Safety and antioxidant potential of traditional thai poly-herbal tea "phy-blica-d" used as a rejuvenation formula

• Published in: Pharmacognosy research Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 295 - 303
• Main Authors: Issuriya, Acharaporn, Puangkeaw, Nuntitporn, Choochana, Piyapong, Jaisamut, Patcharawalai, Kunworarath, Nongluk, Maneenoon, Katesarin, Limsuwan, Surasak, Kaewmanee, Thammarat, Chusri, Sasitorn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bangalore Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd 01-07-2019; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Phcog.net
• Subjects: Acids; Antioxidants; Antioxidants (Nutrients); Backup software; Beverages; Drug dosages; EDTA; Food; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Herbal medicine; Medical research; Oxidative stress; Retirement benefits; Studies; Tea; Thailand; United States > US; Phyllanthus emblica; folkloric infusion; functional beverage; Antioxidant activity; subacute toxicity study
• ISSN: 0974-8490; 0976-4836; 0974-8490
• DOI: 10.4103/pr.pr_5_19

Background: The rising popularity of phytonutrient consumption may be due to a vast number of scientific studies that have revealed their health benefits; however, concerns regarding the medical safety of herbal-based products are increasing. Phy-Blica-O is Phyllanthus emblica- based herbal tea used in Thai traditional medicine as a rejuvenating remedy. However, its consumption has been limited due to its strong bitter taste with unpleasant odor. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety and antioxidant potential of Phy-Blica-D, the modified formula of Phy-Blica-O which gave high sensory acceptability scores. Materials and Methods: Subacute toxicity studies of Phy-Blica-D infusion was conducted by repeated oral administration of the extract at doses of 5, 50, and 300 mg/kg/day in Sprague-Dawley rats. Results: The formula exhibited antioxidant activity with an IC50of 0.243 ± 0.006, 0.486 ± 0.002 and 0.108 ± 0.004 mg/mL using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, 2,20-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid and metal chelating assays, respectively. There was no significant treatment-related toxicity as indicated by clinical signs, body weight, food consumption, serum biochemical and hematological parameters, organ weight, and histopathological examination of the animals treated with Phy-Blica-D infusion. These results suggest that the oral no-observed-adverse-effect-level of Phy-Blica-D extract is >300 mg/kg body weight/day, or ~3.7 L/kg body weight/day for both sexes. The calculated human equivalent dose value is 48.39 mg/kg/day, or ~600 mL/kg body weight/day. There were no target organs affected. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that Phy-Blica-D infusion can be regarded as safe and could potentially be used as a functional ingredient to reduce oxidative stress in non-communicable diseases.