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Cardoguard, an ayurvedic polyherbal medicine, currently used for hypertension, showed efficacy in
experiments on rats. Further, recent studies have shed light on its mechanism of action. The
formulation containing 6 traditional medicinal plants as ingredients was not subjected to toxicity
evaluation under controlled conditions. Therefore, in the present study, a sub-acute toxicity
evaluation was carried out. The sub-acute toxicity study (29 days) in rats did not show any toxic
symptoms at 25 mg/kg (which is 4 times higher than the extrapolated therapeutic dose) of
Cardoguard as judged from serum biochemical parameters, hematological parameters, behaviour of
animals, weight as well as histology of liver, kidneys and heart. However, a marginal decrease in
body weight of female rats was observed. At very high doses (50 and 100 mg/kg) serum protein
(albumin and globulin) decreased. At these doses, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were also
decreased in male and female rats which are considered as beneficial effects. In male rats alone, at
100 mg/kg group a small statistically significant decrease in serum urea was observed. Thus the
formulation appears to be very safe.
Keywords: Cardoguard, Herbal-formulation, Anti-hypertension, Rats. Toxicity