Kacip Fatimah

Generic name: Labisia Pothoina, Labisia Pumila Benth. & Hook. F., Labisia Pumila Var. Pumila., Labisia Pumila Var. Lanceolata (Scheff.) Mez., Labisia Pumila Var.alata (Scheff.) Mez., Marantodes Pumilum (Blume) Kuntze, Marantodes Pumilum Var. Alata
Brand names: Kacip Fatimah, Selusoh Fatimah, Selusuh Fatimah

Usage of Kacip Fatimah

Review of the medical literature primarily documents animal research on the potential clinical use of kacip fatimah in women's health.(Al-Wahaibi 2007, Al-Wahaibi 2008, Fazliana 2009, Mannerås 2010) Numerous toxicity studies have also been published.(Effendy 2004, Ezumi 2007, Fuad 2005, Singh 2009, Wan 2008, Zaizuhana 2006)

Antioxidant

The antioxidant activities of the leaf extracts are well documented in vitro.(Norhaiza 2009)

Postmenopausal health

In vitro and animal data

Kacip fatimah maintained the integrity and morphology of the aortic wall of ovariectomized rats. The cardioprotective effects were similar to estrogen.(Al-Wahaibi 2008) The SAMe study found estrogen activity similar to estrone and estradiol by a water extract of kacip fatimah in an immunoassay for estradiol binding to antibodies raised against estradiol. The effect was dose Dependent on estradiol and free Testosterone levels in female rats. Estrogen receptor modulation may be a potential mechanism of the herb.(Al-Wahaibi 2007)

In rats, kacip fatimah may modulate postmenopausal adiposity similar to estrogen by initiating lipolysis in adipose tissue.(Fazliana 2009) The herb's mechanism of action is associated with a uterotrophic effect and regulating body weight gain by changing the expression and secretion of adipokines, leptin, and resistin in adipose tissue. In a postmenopausal rat model, bone density was significantly improved with daily oral M. pumilum var. alata leaf or root extract for 8 weeks. The leaf extract also provided significant increases in bone strength compared to untreated controls.(Giaze 2019) While in another postmenopause model, vaginal atrophy was significantly improved with intravaginal treatment using M. pumilum leaf extract gel and led to 4- and 7-fold increases in vaginal epithelial thickness compared to untreated controls (P<0.05). The effect was dose-dependent.(Tan 2019)

Clinical data

Administration of L. pumila var alata dried extract (400 mg/day) for 16 weeks in 202 pre- and postmenopausal healthy women was shown to be safe but provided no significant benefit in quality of life, hormonal parameters, cardiovascular risk profiles, or bone mineral density compared to placebo in a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial.(Norhayati 2014)

Skin protection

A kacip fatimah extract protected against the effects of ultraviolet radiation by: (1) protecting dermal fibroblasts from cell death; (2) reducing expression of inflammatory mediators tumor necrosis factor-alpha and cyclo-oxygenase-2; (3) increasing expression of type 1 procollagen; and (4) reducing expression of inflammatory cytokines.(16)

Stress

Pretreatment with an aqueous extract of kacip fatimah in experimental animals reversed behavioral, biochemical, and immunological changes produced by stressful stimuli and restored homeostasis.(Kour 2010)

Other uses

In a male diabetic rat model, Fasting blood glucose, insulin levels, and HbA1c were all significantly improved with administration of an aqueous kacip fatimah leaf extract compared to untreated diabetic controls (P<0.05 for each). By day 28, fasting blood glucose in the diabetic group treated with the extract or the positive control (glibenclamide) approached levels of the nondiabetic normal controls. Additionally, pancreatic islet cells were bigger and less necrotic with increased insulin expression.(Adam 2017)

In a rat model of polycystic ovary syndrome, oral treatment with kacip fatimah increased insulin sensitivity, reduced triglyceride and total cholesterol levels, increased circulating resistin levels, and decreased leptin mRNA expression. Body weight development was not affected, but uterine weight was increased, indicating potential estrogenic effects.(Mannerås 2010)

Oral administration of M. pumilum var alata leaf extract for 7 days resulted in a significantly higher uterine contractile force in postpartum rats that was approximately 1.5 times more than controls (P<0.05). Additionally, the estrogen to progesterone ratio was 5.5- to 2.3-fold higher. These results occurred with the 250 and 500 mg/kg/day doses but not the 100 mg/kg/day dose on day 8 postpartum.(Wan Omar 2019)

The ability of a liposomal L. pumila extract to reduce uterine fibroid volume compared to controls has also been demonstrated in mice (P<0.001).(Zakaria 2020)

Kacip Fatimah side effects

No clinical data were found.

Before taking Kacip Fatimah

Avoid use during pregnancy and lactation due to lack of sufficient clinical data. In an animal model, a 1,000 mg/kg/day aqueous extract of kacip fatimah did not cause any teratogenic effects. Although considered statistically insignificant, an increase in body weight of pregnant animals was observed.Fuad 2005

How to use Kacip Fatimah

Kacip fatimah is primarily marketed as a health tonic for women by the herbal and pharmaceutical industries. The herb, or formulations with other herbs, is available in many commercial products as a capsule, tea, or coffee, and as a canned beverage for human consumption.Foster 2009, Singh 2009 DoSages of up to 560 mg/day in postmenopausal women appeared safe.Foster 2009 Most commercial formulations are 154 mg capsules taken twice daily.

Warnings

In an animal reproductive toxicity study, no observable adverse effects on pregnancy, delivery, and early pup growth in female rats were documented with 800 mg/kg/day of aqueous kacip fatimah extract.Ezumi 2007 Another animal study using 1,000 mg/kg/day of aqueous kacip fatimah extract observed changes in maternal body weight, but no teratogenic effects were seen in rats.Fuad 2005 A similar study noted no toxicity risks in the reproductive organs of female rats.Wan 2008

No toxicity was documented with a low dose of 50 mg/kg of an aqueous kacip fatimah extract in rats. However, the 200 to 1,000 mg/kg dose in rats was associated with elevated liver enzymes and abnormal histological profiles of the liver, kidney, and lungs.Singh 2009 The same study found a petroleum ether extract of this plant to cause sinusoidal degeneration of the liver with renal tubule inflammation at days 1 to 7 postpartum in female Wistar rats.Singh 2009 Histological changes were noted in the thickness of the endometrial wall in nonpregnant rats treated with a kacip fatimah extract.Effendy 2004

No observed mUTAgenic or genotoxic effects were documented from micronucleus assays using different dosages of kacip fatimah aqueous extracts on mammalian bone marrow cells.Zaizuhana 2006

What other drugs will affect Kacip Fatimah

The plant contains iron and may provide additive adverse effects in patients being treated with iron supplements. The herb may have estrogen-like effects; avoid use in patients with estrogen-sensitive cancers or patients being treated with hormonal supplements. The herb also may have additive adverse effects if patients are being treated with cholesterol medications. Avoid use if known allergy or hypersensitivity to any of the components of kacip fatimah exists.

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