Arjuna bark supplement information, benefit, research studies, dosage, and uses for health and medical conditions, including angina
Terminalia Arjuna herb is used by doctors who practice Ayurvedic healing.
Benefit of arjuna herb
Studies have discovered that Arjuna has antioxidant properties and is useful in
those who have heart and circulation problems. Specific benefits are discussed
later.
Availability
You can find arjuna herb and extract in health food stores and online. Here are
some examples of the various dosages available to you. Since there are few human
studies, it is difficult to know the proper dosage to take or which product is
most effective.
Terminalia arjuna Bark -
500 mg
Terminalia arjuna Bark Extract -
50 mg (standardized 10:1 extract)
Arjuna - Pure extract - 250 mg
Purchase Arjuna pills, 550 mg dosage, 120 Tablets
Suggested use: Take one tablet once a day
or as suggested by your health care provider.
Chemicals found in arjuna herb
Terminalia arjuna bark has triterpene glycosides, termiarjunoside I and
termiarjunoside II, arjunetoside, together with oleanolic, arjunolic and
arjunic acids, and a cardenolide.
Arjunolic acid, a triterpene and a potent extract from the bark of Terminalia arjuna,
protects the heart from necrosis in rats. Arjunolic acid treatment
prevents the decrease in the levels of powerful antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase, catalase,
glutathione, alpha-tocopherol, and ascorbic acid. Other chemical evaluations
have found18,19-secooleanane-type triterpene glycosyl esters, namely arjunasides
A-E, along with ursane type triterpene glucosyl esters.
Benefits of Terminalia arjuna herb or extract
Angina
Ancient Indian physicians used the powdered
tree bark of Terminalia arjuna for treating
angina and other cardiovascular
conditions.
Antioxidant
Several substances in arjuna herb have very strong antioxidant benefits. Its
stem bark possesses glycosides, large quantities of flavonoids, tannins and
minerals. Flavonoids have been detected to exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory
and lipid lowering effects while glycosides are cardiotonic, thus making
Terminalia arjuna unique among currently used medicinal plants. In rodent
studies these antioxidants protect heart tissue from damage.
Breast cancer
A substance in Arjuna, casuarinin, inhibits breast cancer cell growth in
laboratory studies.
Cholesterol
Compounds in Arjuna may help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
DNA protection
Arjuna has compounds that protect against DNA damage from toxins.
Effect of Terminalia arjuna extract on adriamycin-induced
DNA damage.
Phytother Res. 2008 Sep; Reddy TK, Seshadri P, Reddy KK, Jagetia GC, Reddy CD.
Division of Cancer Biology, Sugen Life Sciences, Tirupati, 517505, AP, India.
The effect of a bark extract of Terminalia arjuna was studied on the alteration
of adriamycin induced micronuclei formation in cultured human peripheral blood
lymphocytes. Exposure of lymphocytes to adriamycin resulted in a dose-dependent
increase in the micronuclei formation indicating DNA damage. Pretreatment of
lymphocytes with bark extract of Terminalia arjuna before adriamycin treatment
resulted in a significant decline in micronuclei formation. Our results
demonstrate that bark extract of Terminalia arjuna protects DNA against
adriamicin-induced damage.
Heart
disease
Experimental studies have revealed the bark of
arjuna to exert inotropic and hypotensive effect, increasing coronary artery
flow and protecting cardiac tissue against ischemic damage. Arjuna herb has also
been detected to have mild diuretic, blood thinning, prostaglandin E(2)
enhancing and blood lipid lowering activity.
This herb has been studied in patients with angina. Arjuna dilates blood vessels,
even in cigarette smokers.
Catecholamine-induced myocardial fibrosis and oxidative
stress is attenuated by Terminalia arjuna (Roxb.).
J Pharm Pharmacol. 2009 Nov; Kumar S, Enjamoori R, Jaiswal A, Ray R, Seth S,
Maulik SK.Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences,
New Delhi, India.
Myocardial fibrosis and oxidative stress accompany a number of cardiac disorders
such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, hypertensive heart disease and cardiac
failure. Stem bark of Terminalia arjuna has been advocated for cardiac ailments.
The present study evaluated the effects of T. arjuna bark extract on myocardial
fibrosis and oxidative stress induced by chronic beta-adrenoceptor
stimulation.T. arjuna protects against myocardial changes induced by chronic
beta-adrenoceptor stimulation.
