Department of Biomedical Science Program, Graduate School, Khon Kaen University, 40002, Thailand.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011;2011:579467. doi: 10.1093/ecam/nep177. Epub 2011 Jun 7.
Recently, oxidative stress has been reported to contribute an important role in the decline of physical function as age advances. Numerous antioxidants can improve both physical and psychological performances resulting in the increase of health-related quality of life (HQOL). Therefore, we hypothesized that Centella asiatica, a medicinal plant reputed for nerve tonic, strength improvement and antioxidant activity, could improve the physical performance and HQOL especially in the physical satisfaction aspect, of the healthy elderly volunteer. To test this hypothesis, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial was performed. Eighty healthy elderly were randomly assigned to receive placebo or standardized extract of C. asiatica at doses of 250, 500 and 750 mg once daily for 90 days. The subjects were evaluated to establish baseline data of physical performance using 30-s chair stand test, hand grip test and 6-min walk test. The health-related quality of life was assessed using SF-36. These assessments were repeated every month throughout the 3-month experimental period using the aforementioned parameters. Moreover, 1 month after the cessation of C. asiatica treatment, all subjects were also evaluated using these parameters again. The results showed that after 2 months of treatment, C. asiatica at doses of 500 and 750 mg per day increased lower extremity strength assessed via the 30-s chair stand test. In addition, the higher doses of C. asiatica could improve the life satisfaction subscale within the physical function subscale. Therefore, the results from this study appear to support the traditional reputation of C. asiatica on strength improvement, especially in the lower extremities of the elderly. C. asiatica also possesses the potential to be a natural resource for vigor and strength increase, in healthy elderly persons. However, further research is essential.
最近有研究报道，随着年龄的增长，氧化应激在身体功能下降中起着重要作用。许多抗氧化剂可以改善身体和心理表现，从而提高健康相关生活质量（HQOL）。因此，我们假设，作为一种具有滋补神经、增强体力和抗氧化活性的药用植物，积雪草可以改善健康老年人的体力表现和 HQOL，尤其是在身体满意度方面。为了验证这一假设，进行了一项双盲、安慰剂对照、随机试验。将 80 名健康老年人随机分为安慰剂组或积雪草标准化提取物组，剂量分别为 250、500 和 750mg，每天一次，持续 90 天。通过 30 秒坐立测试、握力测试和 6 分钟步行测试评估受试者的体力表现，建立基线数据。使用 SF-36 评估健康相关生活质量。在整个 3 个月的实验期间，每月重复使用上述参数进行评估。此外，在停止积雪草治疗 1 个月后，再次使用这些参数对所有受试者进行评估。结果表明，治疗 2 个月后，每天服用 500 和 750mg 积雪草可增强 30 秒坐立测试评估的下肢力量。此外，较高剂量的积雪草可改善身体功能子量表中的生活满意度子量表。因此，这项研究的结果似乎支持积雪草增强体力的传统声誉，尤其是在老年人的下肢。积雪草还有可能成为健康老年人增强活力和体力的天然资源。然而，还需要进一步的研究。
