10/13/2018 / By Michelle Simmons
Research has found that fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis), a perennial plant common in West Africa, can improve liver health. The study, which was published in the Journal of Biomedical Sciences, investigated the hepatoprotective effects of fluted pumpkin on liver damage.
- Researchers from Gregory University and PAMO University of Medical Sciences in Nigeria evaluated the effect of fluted pumpkin seeds on liver damage in mice.
- The researchers administered carbon tetrachloride in mice to induce liver damage.
- Then, the researchers gave mice either 400 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of the chloroform extract of fluted pumpkin seed or 800 mg/kg chloroform extract of fluted pumpkin seed for two weeks.
- Results revealed that the administration of chloroform extract of fluted pumpkin seed at the given dosages improved liver damage.
- The fluted pumpkin seed extract exhibited hepatoprotective and curative effects on liver damages.
- The healing and protective effects of the fluted pumpkin seed extract may be attributed to its phytochemical constituents, such as flavonoids, terpenes, and alkaloids.
- The fluted pumpkin seed extract was also considered safe to use as it did not cause any harmful or toxic effects even at high doses of its intake.
In conclusion, the findings of the study indicated that fluted pumpkin seed is a safe and effective alternative to prevent liver damage and to treat a damaged liver.
Read the full text of the study at this link.
To read more stories on healing plants like the fluted pumpkin, visit Phytonutrients.news today.
Journal Reference:
Vidona WB, Wadioni A. ASSESSMENT OF LIVER HISTOMORPHOLOGY AND CURATIVE EFFECT OF CHLOROFORM EXTRACT OF TELFAIRIA OCCIDENTALIS SEED ON CARBON TETRACHLORIDE (CCL4) INDUCED LIVER TOXICITY IN WISTAR RATS. Journal of Biomedical Sciences. 27 April 2018; 7(1): 4. DOI: 10.4172/2254-609X.100083