CHAPTER 10 PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF THE CURATIVE BANDAGES BY FIELD TRIAL

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1 101 CHAPTER 10 PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF THE CURATIVE BANDAGES BY FIELD TRIAL 10.1 INTRODUCTION In this chapter, the herbal coated bandages have been evaluated for their effectiveness on curing ailments. The field trial was carried out at a nature cure hospital FIELD TRIAL The field evaluation was conducted at Sri Gayathri Nature Cure Hospital, Coimbatore under the supervision of Dr. N.S. Shanmugavel (Director). The coated bandages were applied externally by the doctor on an open and random group of patients with indications of muscular-skeletal disorders, arthritis, rheumatism, pain, and inflammation. The field trial was spread over 60 days. The initial 30 days (phase 1) the patients were treated with control bandages and the subsequent 30 days (phase 2), the same patients were treated with plant extract coated bandages. A format was designed for recording the observations of the trial. The format contained three parts namely preliminary information, treatment information and outcome of the treatment.

2 102 The primary screening was carried out to find out any undesirable side effects caused by the coated bandages. No reports of allergy and skin irritation were received during the trial period. a b Figure 10.1 Image showing Knee of arthritis patient a) with knee cap b) after the application of curative bandage Figure 10.1 shows the knee of one of the patients with nonmedicated knee cap used earlier and change over to compression bandage coated with the microcapsules of oily extracts of D.viscosa BANDAGE IDENTIFICATION The coated bandages were assigned identification codes for the ease of the nursing staff. Table 10.1 shows the identification codes for the bandages, their type of coating technique followed and the targeted disorders.

3 103 Table 10.1 Identification for the types of bandages used in field trial Sl. No Id- Code Herb Component Bandage type Coating technique Disorders treated with Migraine 1 A1 Moringa oleifera Fixation Coated on weft 2 A2 Moringa oleifera Fixation Coated on fabric 3 B1 Cedrus deodara Fixation Coated on weft 4 B2 Cedrus deodara Fixation Coated on fabric Gout 5 C1 Celastrus Fixation Coated on weft Head ache 6 C2 Celastrus Fixation Coated on fabric Head ache 7 E Dodonaea viscosa Compression Microcapsules coated on fabric Head ache Gout Spondylosis 8 F Ziziphus jujuba Compression Microcapsules coated on fabric CC: Control Compression Bandage CF: Control Fixation Bandage Gout

4 TRIAL DETAILS Based on the observation during the trial period, the performance of the curative bandages was assessed by the doctor. The trial details are provided in Table Table 10.2 Field Trial details Sl.No Id- Code Herb Component 1 A1 Moringa oleifera 2 A2 Moringa oleifera 3 B1 Cedrus deodara 4 B2 Cedrus deodara 5 C1 Celastrus 6 C2 Celastrus 7 E Dodonaea viscosa Disorders treated with No. of patients Migraine Gout 1 2 Head ache Head ache Gout 1 1 Spondylosis F Ziziphus jujuba Gout 1 2 No. of trials Other significant data releated to the field trial is given in Table 10.3.

5 105 Table 10.3 Significant data of field trial Sl. No Parameter Value 1 Average age 45 2 No. Of men/women 14/8 3 Chronicness of the illness Yes 4 Supplementary medication Yes 5 Replacement of bandages On soiling but not later than 3 days 10.5 OUTCOME OF THE TRIAL Based on feed back by the patient and the nursing staff, the outcome of the trial as per the medical practitioner was made. Comparison was done for the period with control bandaging (phase 1) and with extract coated bandaging (phase 2). So, for the same treatment and patient conditions, the effectiveness of the coated bandages over the control bandage is given below. A1 : Satisfactory result obtained in treating arthritis. Coated bandage was found to reduce the pain and swelling reasonably. Prolonged usage may be required for better results. Bandages were found to be ineffective in treating migraine but any how trial was also limited. A2 : Bandage gives relief of pain in arthritis patients. B1 : The bandage was found effective against arthritic and rheumatic pain. The bandage was flexible and did not restrict movement like a knee cap. Prolonged usage may be required.

6 106 B2 : The bandages were found to be good in relieving knee pain and wrist pain (gout). The bandage was flexible and did not restrict the movement of the joint. C1 : No significant pain reduction was experienced. But it gave a better feeling. C2 : The bandages reduced the pain in rheumatism affected patients and provided some relief from headache. E : The bandage was found to be promising in treating gout, arthritis and rheumatism. The compression bandage with coating was found better. No effect against spondylosis was found. F : The bandage had sedative effect for pain. Prolonged use may be required. The enhanced performance of the plant extract coated bandage over the control bandage indicates that there has been transdermal migration of the active compounds from the coated bandage which is in contact with the skin. The sub bandage pressure and contact period are likely to influence this and performance of the bandage is likely to vary. The physiological factors of the patient also will vary the effectiveness CONCLUSION The field trial has given indication that the herbal coated bandages are effective in curing ailments. A prolonged trial minimum over six months would have to be done. Involvement of an orthopaedic doctor and physiotherapist will bring additional inputs.