Abstract

Tea from Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze has long been used in herb medicine and recognized to possess anti-inflammative effects. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of green tea polyphenols in treatment of pharyngitis in human subjects. The clinical study was carried out as a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group comparative trial. It was found that the integral scores of all the observed individual clinical signs and symptoms were decreased significantly from pre-treatment to post-treatment (P<0.05) in both green tea polyphenols treatment and the control. Therapeutic effects assessment showed that the decrease in the total integral scores in the green tea polyphenols group was more significant (P<0.05) than in the control medicine group and that green tea polyphenols had a more prominent efficacy (P<0.05) in eliminating pharyngodynia in pharyngitis patients. Green tea polyphenols demonstrated high total effective rate in the pharyngitis treatment (n = 60, 96.67%). Neither adverse events nor abnormal observation in vital signs were found throughout the study. It can be concluded that green tea polyphenols can be used as a reliable and effective phytochemical in the treatment of pharyngitis.

Key words: Green tea polyphenols, clinical evaluation, pharyngitis, human subjects.