| Supplement Facts
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| Serving Size: 1 Capsule
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Amount Per Serving
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| Terminalia arjuna extract (25% tannins)
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500mg
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| Non-medicinal ingredients: None. Capsule: hypromellose, water.
|
AOR™ guarantees that
no ingredients not listed on the label have been added to the product.
Contains no wheat, gluten, corn, nuts, dairy, soy, eggs, fish, shellfish
or any animal byproduct.
Suggested Use
Take one to three capsules daily, or as directed by a qualified health care practitioner.
Main Applications
As reported by literature:
• Cardiovascular health.
• Supports healthy blood flow.
Source
Terminalia arjuna (bark).
Cautions
None.
Pregnancy / Nursing
No studies have been conducted. Best to avoid.
Ayurveda, the Vedic "Science of Life," was well aware of the
serious health threat posed by cardiovascular disease. In their own
terms, the ancient texts of the tradition describe atherosclerotic
thickening (dhamani praticaya) and hardening (dhamani kathinaya) of the
channels, resulting in the limitation of the flow of life-energy to the
heart (vata dosa) and the painful pressure of angina (ruja). And 1200
years ago, the Ayurvedic physician Vagbhata asserted (in the Vedic
medical text the Astang Hridyam) that Nature had provided a powerful
medicine for these problems in the smooth, white bark of
Terminalia arjuna, a tall, dense tree with long, conical leaves and white flowers.
This traditional use has been validated by solid science over the
course of recent decades. More recently, there's been a great surge of
interest in Terminali arjuna ever since its heart-health benefits were
singled out by Dr. Peter J. D'adamo in his latest book, The Complete
Blood Type Diet Encyclopedia. D'Adamo lists Arjuna as a "Daily Herb" for
Type A, and as a key part of his "Cardiovascular Protocol" for Type O.
But leaving aside Dr. D'Adamo's speculations, the science supporting
Arjuna's heart-healthy properties is solid ground.
In a recent open trial, twenty patients with stable angina took
either an Arjuna-based herbal formula, or isosorbide mononitrate (an
angina drug which works similarly to nitroglycerin), for twelve weeks.
Arjuna was found to work as well as the drug, but with fewer side
effects or signs of toxicity. It alleviated the symptoms of 80% of the
angina patients, which is comparable to the 70% of patients relieved by
the drug; similarly, Arjuna slashed the frequency of angina attacks by
67%, with the drug again giving similar performance at 73% fewer
attacks. The results of a cardiac stress test (which tests how well the
heart can cope during exercise, when the body's need for oxygen puts
extra demands on the heart) showed some nominal improvements over the
course of the study in both groups, the changes were not found to be
statistically significant in either group. In an earlier trial in people
with both stable and unstable angina, three months' of Arjuna
supplementation cut angina attacks by 50% among the stable angina
patients. These patients also experienced significant reductions in
systolic blood pressure, while exercise tolerance improved, with
patients taking longer to develop chest pains and signs of oxygen
starvation on the electrocardiogram (ECG). While patients with unstable
angina did not gain these benefits, both patient groups experienced
improvements in the function of the left ventricle, the chamber of the
heart that sends blood out to the rest of the body and whose dysfunction
is a key part of unstable angina.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study in patients
with congestive heart failure, people taking Arjuna experienced
improvements in the signs and symptoms of heart failure. The grade of
heart failure was reduced from class IV (the most serious degree, when
your symptoms are present even at rest, and any physical activity simply
makes things worse) to an average class III (where you may become tired
and have difficulty breathing when you exercise, but you're comfortable
at rest). As well, their hearts were able to pump 10% more blood with
each stroke while using Arjuna, while their hearts' efficiency at
emptying blood out the left ventricle (ejection fraction) jumped by
nearly one-fifth (19.5%).
This group of people with heart failure was then tracked after the
trial itself had ended as they continued taking Arjuna along with more
conventional medications. As a group, these people's symptoms, exercise
tolerance, disease class, and quality of life continued to improve over
the course of the next two years (on average) of Arjuna use.
Other trials have found that Arjuna has additional, long-term
benefits, providing antioxidant protection and supporting healthier
cholesterol balance. Animal studies also suggest that Arjuna may reduce
damage to the heart muscle after a heart attack, providing protection to
the heart in the worst possible crisis.
