The effects of melissa officinalis on echocardiography, exercise test, serum biomarkers, and blood pressure in patients with chronic stable angina

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular disease is one of the major causes of mortality from non-communicable diseases. In recent years there has been a growing interest in herbal medicine as a complementary therapy for the treatment of multiple conditions. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Melissa officinalis (MO) on the results of echocardiography, exercise stress test, cardiovascular serum biomarkers such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and nitric oxide (NO), and blood pressure in patients with chronic stable angina (CSA). Materials & methods: Eighty patients with CSA were randomly divided into case and control groups in a double-blind clinical trial. They received 3 g/d lemon balm or placebo for 2 months. Anthropometric measurements, echocardiography and exercise stress test were performed before and after intervention. Also, LDH and NO were measured as cardiovascular parameters. Results: The mean levels of Ejection Fraction (EF) in the echocardiography and maximum workload in the exercise test were significantly higher in the intervention group compared with placebo (p < 0.01) post intervention. Moreover, the mean serum level of LDH was significantly (p < 0.001) lower in the intervention group compared with control group. Additionally, the mean serum level of NO was higher in the intervention group compared with placebo (p < 0.01) post intervention. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) were also decreased in the intervention group compared with placebo (p < 0.05) post intervention. Conclusion: The results show that MO supplementation may improve EF,maximum workload, cardiovascular serum biomarkers (LDH, NO), and blood pressure in patients with CSA.