Effect of Rowachol on biliary lipid secretion and serum lipids in normal volunteers

Abstract

The effect of Rowachol (200 mg tid), an essential oil preparation, on biliary lipid secretion and serum lipids was measured in six healthy male volunteers before and after four weeks of treatment. Biliary cholesterol and phospholipid secretion increased significantly from 113 ± 36 (SD) μmol/h to 155 ± 52 μmol/h (p<0.05) and from 409 ± 145 μmol/h to 587 ± 185 μmol/h (p<0.05), respectively. Bile acid secretion increased from 1519 ± 662 μmol/h to 2287 ± 1175 μmol/h (p>0.05 and >0.10). This marked increase in biliary lipid secretion was not followed by a change in molar composition of biliary lipids and lithogenicity of bile. Serum cholesterol and triglycerides declined from 4.9 mmol/l to 4.1 mmol/l (p<0.05) and from 1.2 mmol/l to 0.9 mmol/l (p<0.05) respectively. The ratio of high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol to total cholesterol increased from 0.22 to 0.31 (p<0.05). Although it has been shown previously that Rowachol could dissolve cholesterol gall stones the present results indicate that Rowachol alone has only weak litholytic properties, at least in normal volunteers, but might have several advantages when combined with chenodeoxycholic or ursodeoxycholic acid.