Effect of orally administered aqueous extracts of selected Jordanian plants and Paracetamol on routine clinical chemistry tests in human volunteers

Abstract

Background: Medicinal herbs are widely used by people in Jordan, in fact people in Jordan taking a cup of herbal extract once or more daily as the habit of tea or coffee drinking.  In the current study, we attempt to see whether the oral administration of aqueous extracts on human volunteers for 5 days affect the results of clinical chemistry tests of serum against the well-known drug Paracetamol. Method: 54 Healthy volunteers were grouped into six groups, 5 groups drinking 200-250ml of aqueous extract from selected medicinal plants daily for 5 days and group six received 2 tablets of paracetamol (each tablet, 500 mg) daily for five days. Blood samples were taken before and 1 hr after the administration (samples 1 and 2, respectively) and then one day after the last dose of day five (sample 3). 13 routine clinical chemistry tests were assayed on the serum. Results: Oral administration of aqueous extracts of Rosmarinus officinalis, Verbena triphylla, Zingiber officinale, Saliva triloba & Origanum syriacum for 5 days cause a significant increase or decrease of some clinical chemistry tests compared to 0 time of administration. Although some clinical chemical tests were affected by these aqueous extracts, but these effects did not exceed the known normal ranges of these parameters, therefore it is concluded that the oral administration of aqueous extracts of tested herbs  could significantly alter some laboratory results without exceed the normal range of results.