Adrak: Pakistani herb for lowering body weight and lipids

Conventional medicine used for hyperlipidemia in allopathy include statins, fibrates, niacin and resins but are going to defame due to their adverse effects. Herbal medicine ginger has proved itself as one of the potent antihyperlipidemic and antiobesity herb with least adverse effects. We did try to compare its hypolipidemic effects with placebo effects when used in mild to moderate hyperlipidemic patients. It was placebo-controlled single blind research study. Research was conducted at National hospital, Lahore, from July to November 2019. Consent was taken from sixty hyperlipidemic patients age range from 25 to 60 years. Both gender male and female patients were enrolled. Patients were randomly divided in two groups, 30 patients were on drug ginger pasted-powder advised to take 5 grams in divided doses with their normal diet for the period of three months. Thirty patients were on placebo pasted-wheat powder, with same color as of ginger powder, advised to take 5 grams in divided doses with their normal diet for the period of three months. Their base line lipid profile and body weight was recorded at start of treatment and were advised to come for check-up, fortnightly. When duration of study was over, their lipid profile and body weight was measured and compared statistically with pre-treatment values. Three months treatment with 5 grams of ginger decreased total cholesterol from 233.11±1.53 mg/dl to 198.44±1.23 mg/dl, LDL cholesterol reduced from 202.21±1.88 mg/dl to 187.72± 1.98 mg/dl, reduced body weight from 76.01±2.66 kg to 72.80±1.87 kg. Both plasma total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol reduction was statistically significant, but body weight decrease was non-significant when analyzed biostatistically