Efficacy of Ritseeduangthawan Formula in the Treatment of Hemorrhoids

Abstract

A double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Ritseeduangthawan formula. This formulation contains Pistachia chinensis Bunge subsp., Picrorhiza kurrooa Royle ex Benth., Artemisia annua L., Terminalia chebula Retz. Var. chebula., Angelica dahurica Benth., Nigella sativa L., Lepidium sativum L., Cuminum cyminum L., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Anethum  graveolens L., Piper pendulispicum C.DC., Cinnamomum bejolghtha (Ham.) Sweet., Cinnamomum verum J.S. Presl., Zingiber officinale Roscoe., Piper retrofractum Vahl., Myristica   fragrans Houtt., Piper nigrum L., Commiphora guidottii Chiov., Platycladus oriientalis (L.) Franco., Pouzolzia  zeylanica Benn. And Pouzolzia pentandra Benn. which has been used in the treatment of hemorrhoids. Inclusion criteria  were male and female out-patients at the Thai Traditional and Integrated medicine Hospital, Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine age 18 - 60 with symptoms of hemorrhoids i.e. pain, bleeding and prolapsed.  Sixty two subjects were equally randomized into 2 groups:  Group 1 treated with Ritseeduangthawan formula, administered one capsule orally three times a day before meal for 28 days; Group 2 treated with a formula containing Diosmin and Hesperidin,  administered one tablet orally three times a day before meal for 28 days. The severity of hemorrhoid was evaluated as pain, bleeding and prolapsed. Assessment within and between groups was performed  on days 0, 14 and 28. The  obtained data revealed that the levels of pain, bleeding and prolapsed on day 28 were significantly lower than the pretreatment on day 0 in both groups. However, the levels of pain, bleeding and prolapsed in both before and after treatment on day 28 were not significantly different between the two  groups. The results suggested that the efficacy of this Ritseeduangthawan formula at the dose of 600 mg/day was comparable to the formula containing Diosmin and Hesperidin at the dose of 1,500 mg/day for 28 days.