Comparison of Effect of Phyllanthus emblica (Indian Gooseberry) with and without Honey on Hemoglobin, RBC and PCV among Adolescents

Introduction: Phyllanthus emblica commonly known by names such as Indian gooseberry, amla belongs to the Phyllanthaceae. The plant is used as a medicine and tonic which is highly nutritious and forms an important dietary source of vitamin C and amino acids. Honey is rich in iron which helps in boosting the hemoglobin content in blood by increasing their synthesis. Complete blood count (CBC) is an array of tests to evaluate the cells in the blood which are the red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets.

Aim: The aim of the study is to compare the effect of Phyllanthus emblica (Indian Gooseberry) with and without honey on hemoglobin, RBC (Red Blood Cell) and PCV (Packed cell volume) among adolescents.

Materials and Methods: Ten adolescents including both male and female were selected as subjects for the study. The first group of subjects were categorised to consume gooseberry alone and the second group of subjects were categorised to consume gooseberry along with honey. After 15 days, CBC was taken for the subjects of both groups to analyse the results. Independent ‘t’ test was applied to evaluate the significance of clinical trials performed in two groups.

Results and Discussion: The participant history included fatigueness, pallor, menstrual history, blood pressure, pulse. There is an increase in the mean value of Hb (Hemoglobin), RBC (Red Blood Cell), HCT (Hematocrit), MCV (Mean corpuscular volume), MCH (Mean corpuscular hemoglobin) and RDW (Red cell distribution width). Independent statistical analysis showed that p value is not significant as all the values are not <0.05.

Conclusion: The present study concludes that gooseberry with honey supplementation has shown better results than gooseberry supplementation but it is not statistically significant. It is evident that gooseberry has nutritive and restorative properties. Daily use of gooseberries is safe and can show more significant increase in counts of RBC, Hb in longer duration.