References
i. Kumar PU, Adhikari P,
Pereira P, Bhat P. Safety and efficacy of Hartone in stable angina
pectoris - an open comparative trial. J Assoc Physicians India. 1999
Jul; 47(7): 685-9.
ii. Dwivedi S, Agarwal MP.
Antianginal and cardioprotective effects of Terminalia arjuna, an
indigenous drug, in coronary artery disease. J Assoc Physicians India.
1994 Apr; 42(4): 287-9.
iii. Bharani A, Ganguly A,
Bhargava KD. Salutary effect of Terminalia Arjuna in patients with
severe refractory heart failure. Int J Cardiol. 1995 May; 49(3): 191-9.
iv. Sumitra M, Manikandan P,
Kumar DA, Arutselvan N, Balakrishna K, Manohar BM, Puvanakrishnan R.
Experimental myocardial necrosis in rats: role of arjunolic acid on
platelet aggregation, coagulation and antioxidant status. Mol Cell
Biochem. 2001 Aug; 224(1-2): 135-42.
v. Gupta R, Singhal S, Goyle
A, Sharma VN. Antioxidant and hypocholesterolaemic effects of Terminalia
arjuna tree-bark powder: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. J Assoc
Physicians India. 2001 Feb; 49: 231-5.
vi. Dwivedi S, Jauhari R.
Beneficial effects of Terminalia arjuna in coronary artery disease.
Indian Heart J. 1997 Sep-Oct; 49(5): 507-10.
Holistic Lifestyle No 7, September 2001
The Rishi's Renewal
Ulcer protective effect of Terminalia arjuna on gastric mucosal defensive mechanism in experimental rats.
Phytother Res. 2007 May 1;
Devi RS, Narayan S, Vani G, Srinivasan P, Mohan KV, Sabitha KE, Devi CS.
The
methanol extract of the bark of Terminalia arjuna (Combretaceae) (TAE)
showed marked antiulcer and ulcer healing activity against 80% ethanol
(ETH), diclofenac sodium (DIC) and dexamethasone (DEX) induced ulcer
models dose dependently at doses of 100, 400 and 200 mg/kg body weight
respectively. Pre-, post and co-administration of TAE offered 100%
protection to the gastric mucosa against ETH, DIC and DEX induced ulcers
as observed from the ulcer score. Gastric mucosal analysis of DEX
induced rats were associated with changes in the levels of protein,
protein bound carbohydrate complexes, lipid peroxides (LPO), glutathione
(GSH) and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and
glutathione peroxidase (GPx) compared with control rats.
Co-administration with TAE in DEX rats (DEX + TAE) favorably altered the
levels of LPO, GSH and also the activities of SOD and CAT in gastric
mucosa, whereas the activities of GPx remained unaltered in all groups.
In DEX + TAE rats, the levels of protein and protein bound carbohydrate
complexes were increased when compared with DEX rats. The results
indicate that the gastroprotective effect of TAE is probably related to
its ability to maintain the membrane integrity by its antilipid
peroxidative activity that protects the gastric mucosa against oxidative
damage and its ability to strengthen the mucosal barrier, the first
line of defense against exogenous and endogenous ulcerogenic agents.
Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gastroprotective effect of Terminalia arjuna bark on diclofenac sodium induced gastric ulcer.
Chem Biol Interact. 2007 Apr 5;167(1):71-83. Epub 2007 Feb 2.
Devi RS, Narayan S, Vani G, Shyamala Devi CS.
AIM:
The present study was aimed to evaluate the effect of methanolic
extract of Terminalia arjuna (TA) on diclofenac sodium induced gastric
ulcer in experimental rats.
METHODS: Animals were
induced for gastric ulcer with diclofenac sodium (DIC) (80mg/kg
bodyweight in water, orally) and treated orally with TA in various doses
ranging from 100mg/kg bodyweight to 500mg/kg bodyweight. The effective
dose was 400mg/kg bodyweight, since this dose elicited a maximum
reduction in lesion index. The gastroprotective effect of TA was
assessed from volume of gastric juice, pH, free and total acidity,
pepsin concentration, acid output in gastric juice, the levels of
non-protein sulfhydryls (NP-SH), lipid peroxide (LPO), reduced
glutathione (GSH), and activities of enzymic antioxidants-super oxide
dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx),
glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in gastric
mucosa. The levels of DNA, protein bound carbohydrate complexes-hexose,
hexoseamine, sialic acid, fucose in gastric mucosa and gastric juice and
the levels of RNA in gastric mucosa were assessed. The stomach tissues
were used for adherent mucus content and also for the histological
examination.
