Some Principal Herbs: Arjuna     Amalaki     Vamshalochana     Shatavari     Jatamamsi

• A safe and effective cardio protective found very effective in all types of cardiac problems like Mild Hypertension, Tachycardia, Angina Pectoris, Cardiac Arrhythmais, Dyspnoea.
• HEARTOGEN improves the contractility of heart.
• HEARTOGEN reduces platelet adhesion.
• HEARTOGEN regulates serum lipids.

Cardiovascular disease is a silent- killer of a major portion of urban population. Cardiovascular diseases are presenting the leading cause of death in developed countries accounting for 70-75% of total deaths. The cost of this disease in terms of human suffering and material resources is enormous. Fortunately many advances in research to find out the causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cardiac diseases are progressing rapidly.

A heart attack is the first recognized sign of heart disease in 20-40 % patients. All the major cardiovascular risk factors greatly contribute to coronary diseases. Coronary heart disease (CHD) affects the blood vessels of heart and also other major organs like the brain (cerebrovascular disease), kidneys and extremities. CHD is the most common of heart diseases and the single most important cause of death in developed countries. The causes of CHD are multifactorial and include smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, etc. Therefore, prevention of these causative factors plays an important role in the management of CHD.

In the last few years there have been revolutionary changes in treating cardiac diseases. Heartogen is a herbo-mineral formulation that can be safely used as a long-term prophylactic therapy in cardiac disease.

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ARJUNA

Botanical Name: Terminalia arjuna

Family: Combretaceae

Habitat: Common in most parts of India

Botanical Description: A large evergreen tree. Its bark it very thick, grey or pinkish green, and is the important ingredient of the drug.

The bark contains B-sitosterol, ellagic acid, arjunolic acid, and arjunic acid, a glucoside arjunetin. The bark powder possesses diuretic, prostaglandin enhancing and coronary risk factor modulating properties. It is also useful as an anti-ischaemic and cardio-protective agent in hypertension and heart diseases. It brings about a dose-dependant decrease in blood pressure and heart rate. It decreases total lipids, tri-glycerides and cholesterol.

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AMALAKI

Botanical Name: Emblica officinalis Linn.
(Synn: Phyllanthus emblica linn)

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Habitat: Found in Deccan, the sea-coast districts and Kashmir, common in mixed deciduous forests of India ascending to 4,500 ft. on the hills.

Botanical Description: A deciduous, small or middle sized tree with crooked trunk and spreading branches.

Leaves: sub-sessile, 10-13 by 2.5-3 mm; closely set along the branchlets, distichous, light green, glabrous, obtuse. Flowers greenish yellow, in axillary fascicles.
Male: Numerous, on short slender pedicles. Sepals 6, oblong, obtuse, Anthers:3.
Female: 1.3-1.6 cam in diameter, fleshy globose.
Seeds: 6

Chemistry: Crystalline Vitamin C isolated from the fruit pericap in a yield of 70-72% of the total (JSIR, 1962). Isolation of music acid (Urr. Sci, 1962). Seeds contain fixed oil, phosphatides and essential oil (JSIR, 1952, 88B; Annice Progr. Dep; (DR) Lucknow, 1951-52). Fruits, bark and leaves rich in tannins and gallic acid. Fruit pulp contains phyllembic acid (6.3%), lipids (6%) gallic acid (5%) and emblicol (JSIR, 1959, 18C, 180).

Pharmacological and Clinical Studies

Immuno-modulatory Actions: Oral administration of extract of P. embilica has been found to enhance natural killer cell activity and antibody dependable cellular clytoxicity (ADCC), syngeneric BALB/C mice, bearing Dalton's lymphoma ascities (DLA) tumor (Suresh K. et al., Journal of Etnopharmocology V.44(1), 1994)

Rasayana Effect: Amalaki rasayana raised the total protein level and increased the body weight in rabbits which was due to positive nitrogen balance. The drug was found to have anabolic effect (Tewari et al., 1968)
Protective action against metal induced cyto-toxicity was observed (Ghosh et al.)

Anti-microbial activity: The ether extract of acidified alcohol extract showed the highest activity, exhibiting the growth M. Pyogenes var. aureus, S. typhosa and S. paratyphic at a concentration of 0.21 mg/ml and that of M. pyogenes var. albs, S. schottmmellri and S. dysenteriae at a concentration of 0.42 mg/ml.

Anti-oxidant effect: Aqueous extract was found to be a potent inhibitor of lipid peroxide formation and scavenger of hydroxyl and superoxide radicals in-vitro.

Anti-cancerous activity: Fruits possess anti-cancerous properties.

Anti-diabetic: Triphala showed significant hypoglycaemic activity in fasting rabbits only in the dose of 90 mg/kg orally.

Anti-hyperecholesteraemic effect: Increases the lipid mobilization and catabolism and retarded the deposition of lipids on the extra-hepatic tissues.

Anti-ulcer activity: Mainly acts by H+K+ ATP use inhibitory activity.

Effect on cardiovascular system: It is a cardio-tonic, provides protection in myocardial necrosis (IJEB, 15:485, 1977).

Effect on Central Nervous System: Phyllembin showed mild depressant action on CNS. It protected effectively against tremors and clonic and tonic convulsions induced by nicotine. It also antagonized tremorine induced tremors and other cholinergic symptoms.

