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Introduction: Eurycoma longifolia Jack (EL), profoundly recognised as 'Tongkat Ali', is a medicinal herb originating from Southeast Asia. It is commonly used in traditional 'antiageing' treatments to address decreased energy, mood, libido and hormonal imbalances. While the benefits of EL have been extensively studied among the male population, less attention has been given to its effects on women. Menopause can impact the overall well-being of middle-aged women and incorporation of herbal supplements can aid them in managing the menopausal symptoms., Methods and Analysis: This 12-week randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the standardised water extract of EL known as Physta in increasing the quality of life of perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. The study involves 150 women aged 40-55 years who score more than 61 on the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) assessment. These participants will be randomised into three groups, receiving Physta at either 50 mg or 100 mg or a placebo. The outcomes measures include mood state, quality of life, fatigue, sleep quality, sexual function and pain score assessed using Profile of Mood State, MENQOL, Chalder Fatigue Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Female Sexual Function Index and the Brief Pain Inventory questionnaires, respectively. The secondary outcome of the study includes full blood analysis, urine analysis, female reproductive hormone profiling, inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers analysis., Ethics and Dissemination: The research protocol of the study was reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM/PPI/111/8/JEP-2021-898). The findings will be disseminated to participants, healthcare professionals and researchers via conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications., Trial Registration Number: ACTRN12622001341718., Competing Interests: Competing interests: AG and SMC are employees of Biotropics Malaysia Berhad., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

The antimicrobial and antioxidant effects of different spice extracts in raw chicken meat during storage for 15 days at 4 °C were studied. Raw chicken meat was treated with BHT (positive control), Syzygium aromaticum (SA), Cinnmomum cassia (CC), Origanum vulgare (OV), and Brassica nigra (BN) extracts and the different combinations as well as the results were compared to raw chicken meat without any additive (negative control). The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of spice extracts were determined. Total phenolic contents and flavonoid contents were ranged from 14.09 ± 0.78 to 24.65 ± 0.83 mg of GAE/g and 7.07 ± 0.15 to 12.13 ± 0.24 mg of quercetin/g, respectively. The pH, instrumental color (CIE L*, a*, b*), total viable counts (TVC), Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) counts, Enterobacteriaceae counts, Pseudomonas spp. counts and 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were determined at a gap of 3 days interval for a period of 15 days. The bacterial counts of T-W-SA+T-W-CC+T-W-OV samples were lower than control samples during storage. T-W-SA+T-W-CC+T-W-OV samples maintained significantly (P<0.05) higher L*, a* and b* values while storing. The TBARS values of T-W-SA+T-W-CC+T-W-OV samples were lowest among the samples. These results show that spice extracts are very effective against microbial growth, lipid oxidation and has potential as a natural antioxidant in raw chicken meats., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Simaroubaceae) root extract is known to exhibit antiinflammatory, antiviral and immunomodulatory activities. Therefore, E. longifolia, through a multimodal approach could potentially be used in COVID-19 management. However, to date there has been no investigation into the antiviral activity of E. longifolia root extract against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The objective of the study is to investigate the antiviral activity of Physta® (a standardised water extract of E. longifolia) against SARS-CoV-2. A mitochondrial metabolic activity assay using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) was used to determine the cytotoxicity of the Physta® extract in Vero cells, with concentrations ranging from 1.95 µg/mL to 1,000 µg/mL. Physta® was tested for antiviral activity at six different concentrations, ranging from 3.12 µg/mL to 50 µg/mL. The half maximal cytotoxic concentration (CC50) value of Physta® against Vero cells was estimated at 1,117 µg/mL and the maximum non-toxic dose (MNTD) value was estimated at 60 µg/mL. Physta® inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in a dose-dependent manner, and the half maximal inhibition concentration (IC50) was estimated to be 36.3 µg/mL. This study has demonstrated the antiviral activity of Physta® against SARS-CoV-2. Future evaluations in animal and clinical settings should be conducted to determine whether Physta® can be used alone or in combination with other antiviral agents to alleviate COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low testosterone levels cause physiological changes that compromise the quality of life in ageing men. A standardised water extract from the root of Eurycoma longifolia (EL), known as Physta®, is known to increase testosterone levels. Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of Physta® in improving the testosterone levels and quality of life in ageing male subjects. Design: This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study enrolled 105 male subjects aged 50-70 years with a testosterone level <300 ng/dL, BMI ≥ 18 and ≤30.0 kg/m². The subjects were given either Physta® 100 mg, 200 mg or placebo daily for 12 weeks. The primary endpoints were changes in serum total and free testosterone levels. The secondary endpoints included changes in the level of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), dihydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), thyroid function tests (T3, T4, TSH and Free T3) and cortisol. Changes in Ageing Male Symptoms (AMS) score, Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) score and muscle strength are other secondary endpoints. The safety of the intervention products was measured by complete blood count, lipid profile, liver and renal function tests. Results: There was a significant increase in the total testosterone levels at week 12 (P < 0.05) in the Physta® 100 mg group and at weeks 4 (P < 0.05), 8 (P < 0.01) and 12 (P < 0.001) in the Physta® 200 mg group compared to placebo. No significant between-group differences in free testosterone levels were observed but a significant within-group increase occurred at weeks 4 (P < 0.01), 8 (P < 0.001) and 12 (P < 0.001) in the Physta®100 mg group and at weeks 2 (P < 0.01), 4 (P < 0.01), 8 (P < 0.001) and 12 (P < 0.001) in the Physta® 200 mg group. The AMS and FSS showed significant reduction (P < 0.001) in total scores at all time-points within- and between-group in both Physta® groups. DHEA levels significantly increased (P < 0.05) within-group in both Physta® groups from week 2 onwards. Cortisol levels significantly (P < 0.01) decreased in the Physta® 200 mg group, while muscle strength significantly (P < 0.001) increased in both Physta® groups at week 12 in the within- group comparison. There were no significant changes in SHBG. No safety related clinically relevant changes were observed. Conclusion: Supplementation of Physta® at 200 mg was able to increase the serum total testosterone, reduce fatigue and improve the quality of life in ageing men within 2 weeks' time. Trial registration: This clinical study has been registered in ctri.nic.in (CTRI/2019/03/017959). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interest in herbal medicines and non-hormonal therapies for the treatment of menopausal symptoms has increased since the publication of adverse effects of estrogen replacement therapy. Vasomotor symptoms are the most characteristic and notable symptoms of menopause. Objective: To investigate the changes in the frequency and severity of hot flush and associated vasomotor symptoms experienced by peri-menopausal and menopausal women supplemented with the herbal formulation (Nu-femme™) comprising Labisia pumila (SLP+®) and Eurycoma longifolia (Physta®) or placebo. Design: Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 24-week study enrolled 119 healthy women aged 41-55 years experiencing peri-menopausal or menopausal symptoms and supplemented with Nu-femme™ or placebo. The primary endpoint was comparative changes between treatment groups in the change in the frequency and severity of hot flushes. The secondary objectives were to assess the changes in the frequency and severity of joint pain, Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) questionnaire domain scores. Concentrations of serum hormone, lipid profile, bone markers, sleep quality and vitality were also studied as secondary objectives. Results: At week 12, significant (P < 0.01) improvements in hot flush symptoms were observed in Nu-femme™ and placebo groups. Even though there was no significant difference between groups, higher percentage of improvement, 65%, was seen in Nu-femme™ compared to 60% in placebo. Significant improvements (P < 0.001) in MRS and MENQOL scores at weeks 12 and 24 were observed in both groups, respectively. Luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) at weeks 12 and 24, respectively, compared to baseline in the Nu-femme™ group, with no significant changes observed in the placebo group. There were significant (P < 0.05) reductions in serum low-density lipid and triglycerides levels at week 12 in Nu-femme™ group, but no changes seen in placebo group. At the end of week 24, changes in haematology and clinical chemistry parameters remained within normal clinical ranges in both groups. Conclusion: Herbal formulation consists of L. pumila and E. longifolia (Nu-femme™) may support reduction in hot flushes and improvements in hormone and lipid profile in healthy peri-menopausal and menopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinacanthus nutans (Burm. f.) Lindau (C. nutans) has been reported to lower blood glucose level; however, evidence on its efficacy in lowering diabetic complications is limited. The antidiabetic properties of C. nutans aqueous leaf extract on serum metabolic indices, sorbitol production, and aldose reductase enzyme activities in the kidneys, lens, and sciatic nerve of type II diabetic (T2D) rats were evaluated. All rats except normal control rats were fed with a high‐fat diet for 8 weeks to induce obesity and subsequently injected with 35 mg/kg streptozotocin to induce type II diabetes. Aqueous leaf extract of C. nutans (100 and 200 mg kg−1 day−1) and quercetin (10 mg kg−1 day−1) were fed orally for 4 weeks. Diabetic rats administered with C. nutans at 100, 200 mg kg−1 day−1 and quercetin had significantly (p < 0.05) lower fasting blood glucose levels post‐intervention: 14.2, 14.0, and 19.9 mm, respectively, compared with the untreated group (22.1 mm). Total cholesterol was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in the C. nutans groups in comparison with the diabetic control group. Levels of F2‐isoprostane, a marker of oxidative stress, were attenuated in the presence of the extract. Aldose reductase enzyme activity increased by 64, 99, and 0% and total antioxidant activities by 22, 29, and 126%, respectively. Sorbitol levels in the kidney, lens, and nerve were reduced in diabetic rats administered with C. nutans and quercetin group (by 8, 16, and 3%, respectively). The protective effect of the extract to the liver and kidney was confirmed through liver and kidney enzyme markers and histological analyses. The C. nutans has the potential to attenuate T2D‐induced metabolic perturbations and complications related to sorbitol accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]