RESULTS: A significant reduction in
lesion index was observed in ulcer induced animals treated with TA
(DIC+TA) compared to ulcerated rats (DIC). A significant increase was
observed in pH, NP-SH, GSH, enzymic antioxidants, protein bound
carbohydrate complexes, adherent mucus content, nucleic acids with a
significant decrease in volume of gastric juice, free and total acidity,
pepsin concentration, acid output, LPO levels and MPO activities in
DIC+TA rats compared to DIC rats. Histological studies confirmed the
gastroprotective activity of TA.
CONCLUSION: From
the data presented in this study it could be concluded that T. arjuna
acts as an gastroprotective agent probably due to its free radical
scavenging activity and cytoprotective nature.
Effect of Terminalia arjuna stem bark on antioxidant status in liver and kidney of alloxan diabetic rats.
Department of Biochemistry, P.S.G. College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore 641 014.
Raghavan B, Kumari SK.
Free
radicals and associated oxidative stress induced by alloxan are
implicated in eliciting pathological changes in diabetes mellitus.
Terminalia arjuna bark, an indigenous plant used in ayurvedic medicine
in India, primarily as a cardiotonic is also used in treating diabetes,
anemia, tumors and hypertension. The present study examined the effect
of ethanolic extract (250 and 500 mg/kg body weight) of Terminalia
arjuna stem bark in alloxan induced diabetic rats and its lipid
peroxidation, enzymatic and nonenzymatic activity was investigated in
the liver and kidney tissues. The extract produced significant (P <
0.05) reduction in lipid peroxidation (LPO). The effect of oral T.
arjuna at the dose of 500 mg/kg body weight was more than the 250 mg/kg
body weight. The extract also causes a significant (P < 0.05)
increase in superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase,
glutathione-s-transferase glutathione reductase and glucose-6-phosphate
dehydrogenase, reduced glutathione, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E,
total sulfhydryl groups (TSH) and non protein sulfhydryl groups (NPSH)
in liver and kidney of alloxan induced diabetic rats, which clearly
shows, the antioxidant property of T. arjuna bark. The result indicates
that the extract exhibit the antioxidant activity through correction of
oxidative stress and validates the traditional use of this plant in
diabetic animals.
Safety and efficacy of Hartone in stable angina pectoris--an open comparative trial.
J Assoc Physicians India 1999 Jul; 47(7): 685-9.
Kumar PU, Adhikari P, Pereira P, Bhat P.
OBJECTIVES: To
evaluate the safety and efficacy of 'Hartone'--a proprietary herbal
product primarily containing Terminalia arjuna in stable angina pectoris
patients.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten patients with
stable angina pectoris were given Hartone 2 caps twice daily for 6 weeks
and 1 cap twice daily for the next 6 weeks. Haematological and
biochemical investigations to assess safety were carried out on day 0,
day 42 and day 84. Serum lipid profile was done before and after
therapy. Efficacy was assessed by considering the reduction in the
number of anginal episodes and improvement in stress test. The results
were compared with 10 patients of stable angina pectoris on isosorbide
mononitrate (ISMN) 20 mg twice daily.
RESULTS:
Hartone afforded symptomatic relief in 80% of patients and ISMN in 70%.
The number of anginal attacks were reduced from 79/wk to 24/wk by
Hartone and from 26/wk to 7/wk by ISMN. Although patients of both groups
showed improvement in several stress test parameters compared to base
line, the difference was not statistically significant. Hartone improved
BP response to stress test in two patients and ejection fraction in
one. Hartone was better tolerated than ISMN and showed no evidence of
hepatic or renal impairment. Its effects on lipid profile was not
consistent.
CONCLUSION: Hartone is a safe and
effective anti-anginal agent comparable to ISMN and is better tolerated.
Large scale, randomised, double blind trials are needed to prove its
efficacy.
Antianginal and cardioprotective effects of Terminalia arjuna, an indigenous drug, in coronary artery disease.
J Assoc Physicians India 1994 Apr; 42(4): 287-9.
Dwivedi S, Agarwal MP.