Anxiolytic property: Useful in anxiety neurosis, depressive psychosis, insomnia and hypertension.

Anti-inflammatory action: Effective in rat-paw inflammation and was an effective inhibitory of human PMN migration in-vitro.

Action on smooth muscles: It is reported that phyllembin antagonized the spasmogenic effect of acetylcholine, bradykinin and scrotonin on the guinea pig ileum. (Khurana, et al., 1970). It is very useful in the treatment of human scurvy.

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VAMSHALOCHANA

Botanical Name: Bambusa arundinacea

Family: Bambusaceae

Habitat: Distributed throughout India, in areas upto 2,100m elevation

Botanical Description: A tall thorny bamboo upto 30m in height with many stems, tufted on stout root stock, nodes prominent.
Floral glumes, 3-7in number, the uppermost 1-3 male or neuter, lodicules 3, hyaline, 1-3 nerved, ciliate.
Fruits oblong grains, beaked by the style base, grooved on one side

Parts used: Roots, leaves, sprouts, grains and bamboo manna.

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SHATAVARI

Botanical Name: Asparagus racemosus

Family: Liliaceae

Habitat: Distributed throughout India, in areas upto 1,400m elevation, also cultivated

Botanical Description: An armed, climbing undershrub with woody terete stems and recurved or rarely straight spines, young stems very delicate, brittle and smooth.

Leaves reduced to minute chafy scales and spines.
Fruits globular or obscurely 3-lobed, pulpy berries, purplish black when ripe, seeds with hard and brittle testa.

Parts used: Tuberous roots

A galactogouge, and tonic. It is also useful in urinary disorders.

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JATAMAMSI

Botanical Name: Nardostachys jatamamsi

Family: Nardostachys

Habitat: An erect perennial herb, found in the Himalayas. The plant is also cultivated in high attitudes.

Botanical Description: Root stock is long, stout and woody as it is covered with xxxx from the betioly of weathered leaves.

The drug is present in a short portion of the rhizome, dark grey in colour, covered with reddish brown fibers. The roots and the rhizomes are used which contain d-nardostachone, valeranone and jatamansone of which the active principle is jatamansone. The roots possess diuretic properties. They are used in palpitations and chest pain. They have anti-spasmodic, nerve sedative, carminative, deobstruent and tonic properties. They also possess excellent psychotropic activities as a nerve tonic. Useful in anxiety disorders and also insomnia.

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Pharmacological Action of some Individual Ingredients

Asphaltum (Shilajith): Rich natural tonics containing minerals, salts, and trace elements, valuable in debilitating and metabolic diseases.

Boerhavia diffusa (Punarnava): It is a diuretic, particularly in oedema, ascites and anasarca.

Balsamodendron mukul (Guggulu): It has been found to deplete lipids such as cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, and cholesterol esters. Low density lipoprotein reduction is significant with Guggulu.

Sida cordifolia (Bala): The root bark of this plant is a good nervine tonic, decreases fatigue.

Embelia ribes (Vidanga): It has anthelmintic astringent and alterative properties. It is useful in bilious affections.

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Safety Study

Heartogen was administered to ten healthy volunteers at a dose of 2 tablets bid for 2 weeks. Prior to and after the trial a total check-up including a haemogram, biochemical parameter (Liver & kidney function tests) and psychological parameters were conducted (see table). After the trial period no changes in the above mentioned parameters were observed. Adverse reactions were also not reported.

The study confirms that Heartogen is free from any adverse effects and is relatively non-toxic in humans.
Haematological & biochemical parameters in ten healthy volunteers before and after treatment with Heartogen (Mean +- SEM)

Biochemical

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Clinical Results

Heartogen in Hypertensive Heart disease

The study: 50 hypertensive patients comprising 36 men & 14 women, who were already on anti-hypertensives were studied for a period of six months. 12 patients had history of MI, 5 had cardiac ischaemia and one each of anginal attack, left ventricular strain, cerebro-vasular accident & bypass operation and had corresponding EGC & fundal changes. These patients were put on Heartogen and their resting pulse rates and blood pressure were recorded and compared to the baseline finding after 6 months.

Results: After the treatment with Heartogen for 6 months, there was an effective reduction in the dosages of the other anti-hypertensive drug in 20-25 cases. After using Heartogen, the resting pulse rates and blood pressure both systolic and diastolic showed a significant reduction (see Table). In addition to lowering or blood pressure and reduction of dosage of drugs there was also a feeling of general well-being and emotional disturbances were reduced considerably.

Therefore, it can be concluded that Heartogen can be combined with the currently used cardiac and other anti-hypertensive drugs, whereby it helps in reducing the dosage as well as any side-effect. In mild cases, Heartogen alone is sufficient.

Mean BP before and after 3 and 6 weeks of Heartogen Therapy (n=50)

Mean Systolic B.P.

<0.1 as compared to the basal value


Mean Diastolic B.P. 

<0.1 as compared to the basal value

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Indications

• In mild to moderate essential hypertension and also in secondary or renal hypertension or ecclampsia.

• As a supportive therapy in IHD.
  
• In hyper-lipidaemic conditions.
  

Side Effects: No major side effects have been observed even with prolonged treatment.

Dosage: 2 tablets twice daily

Presentation: In waterproof plastic container

Contents: 100 tablets

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