Browsing by Author "Ama Kyeraa, Thomford"

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    A formulation of Clausena anisata (Willd.) Hook. f. Ex Benth and Cassia sieberiana DC. alleviates the symptoms associated with osteoarthritis: a single-blind, randomised controlled trial of a traditional Ghanaian remedy
    (Springer Open, 2019) Kwesi Prah, Thomford; Yorke, Joseph; Ama Kyeraa, Thomford; Amponsah, Isaac Kingsley; 0000-0002-5229-0340
    Background: Clinical validation of herbal medicinal products is important for their widespread acceptance and application. In this single-blind, randomised controlled trial, a traditional Ghanaian herbal medicine formulation with Clausena anisata (Willd.) Hook. f. ex Benth and Cassia sieberiana DC. as ingredients was evaluated for its safety and effectiveness in the management of patients with osteoarthritis. The formulation for the purposes of this study was labelled with the code GC-500. Methods: A total of 57 participants were randomly assigned to receive either this herbal remedy, GC-500, or the control treatment of diclofenac. Subjects were then followed up for a period of 8 weeks using a modified Graded Chronic Pain Scale (GCPS) for their efficacy assessments. The control treatment comprised 13 subjects and the GC 500 group 44 subjects. Results: Upon completion of the study, 28 (63.63%) subjects in the GC-500 group attained the primary outcome, (GCPS of Grade 0) compared to 5 (38.46%) subjects in the control group. Improvement in disease indicators such as characteristic pain intensity, disability score and disability days was comparable between the GC-500 and diclofenac. Intensity of pain reduced after 8 weeks of treatment; disability score and disability days also declined indicating an improvement in the quality of life of subjects. GC-500 was also shown to be safe for human use. Conclusion: The herbal medicine formulation GC-500, provides a credible treatment option for managing the pain associated with osteoarthritis.
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    Momordica charantia L. for hyperlipidaemia: A randomised controlled assessment of the Ghanaian herbal medicinal product MCP-1
    (Elsevier, 2021) Kwesi Prah, Thomford; Ama Kyeraa, Thomford; Yorke, Joseph; Yeboah, Ronald; Appiah, Alfred Ampomah; 0000-0002-5229-0340
    Cardiovascular diseases are a public health burden for developing countries like Ghana. Scientifically validated herbal medicines are viable options in the prevention and treatment of such conditions. In this study, a rand omised controlled trial involving 15 healthy subjects identified with hyperlipidaemia was undertaken. Treatment comprised a traditional Ghanaian herbal formulation prepared from the leaves and twines of Momordica char antia (MCP-1) with a standard dietary guideline. A control group was managed using a standard dietary guideline alone. In all, 15 subjects completed the study: MCP-1 had 10 subjects and 5 subjects in the control group. At the termination of the trial after 8 weeks, reduction in lipoprotein values were recorded for all participants. In the MCP-1 group, triglycerides reduced by 3.46 % compared to 3.37 % for the control while total cholesterol was also reduced by 9.78 % and 9.43 % in the MCP-1 and control groups respectively. High density lipoproteins (HDL) levels increased by 6.92 % for MCP-1 and 3.92 % for the control group. However, these changes were not statistically significant except in the instance of the low-density lipoproteins (LDL-c; CI: -41.24 to -19.76) and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL-c; CI: -26.87 to -8.192). Changes to other disease indices such as blood pressure (BP), fasting blood sugar (FBS) and body mass index (BMI) were also not different between the 2 groups. MCP-1 was well tolerated among the subjects and was shown to be safe from the biochemical and haematological indicators. The product, MCP-1 has therefore been shown to be a safe and prospective anti-lipidaemic agent.