The
effect of bark powder of Terminalia arjuna, an indigenous drug, on
anginal frequency, blood pressure, body mass index, blood sugar,
cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol was studied in 15 stable (Group A) and 5
unstable (Group B) angina patients before and 3 months after T. arjuna
therapy. Treadmill test TMT) and echocardiographic left ventricular
ejection fraction was evaluated in some cases. There was 50% reduction
in anginal episodes in Group A cases (P < 0.01). TMT performance
improved from moderate to mild changes in 5 patients and one with mild
changes became negative for ischemia. The time to the onset of angina
and appearance of ST-T changes on TMT after T. arjuna was delayed
significantly. However, in patients with unstable angina there was an
insignificant reduction in anginal frequency. These patients also needed
diltiazem, B-blockers and nitroglycerine in addition to T. arjuna. The
drug lowered systolic blood pressure and body mass index to a
significant level (p <0.05) and increased HDL-cholesterol only
slightly along with marginalimprovement in left ventricular ejection
fraction in stable angina patients. There were no deleterious effects on
liver or kidney functions. Our resultssuggest that monotherapy with T.
arjuna is fairly effective in patients with symptoms of stable angina
pectoris. However, it has a limited role in unstable angina.
Salutary effect of Terminalia Arjuna in patients with severe refractory heart failure.
Int J Cardiol 1995 May; 49(3): 191-9.
Bharani A, Ganguly A, Bhargava KD.
Twelve
patients with refractory chronic congestive heart failure (Class IV
NYHA), related to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (10 patients);
previous myocardial infarction (one patient) and peripartum
cardiomyopathy (one patient), received Terminalia Arjuna, an Indian
medicinal plant, as bark extract (500 mg 8-hourly) or matching placebo
for 2 weeks each, separated by 2 weeks washout period, in a double blind
cross over design as an adjuvent to maximally tolerable conventional
therapy (Phase I). The clinical, laboratory and echocardiographic
evaluation was carried out at baseline and at the end of Terminalia
Arjuna and placebo therapy and results were compared. Terminalia Arjuna,
compared to placebo, was associated with improvement in symptoms and
signs of heart failure, improvement in NYHA Class (Class III vs. Class
IV), decrease in echo-left ventricular enddiastolic (125.28 +/- 27.91
vs. 134.56 +/- 29.71 ml/m2; P < 0.005) and endsystolic volume (81.06
+/- 24.60 vs. 94.10 +/- 26.42 ml/m2; P < 0.005) indices, increase in
left ventricular stroke volume index (44.21 +/- 11.92 vs. 40.45 +/-
11.56 ml/m2; P < 0.05) and increase in left ventricular ejection
fractions (35.33 +/- 7.85 vs. 30.24 +/- 7.13%; P < 0.005).
On long
term evaluation in an open design (Phase II), wherein Phase I
participants continued Terminalia Arjuna in fixed dosage (500 mg
8-hourly) in addition to flexible diuretic, vasodilator and digitalis
dosage for 20-28 months (mean 24 months) on outpatient basis, patients
showed continued improvement in symptoms, signs, effort tolerance and
NYHA Class, with improvement in quality of life.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT
250 WORDS)
Experimental myocardial necrosis in rats: role of arjunolic acid on platelet aggregation, coagulation and antioxidant status.
Mol Cell Biochem 2001 Aug; 224(1-2): 135-42.
Sumitra M, Manikandan P, Kumar DA, Arutselvan N, Balakrishna K, Manohar BM, Puvanakrishnan R.
Arjunolic
acid, a new triterpene and a potent principle from the bark of
Terminalia arjuna, has been shown to provide significant cardiac
protection in isoproterenol induced myocardial necrosis in rats. To
further explore the mechanism of action of arjunolic acid, antiplatelet
activity, anticoagulant assays, electrocardiographic changes, serum
marker enzymes, antioxidant status, lipid peroxide and myeloperoxidase
(MPO) have been measured and the results are compared with a potent
cardioprotective drug, acetyl salicylic acid (ASA). Administration of
isoproterenol produces electrocardiographic changes such as decreased R
amplitude and increased ST segment elevation and has resulted in an
increase in serum marker enzyme levels as well as a decrease in
enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant levels. Arjunolic acid at an
effective dosage of 15 mg/kg body wt. (pre and post treatment), when
administered intraperitoneally (i.p.), effects a decrease in serum
enzyme levels and the electrocardiographic changes get restored towards
normalcy. Arjunolic acid treatment is also shown to prevent the decrease
in the levels of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione
peroxidase, ceruloplasmin, alpha-tocopherol, reduced glutathione (GSH),
ascorbic acid, lipid peroxide, MPO and the cardioprotection is confirmed
by the histopathological studies. This study shows that the
cardioprotection of arjunolic acid pre and post treatment could possibly
be due to the protective effect against the damage caused by myocardial
necrosis.
