Title:  Natural product composition for decreasing IgE production and treating secondary allergic responses

United States Patent:  6,451,354

Issued:  September 17, 2002

Inventors:  Hebert; Rolland (Seattle, WA); Shanmugasundaram; Edayatimangalam Raja Bhavani (Chennai, IN); Shanmugasundaram; Kalathkal Radha (Chennai, IN)

Assignee:  Pharma Terra, Inc. (Marcer Island, WA)

Appl. No.:  696498

Filed:  October 25, 2000

A salt-spice-herbal composition known as Amrita Bindu that is clinically useful for reducing IgE production and treating secondary allergic responses is disclosed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention is generally directed to a composition that is shown to decrease and/or normalize elevated IgE levels and therefore have utility as an inhibiting agent of IgE, as well as the prevention and/or treatment of a number of conditions associated with increased IgE levels in warm-blooded animals, including humans.

As used herein, the term "conditions" includes diseases, injuries, disorders, indications and afflictions that are associated with IgE. Conditions "associated with IgE" are those conditions that result, either directly or indirectly from increased IgE levels. The term "treat" or "treatment" means that the symptoms associated with one or more conditions associated with elevated IgE are alleviated or reduced in severity or frequency, and the term "prevent" means that subsequent occurrence of such symptoms are avoided or the frequency between such occurrences is prolonged.

The composition used in accordance with the present invention is designated "Composition A." which is also known as Amerita Bindu. It is prepared as follows:

Step 1

500 grams of dried spikes of Tribulus terrestris L. are pulverized, soaked in 16 liters of water overnight, boiled for 4 hours and filtered. Filtrate is reduced to 2 liters by evaporation, cooled and stored to be used for the next step.

Step 2

Mix together the following:

500 grams of a mixture of chlorides of potassium and sodium, mixed with sulphate and carbonates of calcium and traces of aluminum, 250 grams of rock salt, 250 grams of bangle salt (made from the slag which is formed during the manufacture of glass when sodium carbonate and sand intermix in the heating process), 500 grams of an artificial salt prepared by fusing together a mixture of 40 kgs of sea salt, 500 gram of dried fruits of Terminalia chebula, 500 grams dried fruits of Phyllanthus embilica and 500 grams crude sodium carbonate, 100 grams of crude borax, and 400 grams of a salt made by burning the ash of a variety of woods including bamboos, soluble part of the ash is recrystalized from water. All of the forgoing is mixed together and ground for several hours along with a decoction of Tribulus terrestris. The dough obtained is wrapped in 5-6 leaves of Calatropis gigantean and dried. The dried packed salt mixture is transferred to an earthenware pot and closed with a close-fitting round flat dish which is sealed with clay. The pot is heated on an oven with smokeless coal as fuel for about 6 hours until the clay used to seal the pot appears baked and red colored. After cooling, the seal is broken and the fused salt mixture is pulverized and stored in a clean dry amber colored bottle. The yield of the salt mixture is 75% (w/w).

Step 3

100 grams each of dried ginger, pepper, dried berries of Piper longum Linn., root barks of Plumbago zeylanica and tubers of Cyperus rotundus are pulverized and to this is added 100 grams of the salt mixture obtained from Step 2 above. The ingredients are mixed to a homogeneous mass in a ball mill and removed and stored.

The constituents and the manufacturing process of Composition A as well as its ability to prevent the depletion of both endogenous as well as exogenous antioxidant defense mechanisms have been disclosed previously (Amrita Bindu-a salt-spice-herbal health food supplement for the prevention of nitrosamine induced depletion of antioxidants. K.R. Shanmugasundaram et al J. Ethnopharmacol. 42 (1994) 83-93); Amrita Bindu therapy in diabetic retinopathy: effect on antioxidant defenses and the disease process. Parthiban et al, Perfusion, Vol 9 pp280-283, 1996.) However, it should be understood that the novelty of this invention lies in the unexpected and surprising discovery of the ability of Composition A to lower serum IgE levels in mammals in need thereof unrelated to antioxidant defense mechanisms.

Accordingly, Composition A of this invention is believed effective in preventing or treating the above conditions due to its ability to inhibit or lower IgE. To this end, Composition A of this present invention may be used for pharmaceutical, prophylactic purposes and is administered to a warm-blooded mammal in an effective amount to achieve a desired result. In the case of pharmaceutical administration, an effective amount is a quantity sufficient to treat the symptoms of a condition and/or underlying condition itself. An effective amount in the context of prophylactic administration means an amount sufficient to avoid or delay the onset of a condition and its symptoms.

In a preferred embodiment, Composition A of the present invention is administered to a warm-blooded animal as a pharmaceutical or prophylactic composition in combination with at least one pharmaceutically or prophylactically acceptable carrier or diluent. Such compositions typically contain this composition in the amount ranging from 0.5% to 100%. Administration may be accomplished by systemic or topical application, with the preferred mode dependent upon the type and location of the condition to be treated. Frequency of administration may vary, and is typically accomplished by daily or twice daily administration.

Systemic administration may be achieved, for example, by injection (e.g., intramuscular, intravenous, subcutaneous or intradermal) or oral delivery of the composition to the warm-blooded animal. Suitable carriers and diluents for injection are known to those skilled in the art, and generally are in the form of an aqueous solutions containing appropriate buffers and preservatives. Oral delivery is generally accomplished by formulating the composition in a liquid or solid form, such as a tablet or capsule, by known formulation techniques.

Topical administration may be accomplished, for example, by formulating the composition as solution, cream, gel, ointment, powder, paste, gum or lozenge using techniques known to those skilled in the formulation field. As used herein, topical administration includes delivery of the composition to mucosal tissue of the mouth, nose and throat by, for example, spray or mist application, as well as to the vagina and rectum by, for example, suppository application.

In one embodiment of this invention by way of illustration and not by limitation, Composition A is administered to an animal in need thereof to lower IgE levels for the treatment or prevention of asthma. This may be accomplished by administering an effective amount of composition by any acceptable route of administration. The frequency of administration is preferably from about once a day to about three or four times a day and more preferably once or twice a day.

Claim 1 of 4 Claims

We claim:

1. A method of lowering elevated IgE levels in a mammal in need thereof comprising administering to said mammal, Amrita Bindu, an herbal-salt-spice mixture, in an amount effective to lower said serum IgE levels.

 

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