The Effect of Purgative Manna on the Infant Jaundice

Infant jaundice is observed during the first week of life in approximately 60%of term and 80% of preterm infants. hyperbilirubinemia may lead to the developmentof kernicterus, hearing loss, and convulsion. the goal of therapy in hyperbilirubinemiais lowering blood bilirubin levels or at least preventing its increase. it isrecommended that phototherapy and if unsuccessful, blood exchange transfusionbe used to keep bilirubin in the normal levels. in the iranian traditional medicine,cotoneaster manna (purgative manna) is commonly used in the treatment of infantjaundice. however, no scientific data was available regarding its effectiveness. inthis study, purgative manna which was obtained from cotoneaster discolor pojarkfrom south eastern iran was used as an oral drop preparation. after standardizationof the manna and the drop, clinical study was performed on 200 hyperbilirubinemicnewborns. the serum bilirubin was assayed twice a day, using spectrophotometricmethod. the results showed that 88% of the infants who were treated by purgativemanna plus phototherapy were cured during the first 3 days of administration, butonly 21% of the infants who were treatment by phototherapy alone were cured.