Antioxidant and hypocholesterolaemic effects of Terminalia arjuna tree-bark powder: a randomised placebo-controlled trial.
J Assoc Physicians India 2001 Feb; 49: 231-5.
Gupta R, Singhal S, Goyle A, Sharma VN.
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the antioxidant and hypocholesterolaemic effects of
Terminalia arjuna tree bark (a popular cardiotonic substance in Indian
pharmacopoeia) and to compare it with a known antioxidant, vitamin E, we
performed a randomized controlled trial.
METHODS:
One hundred and five successive patients with coronary heart disease
(CHD) presenting to our centre were recruited and using a Latin-square
design divided into 3 groups of 35 each. The groups were matched for
age, lifestyle and dietary variables, clinical diagnosis and drug
treatment status. None of the patients was on lipid-lowering drugs.
Supplemental vitamins were stopped for one month before study began and
American Heart Association Step II dietary advice was given to all. At
baseline, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL cholesterol and
lipid peroxide estimated as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances
(TBARS) were determined. Group I received placebo capsules; Group II
vitamin E capsules 400 units/day; and Group III received finely
pulverized T. arjuna tree bark-powder (500 mg) in capsules daily. Lipids
and lipid peroxide levels were determined at 30 days follow-up.
RESULTS:
Response rate in various groups varied from 86% to 91%. No significant
changes in total, HDL, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides levels were
seen in Groups I and II (paired t-test p > 0.05). In Group III there
was a significant decrease in total cholesterol (-9.7 +/- 12.7%), and
LDL cholesterol (-15.8 +/- 25.6%) (paired t-test p < 0.01). Lipid
peroxide levels decreased significantly in both the treatment groups (p
< 0.01). This decrease was more in vitamin E group (-36.4 +/- 17.7%)
as compared to the T. arjuna group (-29.3 +/- 18.9%).
CONCLUSIONS:
Terminalia arjuna tree bark powder has significant antioxidant action
that is comparable to vitamin E. In addition, it also has a significant
hypocholesterolaemic effect.
Beneficial effects of Terminalia arjuna in coronary artery disease.
Indian Heart J 1997 Sep-Oct; 49(5): 507-10.
Dwivedi S, Jauhari R.
Effect
of Terminalia arjuna on angina pectoris, congestive heart failure and
left ventricular mass was studied in patients of myocardial infarction
with angina and/or ischaemic cardiomyopathy. Bark stem powder of T.
arjuna, 500 mg 8 hourly was administered to 10 patients of
postmyocardial infarction angina and two patients of ischaemic
cardiomyopathy, in a dose of 500 mg 8 hourly postoperatively, for a
period of three months (Group A). These patients were also on
conventional treatment comprising of nitrates, aspirin and/or calcium
channel blockers. Twelve age-, sex-, body mass index- and ECG-matched
patients of postmyocardial infarction angina receiving only conventional
treatment served as controls (Group B). Significant reduction in
anginal frequency was noted in both groups (3.5 +/- 1.98 to 1.08 + 1.08
per day vs 3.10 + 0.72 to 1.17 + 0.84 per day). However, only Group A
patients showed significant improvement in left ventricular ejection
fraction (42.25 + 9.96 to 52.67 + 12.32% vs 51.83 + 5.99 to 49.83 +
2.52%) and reduction in left ventricular mass (159.18 + 51.11 to 127.47 +
52.40 gm/m2 vs 159.11 + 38.92 to 160.78 + 54.23 gm/m2) on
echocardiography following three months of therapy. Both patients with
ischaemic cardiomyopathy showed significant symptomatic relief in
coronary heart failure from NYHA class III to NYHA class I. Prolonged
administration of T. arjuna did not show any adverse effects on renal,
hepatic and haematological parameters. The potential of T. arjuna to
improve left ventricular ejection fraction and reduce left ventricular
mass in coronary artery disease needs to be harnessed.