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Folium cum Flore Crataegi
extract also had lower blood pressure and heart rate during exercise, and
had fewer overall symptoms, such as dyspnoea and fatigue (31). In the
third trial, 132 patients were treated orally with 900 mg extract or 37.5 mg
captopril daily for 8 weeks in a double-blind comparative study. Exercise
tolerance, measured after 56 days of treatment, improved significantly in
both groups (P < 0.001). In addition, the pressure/rate product was reduced,
and the incidence and severity of symptoms such as dyspnoea and
fatigue decreased by approximately 50% (32).
Pressure/rate product
Two double-blind, placebo-controlled trials assessed the efficacy of the
extract containing 18.75% oligomeric procyanidins in a total of 156 patients
with stage II cardiac insufficiency. Patients were treated orally with
160 mg extract or placebo daily for 8 weeks. The main parameters measured
were the pressure/rate product using a bicycle ergometer, and the
score of subjective symptom status. Patients treated with the extract exhibited
a significant improvement in exercise tolerance, as compared with
the placebo group (P < 0.05), and also a decrease in subjective complaints
(28, 34). In addition, a slight reduction in the systolic and diastolic blood
pressure was noted in both groups (28).
Ventricular ejection fraction
In a trial without controls involving seven patients with stages II and III cardiac
insufficiency, with an angiographically determined left ventricular ejection
fraction of less than 55% over a period of 4 weeks, oral administration of
240 mg extract containing 18.75% oligomeric procyanidins daily for 4 weeks
increased the ventricular ejection fraction from 29.80 to 40.45%, as measured
by angiography. Symptomatic complaints (Complaint List as defined by von
Zerssen) also showed improvements (33). The effects of the extract containing
18.75% oligomeric procyanidins on haemodynamics were also investigated
by radionuclide angiocardiography in a study without controls. Twenty
patients with stage II cardiac insufficiency, with an angiographically
determined left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 55% over a period of
4 weeks, were treated with 480 mg extract. After treatment, the ejection fraction
increased from 40.18 to 43.50% at rest, and from 41.51 to 46.56% under
exercise conditions. Ergometric tolerance to exercise improved, blood pressure
decreased and subjective complaints were reduced (26).
Pharmacokinetics
Absorption of a 14 C-labelled oligomeric procyanidin fraction of standardized
extracts of leaves with flowers was measured in mice after intragas-
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