In vivo hemostatic effect of the medicinal plant extract Ankaferd Blood Stopper in rats pretreated with warfarin.

OBJECTIVE

Ankaferd comprises a mixture of Thymus vulgaris, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Vitis vinifera, Alpinia officinarum and Urtica dioica. Ankaferd Blood Stopper (ABS) has been approved in the management of bleedings. This study aimed to evaluate in vivo hemostatic effect of ABS in rats pretreated with warfarin.

METHODS

Wistar rats (210-270 g) were treated either with warfarin (2 mg/kg) or vehicle (0.9% NaCl) orally before bilateral hind leg amputation. ABS was administered topically to one of the amputed legs. The duration of bleeding and the amount of bleeding were measured to evaluate the hemostatic effect of ABS.

RESULTS

Topical ABS administration to amputed leg shortened the duration of bleeding markedly in both untreated and warfarin-treated rats by 31.9% [1.42 min (95% CI: 0.35-2.49)] and 43.5% [5.12 min (95% CI: 2.16-8.07)] respectively. The amount of bleeding in ABS-administered amputed leg showed a decrease by 53.8% in warfarin-treated group.

CONCLUSIONS

ABS has in vivo hemostatic actions that may provide a therapeutic potential for the management of patients with deficient primary hemostasis in clinical medicine.