Onion (Palandu)

Teresa Vezza et al. (2024) · Nutrients

This randomized trial with 66 healthy volunteers explored whether a daily capsule combining garlic powder and a concentrated onion extract lowers LDL cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol that builds up in artery walls and drives heart and blood vessel disease. Medicines such as statins are usually kept for people with clearly raised LDL cholesterol or several risk factors, so people with slight elevations are generally pointed toward diet and lifestyle changes. Garlic and onion contain organosulfur compounds (sulfur-rich plant chemicals), which the authors say are linked to cholesterol-lowering, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. To the authors' knowledge, human research had mostly looked at garlic alone, and none had combined the two plants in one capsule. Volunteers living in Granada, Spain, with LDL cholesterol between 100 and 190 mg/dL were split at random into two groups of 33. One group took a capsule called Aliocare daily with lunch, holding 86 mg of onion extract and 14 mg of garlic powder, and the other took an identical-looking placebo of plain cellulose. Neither participants nor researchers knew who received which. Blood samples and blood pressure were checked at the start and after 2, 4 and 8 weeks, including markers of oxidation and inflammation, liver and kidney function. After 8 weeks, LDL cholesterol was 6% lower in the capsule group (4% lower at 4 weeks), and total cholesterol about 6% lower. Among those starting above 110 mg/dL, LDL cholesterol dropped 12% by week 8. Triglycerides (blood fats) also fell, while good HDL cholesterol stayed unchanged and glucose did not differ. Oxidized LDL, a form of LDL damaged by oxidation and linked to artery disease, fell about 32% by week 8. Blood pressure was about 5% lower, and no adverse events were reported, with liver and kidney tests staying in the normal range. Compliance exceeded 95%, and participants did not guess their group assignment. Interleukin-6, an inflammation marker, tended to fall with the capsule without reaching significance, and malondialdehyde, another oxidation marker, did not differ. The authors conclude the capsule was safe and improved several heart-related measures, and they suggest garlic and onion may act together, though the study did not test each plant separately. They state plainly that the volunteers were mostly young with LDL cholesterol at the low end of the range, the pandemic limited recruitment, the sample was small and the 8-week duration short. The authors add that recruiting under different conditions would likely have produced higher baseline values and more robust results. They plan larger, longer studies in people with higher LDL cholesterol.

Janmejaya Samal (2015) · Journal of intercultural ethnopharmacology

This systematic review pooled published research on using Ayurveda, India's traditional medical system, alongside standard drugs for pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) — a bacterial lung infection that remains one of India's leading causes of death. The review searched PubMed through April 2015 and found six studies worth including: four human trials testing Ayurvedic herbal formulas as add-ons to standard anti-TB drugs (ATDs), and two lab studies testing plant extracts directly against the TB bacterium. In Ayurveda, PTB is traditionally understood as Rajayakshma, a wasting condition tied to depleted bodily tissues (dhatu) and vital reserve (ojas) — explaining why many of the formulas studied are rejuvenative "Rasayana" tonics rather than antibiotics. The four clinical trials enrolled 30 to 133 PTB patients each, all in India, and ran from 28 days to 6-8 months. Participants took Ayurvedic formulas — a nine-herb Rasayana capsule, a liquid tonic called Bhringarajasava, Ashwagandha with Chyawanprash, or a hepatoprotective blend called Liv-600 — alongside their prescribed drug regimen (DOTS). Researchers tracked symptoms like cough and fever, body weight, X-ray changes, drug blood levels, and liver enzymes. The two lab studies tested leaf and plant extracts against TB bacteria in culture, measuring the lowest concentration that stopped bacterial growth. Across the trials, Ayurvedic add-ons consistently eased symptoms and supported weight gain more than standard treatment alone (p<0.001 in the largest trial). One striking finding: Ashwagandha plus Chyawanprash raised blood levels of two key TB drugs, isoniazid and pyrazinamide, by 7-10% (meaning the body absorbed more of the medicine that actually kills the bacteria) — potentially valuable given rising drug resistance. The hepatoprotective blend showed no harmful rise in liver enzymes, suggesting it may guard against the liver damage these drugs can cause. In the lab, extracts from four of five tested legumes completely stopped bacterial growth at a low concentration (50 micrograms per milliliter), and extracts from five other plants inhibited even drug-resistant TB strains by up to 95%. These findings position Ayurvedic formulas as promising supportive care — easing symptoms, protecting the liver, and possibly boosting drug absorption — rather than replacements for standard TB treatment, which no study tested. The evidence base is thin: only six studies total, all small, mostly from India, with just one describing blinding and none pooling results statistically. The authors call for properly designed clinical trials of the lab-active plants, especially against multidrug-resistant TB. The evidence reviewed concerns Ayurvedic preparations as adjuncts to prescribed drug therapy; none of it addresses their use instead of it.