The therapeutic effect of an herbal formula Badmaev 28 (Padma 28) on experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in SJL/J mice

A herbal formula, Badmaev 28, was evaluated in the treatment of an induced attack In a chronic relapsing model of experimental allergic encephalomyeli tis (EAE) in SJL/J mire. Chronic EAE was induced by immunization of 8 week old mice with an emulsion of syngeneic spinal cords with incomplete Freund' s adjuvant supplemented with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Therapy with Badma ev 28 was started on day 25 after the immunization, and the formula was adm inistered in the drinking water at doses of 7, 21, 83 and 166 mg/kg/day, Th e treatment resulted in significantly decreased mortality compared with the untreated control animals and the therapeutic effect occurred in one exper iment in a dose-dependent fashion. Based on the experimental results it is difficult to name one particular mechanism responsible for the therapeutic effectiveness of the formula in the EAE model, Rather this protective effec t could be explained by a broad protective mechanism of action discussed in the literature as nonspecific resistance (NSR) to the diversified biologic al and psychological stressors, The increase in NSR characterizes the actio n of pharmacological compounds termed adaptogens or bioprotectants, Copyrig ht (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.