Ulcer
Effect of methanolic extract of Terminalia arjuna against Helicobacter pylori
26695 lipopolysaccharide-induced gastric ulcer in rats.
J Pharm Pharmacol. 2008 Apr; Devi RS, Kist M, Vani G, Devi CS. Department of
Biochemistry, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600025, Tamil Nadu,
India.
Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide (HP-LPS) is a potent virulence factor in
the causation of gastric ulcer and gastritis. H. pylori-induced gastric
pathology is prevalent throughout the world. The present study aimed to evaluate
the anti-ulcer effect of a methanolic extract of Terminalia arjuna against
HP-LPS-induced gastric damage in rats. Our results suggest that the severe
cellular damage and pathological changes caused by HP-LPS are mitigated by
arjuna herb; these effects are comparable with those of sucralfate. The
anti-ulcer effect of terminalia arjuan may reflect its ability to combat factors
that damage the gastric mucosa, and to protect the mucosal defensive factors.
Side effects, caution, risks and danger
The full side effects or adverse events of arjuna herb are not well known and it
is preferable to limit dosage use to the least amount that works. There is a
possibility that very high dosages could cause liver harm or reduced thyroid
gland activity. It is often difficult to interpret studies done in rodents to
what would happen in humans when a much smaller dosage is used as a supplement.
Additional studies
Cardio-protective role of Terminalia arjuna bark extract is possibly mediated
through alterations in thyroid hormones.
Pharmazie. 2006 Sep; Parmar HS, Panda S, Jatwa R, Kar A. School of Life
Sciences, DA University, Indore, India.
Terminalia arjuna bark extract is believed to exhibit cardio-protective effects.
In the present study we investigated the possible involvement of thyroid
hormones in the amelioration of cardiac and hepatic lipid peroxidation (LPO) by
a bark extract of the plant in albino rats. While L-thyroxine (L-T4) treatment
increased the level of thyroid hormones, heart/body weight ratio as well as
cardiac and hepatic lipid peroxidation, simultaneous administration of 21.42 and
42.84 mg/kg of the plant extract decreased the level of thyroid hormones and
also the cardiac LPO, suggesting the possible mediation of the drug action
through an inhibition in thyroid function. These effects were comparable to a
standard antithyroid drug, propyl thiouracil (PTU). When the drug was
administered to euthyroid animals, serum concentrations of thyroid hormones were
decreased, whereas the hepatic LPO increased indicating a drug induced toxicity
in euthyroid subjects. Although a suboptimal dose of the drug was found to be
non-toxic to the liver, it appeared to be of no use, as it could neither affect
the thyroid functions nor the cardiac lipid peroxidation. Since in euthyroid
animals, thyroid hormones were decreased and hepatic LPO was increased, it is
suggested that high amounts of this plant extract should not be consumed, as
hepatotoxicity as well as hypothyroidism may be caused.
Terminalia arjuna protects mouse hearts against sodium
fluoride-induced oxidative stress.
J Med Food. 2008 Dec;11(4): Sinha M, Manna P, Sil PC. Department of Chemistry,
Bose Institute, Kolkata, India.
Fluoride is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant. In the current study we have
investigated the antioxidative properties of an ethanol extract of the bark of
Terminalia arjuna against sodium fluoride (NaF)-induced oxidative stress in
murine heart. The activities of various antioxidant enzymes (superoxide
dismutase, catalase, and glutathione S-transferase), levels of cellular
metabolites, reduced glutathione, and oxidized glutathione, levels of lipid
peroxidation end products, and protein carbonyl contents were determined in the
cardiac tissues of all the experimental animals. NaF intoxication significantly
altered all the indices related to the prooxidant-antioxidant status of the
heart; treatment with the active constituents prior to NaF administration,
however, prevented these alterations. In addition, the ferric
reducing/antioxidant power assay revealed that Terminalia arjuna enhanced the
cardiac intracellular antioxidant activity. Histological studies also
demonstrated a cardioprotective action of Terminalia arjuna estract. The
combined results suggest that Terminalia arjuna extract protects murine hearts
from NaF-induced oxidative stress, probably via its antioxidant properties.
Inquiries
Are there medical contraindications to use
acai berry extract pills along
with arjuna pills?
Acai berry is a safe supplement and should not interact to
any great degree with this herb.