Eugenia punicifolia (Kunth) DC. as an adjuvant treatment for type-2 diabetes mellitus: a non-controlled, pilot study.

Type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a highly prevalent disease with significant morbidity and mortality around the world. However, there is no universally effective treatment, because response to different treatment regimens can vary widely among patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the use of the powdered dried leaves of Eugenia punicifolia (Kunth) DC. (Myrtaceae) is effective as an adjuvant to the treatment of patients with type-2 DM. Fifteen patients were enrolled in a pilot, non-controlled study, and received E. punicifolia for 3 months. After treatment, we observed a significant decrease in glycosylated hemoglobin, basal insulin, thyroid-stimulating hormone, C-reactive protein, and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. There were no changes in fasting and postprandial glycemia. The compounds myricetin-3-O-rhamnoside, quercetin-3-O-galactoside, quercetin-3-O-xyloside, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside, kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside, phytol, gallic acid, and trans-caryophyllene present in the powdered dried leaves of E. punicifolia may be responsible for the therapeutic effect. In conclusion, the powdered leaves of E. punicifolia are promising as an adjuvant in the treatment of type-2 DM and deserve further investigation.

Lippia alba (Mill.) N. E. Brown hydroethanolic extract of the leaves is effective in the treatment of migraine in women.

BACKGROUND: There is no universally accepted and effective prophylaxis of migraine headache episodes. We aimed to investigate the effects of Lippia alba (Mill.) N. E. Brown (chemotype geranial-carvenone) in the treatment of migraine patients. METHODS: Twenty-one women were enrolled in a prospective, phase 2, non-controlled cohort study to orally receive hydroethanolic extract of L. alba leaves. Symptom intensity and impact were assessed using MIDAS and HIT-6 instruments before and after 2 months of treatment. RESULTS: We observed a significant decrease on HIT-6 total score, as well as MIDAS number of missed days, number of headache days, and pain intensity. More than 70% of patients experienced a minimum 50% reduction on pain frequency. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with L. alba leaves (geranial-carvenone) hydroethanolic extract is a cheap, safe, widely available, highly effective therapy to reduce both the intensity and the frequency of headache episodes of women with migraine. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01259947.