Camel Milk and Nigella Sativa Oil Improve Liver Biomarkers among Children with Viral Hepatitis

Abstract

Camel milk (CM) has antimicrobial properties, and used for treatment of liver diseases in folk medicine. This study aimed to find out the effect of camel milk alone or mixed with Nigella sativa (NS) oil on outcomes of viral hepatitis among children. Thirty eight (15 girl and 23 boy) child diagnosed with viral hepatitis (6–12 years) were selected from outpatients of Menoufia University and Monshaat Sultan hospitals, Egypt. The children divided into 4 groups; control group (PCG) (n=8) didn't receive any intervention; CM group (MPG) (n=10) received 100ml/day CM; NS oil group (OG) (n=10) received 2ml/day NS oil; and CM plus NS oil group (MOG) (n=10) received 100 ml CM plus 2 ml NS oil daily. The children were received their standard medications and regular diet without modification, and the trial continued for 5 weeks. Blood samples were collected at baseline and after intervention for determination of IgG, IgM, ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin. The results showed that feeding CM alone decreased IgM by 34.5% and increased IgG by 84.3%, while mixing it with NS oil resulted in decrement of IgM by 47.1% and increment of IgG by 91.7%. Meanwhile, NS oil decreased IgM by 64.8% and increased IgG by 72.7%. The concentration of elevated liver enzymes decreased significantly by the dietary intervention, especially among group fed CM alone or mixed with NS oil. In conclusion, feeding camel milk alone or mixed with NS oil had a favorable affect on viral hepatitis markers among children with viral hepatitis.Support or Funding InformationNo fund