Scientists confirm that the coffee senna weed from Africa can manage cholesterol levels

Coffee senna (Senna occidentalis; formerly Cassia occidentalis Linn) was linked to a reduced risk in atherosclerosis, indicating heart-friendly benefits, in a study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The study used an animal model to confirm the ability of the plant’s aqueous extracts to fight cardiovascular disease.

• The coffee senna, a weed common in Africa, has been recognized for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiplasmodial, antihepatotoxic, and anti-diabetes properties.
• To test the anti-atherosclerotic effects of the plant’s aqueous extract, the researchers used rat models which they divided into six groups. The animals, except for those in the control group, were given a high-cholesterol diet. Three of the animal groups were given an increasing dosage of coffee senna extract.
• After four weeks, five out of the ten members of each group were sacrificed. Blood and fecal samples, as well as aorta and liver, were collected and examined. The remaining animals were sacrificed after another four weeks of treatment and their blood collected for biochemical analysis.
• The researchers noted increases in the animals’ weight, as well as their water and food consumption after treatment with the aqueous extract. However, the extract also inhibited an increase in total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), hepatic and aortic triglycerides (TG) and TC. The extract also favored the performance of fecal cholesterol and prevented the formation of aortic plaques.

The researchers concluded that coffee senna can reduce bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels while increasing good cholesterol. Its hypolipidemic and anti-atherosclerotic effects support its traditional role as a treatment for hypertension and diabetes.

Read the full text of this study at this link.

Discover other ways to keep the heart healthy at Heart.news.

Journal Reference:

Fidèle N, Joseph B, Emmanuel T, Théophile D. HYPOLIPIDEMIC, ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTI-ATHEROSCLEROGENIC EFFECT OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT LEAVES OF CASSIA. OCCIDENTALIS LINN (CAESALPINIACEAE) IN DIET-INDUCED HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC RATS. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2017;17(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-1566-x