Xarope de chambá (Justicia pectoralis jacq.) no tratamento da tosse e sintomas respiratórios: um ensaio clínico randomizado

Abstract

Cough is one of the most common pediatric problems for which parents seek medical attention. Upper respiratory infections continue a big challenge for worldwide health. Many species of plants are traditionally used for the treatment of respiratory diseases, and some of these plants have been investigated for their effectiveness, presenting results. In the last decades the interest for the phytotherapy had a considerable increase and the leaves of Justice pectoralis Jacq. (Chambá) have been used by the population to treat respiratory tract conditions, such as cough, bronchitis and asthma, and are being studied in several pre-clinical and clinical trials. The present study evaluated the efficacy of Chambá syrup at 5% when compared to a placebo in the treatment of cough and respiratory symptoms. It was a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, where two groups were studied simultaneously, one of this group received the intervention of interest (Chambá syrup) and the other a control group (placebo). This study evaluated cough and respiratory symptoms in children, through an instrument that was applied in the pre and the pos treatment, by using with a 7-point Likert scale. There were 114 children with cough and respiratory symptoms, enrolled in the study, during the period from November 2017 through February 2018. The result showed that Chambá syrup, was effective in relieving symptoms of cough, nasal congestion and rhinorrhea, as well as improving the sleeping capacity of children and their caregivers, when compared to placebo, with p <.0001 calculated using the Student t test.