Heracleum persicum Desf. Ex Fischer (Apiaceae) is a native medicinal plant in the Iranian traditional medicine and also a safe and common dietary spice. The present pilot study aimed to investigate the impact of supplementation with H. persicum fruits on serum lipid concentrations in a group of patients with minimal coronary artery disease. Subjects who were diagnosed with <50% luminal narrowing in any of the major coronary arteries in coronary angiography were recruited for this trial and were randomized to receive either H. persicum hydroalcoholic fruit extract (n=15; 300 mg/day) or placebo (n=12) for a period of 6 months. Serum concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides were measured at baseline and at the end of study. No significant difference in concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was observed between H. persicum extract and placebo groups (p>0.05). However, serum triglycerides levels were reduced after H. persicum extract supplementation in a borderline significant manner (p=0.063). Short-term supplementation with H. persicum fruit extract might be used as an adjunctive treatment for patients with hypertriglyceridemia.
Keywords: Heracleum persicum; Persian hogweed; cholesterol; coronary heart disease; dyslipidemia; hyperlipidemia; ischemic heart disease; triglycerides.
Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.