Abstract
In Arabic countries, herbal medicine is one of the most common prophylactic and therapeutic agents in use against many diseases such as obesity and underweight. Lepidium sativum (LS) seeds are used extensively in the folk medicine of many countries. The citric acid (CA) is produced in various amounts by all types of citrus fruits. It is commonly used as a food preservative or additive in Saudi Arabia and the food and beverage industry due to its low toxicity. This research aimed to assess the effects of LS and CA alone and in combination with bodyweight, organ weights, and hematology parameters in rats.This experimental, animal-based study included 36 rats divided into four groups: the control group, the LS group (10g/100g of food), the CA group (5g/100g of food), and the LS plus CA group (10g LS & 5g CA/100g of food). For the non-control groups, CA and/or LS were mixed with the rats' diets for 6 weeks. As far as we are aware, this is the first study in which CA plus LS seeds were mixed with the diets of rats for this purpose. The data revealed that no statistical differences were found among the food consumption, bodyweight, or kidney weights in all groups, whereas there was a significant increase in the liver weight in the LS and LS plus CA groups and there was a significant increase in heart weights in the LS group.Blood samples were collected for estimating hematology parameters. The CA induced a very high, significant increase in white blood cells (WBCs) and platelets. Conversely, there was a significant reduction in red blood cells (RBCs) and hemoglobin. In conclusion, LS seeds significantly treated the hemolytic effects of CA in rats. Further studies involving rigorous clinical trials to assess the effects of LS and CA on biochemical variables in humans are recommended.