A human study on the effect of Alhagi Maurorum (camel thorn) on patients suffering from hepatitis B virus

Hepatitis B virus infection is a major health problem worldwide. More than 400 million people are suffering from this infectious disease. Alhagi Maurorum (camel thorn, CTE) is used in Libyan folk medicine for hepatitis. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the camel thorn on the hepatitis B virus. After a pharmacological and toxicological screening of camel thorns on experimental animals in our laboratories, in an open-label study, 15 patients of either gender were chosen at random with their consent (consent form signed). The patients had no liver cirrhosis and were not alcoholics. Following clinical testing, the patients were given a low, safe dose of camel thorn powder (2.6 g soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes) three times per day for six months. The viral load was measured before treatment and three and six months after the beginning of the experiment by polymerase chain reaction. The complete blood picture, the level of transaminases, bilirubin, creatinine, blood glucose, lipid profile, thyroid function, and prothrombin were assessed before and after three months after the beginning of the experiment. Our data showed no significant changes in the complete blood picture, creatinine, blood urea, glucose level, bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lipid profile, prothrombin, and thyroid function. The levels of viral load before, three months after, and six months after the beginning of our study were 1689 ± 289, 558 ± 160, and 271 ± 026 IU per mL, respectively. From this study, we may conclude that the camel thorn is safe and showed activity against viral hepatitis B, however, further investigations are needed by increasing the number of patients and using higher doses of plant extract to explore its mechanism of action. Finally, the mechanism of camel thorn may be related either to its antiviral effect or to the stimulation of either endogenous interferon or the immune system