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eCAM Advance Access originally published online on February 9, 2005
eCAM 2005 2(1):69-78; doi:10.1093/ecam/neh065
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© The Author (2005). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
The online version of this article has been published under an open access model. Users are entitled to use, reproduce, disseminate, or display the open access version of this article for non-commercial purposes provided that: the original authorship is properly and fully attributed; the Journal and Oxford University Press are attributed as the original place of publication with the correct citation details given; if an article is subsequently reproduced or disseminated not in its entirety but only in part or as a derivative work this must be clearly indicated. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions{at}oupjournals.org

Review

Thuja occidentalis (Arbor vitae): A Review of its Pharmaceutical, Pharmacological and Clinical Properties

Belal Naser1,*, Cornelia Bodinet1, Martin Tegtmeier1 and Ulrike Lindequist2

1Schaper & Brümmer GmbH & Co. KG Salzgitter, Germany, and 2Institute for Pharmacy, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Germany

Arbor vitae (Thuja occidentalis L.) is a native European tree widely used in homeopathy and evidence-based phytotherapy. Many reviews and monographs have been published on the herbal substance's description, mode of action and clinical use. However, no comprehensive evidence-based review is available. Therefore, our aim was to search MEDLINE databases and survey manufacturers for further details or unpublished data. This review presents the botany, ethnobotany and phytochemistry, especially the different contents of essential oil (Thujone) in relation to different extraction procedures of this medicinal plant. Thuja's antiviral action and immunopharmacological potential, such as stimulatory and co-stimulatory effects on cytokine and antibody production and activation of macrophages and other immunocompetent cells, have been evaluated in numerous in vitro and in vivo investigations. Although no controlled trials have been conducted on Thuja occ alone, many clinical studies have been performed with a herbal medicinal product containing a special extract of Thuja occ and other immunostimulants, demonstrating its therapeutic efficacy and safety in respiratory tract infections.

Keywords: Thuja occidentalis – common cold – Thujone – Esberitox

*For reprints and all correspondence: Dr Belal Naser, MD, Schaper & Brümmer GmbH & Co. KG, Bahnhofstrasse 35, D-38259 Salzgitter, Germany. Tel: +49-5341-307530; Fax: +49-5341-307524; E-mail: belal.naser{at}schaper-bruemmer.de


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