Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna)

Arjun is an important cardiotonic plant described in Ayurveda¹. It is a large, evergreen tree that grows to heights of 60-90 feet throughout India. It has a spreading crown and drooping branches. The bark is very thick, grey or pinkish green, smooth, exfoliating in large, thin, irregular sheets.

The bark is useful as an anti-ischaemic and cardioprotective agent in hypertension and ischaemic heart disease, especially in disturbed cardiac rhythm, angina or myocardial infarction. Terminalia arjuna has been shown to be beneficial for coronary artery disease, heart failure, and possibly for high cholesterol levels. It has also been found to be antibacterial and antimutagenic² (protection against cancer).

Various studies have demonstrated the heart protective action of Arjun. The effect of Terminalia arjun on angina pectoris (chest pain) and congestive heart failure (where the heart cannot pump enough blood to various organs) was studied in 10 patients with ischaemic heart disease and/or myocardial infarction. Administration of Terminalia arjun improved the left ventricular ejection fraction (which determines the heart‚s efficiency) in patients³.

In another randomised, double-blind study, 58 males with chronic stable angina (NYHA class II-III) received either Terminalia arjun or isosorbide mononitrate or a matching placebo. There was improvement in clinical and treadmill exercise parameters in both groups compared to placebo therapy. These benefits were similar to those observed with isosorbide mononitrate therapy and the extract of Arjun was well tolerated⁴.

The heart protective actions of Terminalia arjuna are due to its potent antioxidant and cholesterol- reducing activity.

In a study on 105 patients, it was found that patients on Arjun had a significant reduction in the total and low-density lipoprotein (bad) cholesterol, along with enzymes responsible for initiating oxidative stress⁵.

1. Kumar DS, Prabhakar YS. On the ethnomedical significance of the Arjun tree, Terminalia Terminalia arjuna. (Roxb.) Wight Arnot. J Ethnopharmacol. 1987 Jul;20(2):173-90.

2. Terminalia arjuna. Altern Med Rev. 1999 Dec;4 (6):436-7.

3. Dwivedi S, Jauhari R. Beneficial effects of Terminalia Terminalia arjunain coronary artery disease. Indian Heart J. 1997 Sep-Oct;49(5):507-10.

4. Bharani A, Ganguli A, Mathur LK, Jamra Y, Raman PG. Efficacy of Terminalia Terminalia arjunain chronic stable angina: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study comparing Terminalia Terminalia arjunawith isosorbide mononitrate. Indian Heart J. 2002 Mar-Apr;54(2):170-5.

5. Gupta R, Singhal S, Goyle A, Sharma VN. Antioxidant and hypocholesterolaemic effects of Terminalia Terminalia arjunatree-bark powder: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. J Assoc Physicians India. 2001 Feb;49:231-5.