| Disease | A MIXTURE OF RHEUM OFFICINALE, COPTIS CHINENSIS, SCUTELLARIA CHINENSIS IN A 1:2:3 RATIO WAS USED IN THIS STUDY. PATIENTS WITH GRADE I ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION WITHOUT COMPLICATIONS OR OTHER CONDITIONS WERE ENROLLED.
PATIENTS TOOK 2 250 MG CAPSULES 3 TIMES PER DAY. PATIENTS WERE ALLOWED TO TAKE ADDITIONAL CAPSULES NOT TO EXCEED 10 PER DAY. FOLLOW UP WAS WEEKLY FOR THE 1ST MONTH AND THEN MONTHLY FOR 2 YEARS.
IN 62 PATIENTS EVALUABLE FOR RESPONSE, SIGNIFICANT LOWERING OF HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, TOTAL PERIPHERAL RESISTANCE, AND CARDIAC CONTRACTILE FORCE WERE SEEN. PLASMA NOREPINEPHRINE AND THE HAMILTON ANXIETY SCALE WERE ALSO LOWER.
LIVER FUNCTION TESTS SHOWED SLIGHT DECREASE IN SGOPT, SGPT, LDH, CHOLESTEROL AND TRIGLYCERIDE LEVELS. NO EFFECTS WERE SEEN IN RENAL FUNCTION TESTS, ELECTROLYTE BALANCE, BLOOD SUGAR, ECG, CHEST P-A X-RAY FILM, AND BUS ROUTINES.
SIDE EFFECTS INCLUDE DIZZYNESS AND DIARRHEA, WHICH WERE SEVERE IN 2 AND 3 PATIENTS RESP. TO CAUSE THEM TO DROP OUT. 6 PATIENTS COMPLAINED OF MILD SYMPTOMS WHICH DISAPPEARED WITHIN 2 WEEKS. |