The effect of Phytopaj ) Ferula assa-foetida L. oleo gum resin and tragacanth( in patients with COVID-19: A randomized clinical trial

Hamid Reza Bahrami-Taghanaki; Hamidreza Hoseinzadeh; Shokouhsadat Hamedi; Majid Jafari Nejad-Bajestani; Nayereh Esmaeilzadeh; Hasan Abdollahzadeh; Seyedehmasoume Hoseini-Asil; Gholamreza Haghighi; Amin Bojdi

doi:10.22038/AJP.2023.22800

The effect of Phytopaj ) Ferula assa-foetida L. oleo gum resin and tragacanth( in patients with COVID-19: A randomized clinical trial

Avicenna J Phytomed. 2024 Mar-Apr;14(2):152-165. doi: 10.22038/AJP.2023.22800.

Authors

Hamid Reza Bahrami-Taghanaki¹, Hamidreza Hoseinzadeh², Shokouhsadat Hamedi³, Majid Jafari Nejad-Bajestani², Nayereh Esmaeilzadeh⁴, Hasan Abdollahzadeh², Seyedehmasoume Hoseini-Asil⁵, Gholamreza Haghighi⁶, Amin Bojdi⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Complementary and Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Persian and Complementary Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
² Department of Persian Medicine, School of Persian and Complementary Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
³ Department of Clinical Persian Pharmacy, School of Persian and Complementary Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
⁴ Department of Epidemiology, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
⁵ Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine , Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
⁶ Department of Traditional Medicine, School of Medicine, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.

Abstract

Objective: Exogenous hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) has a positive effect on respiratory diseases. Oleo-gum of Ferula assa-foetida contains this compound. This study assessed the effects of Ferula assa-foetida L. oleo gum resin and tragacanth (Phytopaj) on patients with COVID-19.

Materials and methods: A randomized, single-blinded, controlled trial (RCT) phase 2 was conducted in Mashhad on hospitalized COVID-19 patients. In this RCT, 122 patients were randomly assigned to either receive a 14-day oral phytopaj plus ordinary treatment or ordinary treatment only. Changes in peripheral blood lymphocyte count (LC) and blood oxygen saturation (PO₂) were the endpoints.

Results: Mean±SD of PO₂ in Phytopaj comparison ordinary treatment before intervention was 91.86±4.62 and 91.41±9.18, after the intervention it was 93.22±4.26 and 91.91±5.92 mmHg; before intervention, mean±SD of peripheral blood lymphocyte count was 1015.90±500.55, and 1104.28±543.61, and after intervention, it was 1652.27±921.38 and 1326.12±719.28/μL respectively.

Conclusion: Phyopaj is most useful in moderate stages of Covid19, and it is not recommended for elderly patients and patients with comorbidity until more insight is gained.

Keywords: COVID-19; Herbal medicine; Integrative medicine; Persian medicine; Randomized controlled trial.