Herbal adjuvant therapy with a combination of Green Tea, Persian Borage, and Purslane to reduce antipsychotic-induced weight gain in Schizophrenia: A randomized controlled trial

TL;DR

This study found that an herbal mix of green tea, Persian borage, and purslane helped reduce weight gain and other metabolic issues in schizophrenia patients taking antipsychotics.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel herbal combination as an effective adjuvant therapy for antipsychotic-induced weight management.

Findings

The herbal compound significantly reduced BMI, WHR, HbA1c, LDL, and systolic blood pressure.

Appetite levels were significantly lower in the herbal group at weeks four and eight.

No serious adverse effects were reported with the herbal intervention.

Abstract

Second-generation antipsychotics can lead to metabolic problems. This study investigated whether an herbal compound with green tea, Persian borage, and purslane extracts could help in antipsychotic-induced weight management in schizophrenia patients.

This triple-blind, placebo-controlled study at Hijazi Psychiatry Hospital in Mashhad, Iran, involved 73 schizophrenia patients. Participants received either an herbal compound or a placebo, alongside their antipsychotic medication. The primary outcome was changes in body mass index (BMI), with secondary outcomes including waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), fasting blood sugar (FBS), HbA1c, lipid profile, blood pressure, appetite, quality of life, and psychotic symptom severity.

The herbal compound significantly reduced BMI (p<0.001), WHR (p<0.001), HbA1c (p=0.042), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) concentration (p=0.009), and systolic blood pressure (p=0.015) compared to the placebo. No significant differences were observed in FBS or lipid profile (except LDL) between the two groups. The intervention group had significantly lower appetite levels than the placebo group at weeks four and eight (p=0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) score at any time. Participants reported no serious adverse effects.

Adding herbal compound to antipsychotics significantly lowered BMI, WHR, HbA1c, LDL levels, systolic blood pressure, and appetite in schizophrenia patients.

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