Osbeckia octandra (Heen bowitiya) herbal tea: Effect on metabolic indices in metabolic dysfunction associated fatty liver disease

Abstract

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a common, multisystemic disorder. O. octandra is used in traditional medicine to treat liver diseases and diabetes mellitus. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of O. octandra herbal tea on metabolic indices in MAFLD. A 16-week, randomised, controlled, open-label trial including 122 MAFLD patients assigned to a test group (n = 62), receiving O. octandra tea (6.0 g plant powder per day, every other day) with standard therapy and lifestyle intervention, or a control group (n = 60), receiving standard therapy with lifestyle intervention alone was conducted at Colombo North Teaching Hospital. Glycemic indices, lipid profile, hs-CRP, and free thyroxin (FT4) were determined at baseline and after 16 weeks. The paired t-test and analysis of covariance test were used to analyse the data. Fasting blood glucose (FBS) and HbA1c showed a non-significant increase in both arms (p > 0.05) at follow-up, with no significant differences in the changes between the test and control groups (p = 0.87, p = 0.67). Total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol showed a significant increase in both groups (p < 0.05) at follow-up. However, a non-significant increase (0.6%) in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (reference > 40 mg dL–1 for males, > 50 mg dL1 for females) (p = 0.71), and a decrease (6%) in triglycerides (reference < 150 mg dL–1, p = 0.16) were observed following the intervention in the test group. The changes of lipid profile parameters were not significantly different between the test and control groups at follow-up (p > 0.05). Hs-CRP reduced significantly in both test and control groups (p = 0.03, p = 0.002), with no significant difference between the test and control groups (p = 0.14). A non-significant increase in FT4 was observed in the control group after 16 weeks (p = 0.053), while the changes did not differ significantly between the test and control groups (p = 0.14). The ingestion of O. octandra herbal tea every other day for four months contributed to a slight increase in HDL-C and a decrease in triglycerides, with no major impact on other studied parameters in MAFLD patients.