The Effect of a Tibetan Herbal Mixture (Padma 28) on Walking Distance in Stable Intermittent Claudication

Author(s): Drabaek, H., Petersen, J., Winther, K.

Abstract: Objective: To study if a herbal mixture - Padma 28 - had beneficial effects on the walking distance in patients with stable intermitten claudication.Design: Randomized, double-blinded study comparing active herbal mixture to placebo treatment.Patients: Eighty-six consecutive patients attending our clinic for intermittent claudication on an outpatient basis were screened and forty patients met the criteria of the study protocol. These patients had a median age of 67 years and a median duration of intermittent claudication of 5 years and were in a clinically stable condition at inclusion. Thirty-six patients completed the study according to the protocol.Intervention: The group randomized to active treatment received 2 capsules twice a day containing 340 mg of a dried herbal mixture (Padma 28). The other group received placebo capsules. Treatment was given for 4 months.Main Outcome Measure: The study was designed to reveal as a main outcome measure the changes in the maximum walking distance on a treadmill. The pain-free walking distance was also measured as were the systemic and peripheral systolic blood pressures. The ankle pressure index (ankle systolic pressure/arm systolic pressure) was calculated. Measurements were performed before each treatment and each month during treatment.Results: The patients on active treatment attained significant increments in pain-free as well as in maximum walking distance when compared to the group receiving placebo treatment. After active treatment for 1 month, the patients allocated to this group attained a significant increase in the maximum walking distance from 115 m (72 - 218 m) to 227 m (73 - > 1,000 m; p < 0.001) and this increment was retained at the termination of the study. The patient group receiving placebo treatment did not show any significant changes in the maximum walking distance. We could not demonstrate any significant changes in the ankle pressure index either during active or during placebo treatment.Conclusion: Treatment with a herbal mixture - Padma 28 - over a period of four months significantly increases the walking distance in patients with stable intermittent claudication of long duration.

Keyword(s): Periphere arterielle Verschlusskrankheit

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