Background:
Pandu Roga
described in
Ayurveda
bears resemblance to the clinical features of anemia. The fruits of
Nagaphani
(
Opuntia elatior
Mill.) of family
cactaceae
, are consumed by the inhabitants of Gujarat as a hematinic agent to treat general debility and anemia.
Aim and objective:
To evaluate the efficacy of the
O. elatior
fruit juice in
Pandu Roga
with special reference to iron deficiency anemia.
Materials and method:
Present clinical study was an open labeled, randomized trial, in which 105 patients of
Pandu Roga
(iron deficiency anemia), were divided into two groups using the coin method of randomization. Group A received
Opuntia elatior
fruit juice, 20 ml twice a day with lukewarm water before meal. Group B received
Punarnava Mandura
(standard control), well accepted after this a herbo-mineral fromulation, two tablets of 500 mg each, twice a day with
Takra
(butter milk) before meal. Duration of intervention was 2 months in both groups and a follow-up of 1 month. The assessment was done based on the clinical signs and symptoms and hematological parameters such as Hb% (hemoglobin %), total red blood cell (TRBC), serum iron, serum ferritin and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), before and after completion of the treatment. The data were subjected to statistical tests (Wilcoxon signed-rank test and paired
t
-tests, co-efficient of variance (CV)), and analyzed.
Results:
Both trial drug and the standard drug produced a statistically significant increase in Hb%, TRBC and serum Iron. The standard drug provided statistically significant increase (
P
< 0.05) in TIBC, whereas a statistically insignificant (
P
> 0.05) effect was observed in the trial group. Both trial and standard drug provided statistically significant (
P
< 0.001) relief in
Panduta
(pallor),
Daurbalya
(general weakness),
Akshikutashotha
(periorbital edema) and
Pindikodveshthana
(calf muscle cramps). When compared between the groups, the standard drug was found to be more effective than the trial drug.
Conclusion:
Fruit juice of
Opuntia elatior
is effective in iron deficiency anemia as it increases the hemoglobin, TRBC levels in blood along with providing relief in
Panduta
(pallor),
Daurbalya
(general weakness)
Akshikutashotha
(periorbital edema).