to increase the antiviral properties of the food complex as per the Ayurvedic system. The former two items, made as dry powders and garlic made as a cream with out addition of water were mixed together for the preparation. All the three were thoroughly mixed and kept in the refrigerator for use. Forty five students (20M and 25 F of 21-24 Y) of SME volunteered at their free will, to make this food supplement at home and consume 5 g of it daily along with 50 ml of boiled milk at the time of breakfast for ten days in order to develop immunoresistance against chikungunya . Of the above group only one student suffered from chikungunya, ARR is 0.23 and NNT is 5 (Table 2). Mean while 12 students (4 M and 8 F of 20-25 Y) from a control of 48 217
Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry, 2010 / 25 (2)
Table 1: Number of subjects who consumed garlic cream to prevent jaundice and the related follow up Jaundice No Jaundice Treatment group (5gm garlic cream)
2
48
Total 50
Control Group
10
40
50
Total
12
88
100
RR- 0.17 (95%CI- 0.02-0.89), ARR : 0.16, NNT-->7
K T Augusti, Regi Jose* and Paul Augustine** Department of Biochemistry, Kerala University Thiruvananthapuram, *Department of Community Medicine, Dr.Somervell Memorial CSI Medical College, Karakonam, Kerala and **Department of Surgical Oncology, Regional Cancer Center, Trivandrum, Kerala, India. E-mail :
[email protected] REFERENCES 1.
students of the college suffered from chikungunya. They were treated at hospitals for more than ten days. One of them (Boy 22 Y) developed joint pains and swellings. Estimated RR- 0.07 (95%CI- 0.01-0.55), protective effect is 93%. Our third observation was with thirty of the public (10 M and 20 F of 4565 Y) and one of the above mentioned students who continued to suffer from joint pains and swellings,the after effects of chikungunya volunteered at their free will to make and consume the three in one food supplement as instructed for a month or more. The dose of the same for curative effect was increased to 10 g per day by the authors. All the 31 above consumed it daily along with 50 ml boiled milk at the time of the break fast for a month or two as the case may be. All but six of the seniors with higher age (2 M and 4 F of 55-65 Y) were relieved of their symptoms, after a month.The remaining 6 patients got cured after two months treatment. One mechanism of action of the supplement is the effect of poly sulfides and terpenes which dilate the blood vessels and increase blood circulation and excretion of toxins. Second is to stimulate lymphocytes for immune action against the virus (10) and the third is to counteract the inflammatory actions of prostaglandins by decreasing its synthesis and actions by compounds like ajoene. Here the nutraceuticals present in the ingredients of the food supplement worked both prophylactically and curatively against the viral fever and further studies in this area is warranted.
Table 2: Number of subjects who consumed the Three in one food supplements to prevent chikungunya and the related follow up Chikungunya+ No Chikungunya Garlic, ginger and black pepper prophylaxis
1
44
Total
45
Control Group
12
36
48
Total
13
80
93
RR- 0.07 (95%CI- 0.01-0.55), ARR : 0.23, NNT--> 5
218
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