Abstract
Keywords
1. Introduction
2. Case presentation
3. Discussion
4. Conclusion
Funding
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Consent for publication
Competing interests
Acknowledgments
References
Abstract
Persian medicine is a branch of complementary and alternative medicine that tries to offer simple and suitable approaches and methods for treating diseases and health protection. Ma'oljobon is known as a kind of whey protein. It is a remedy with various characteristics, such as removing viscous wastes from the body without causing any dryness and moistening, while also providing nutrition. A 7-year-old boy with severe chronic cough refers to Traditional Persian Medicine Clinic due to allergic rhinitis. Formerly he had multiple failed attempts of treatment. The cough resolved with a 12-week period administration of Ma'oljobon. This is the first report evaluating the remedial effect of Ma'oljobon on allergic rhinitis.
1. Introduction
Allergic rhinitis is paroxysms of rhinorrhea, sneezing, and nasal obstruction accompanied by cough and itching (1-3). The prevalence of Allergic rhinitis is increasing in developed countries. In some countries such as the United States, 10-30 percent of the population suffer from this condition (3-7). Unfortunately, misdiagnosis of allergic rhinitis has a heavy economic burden on countries due to the unnecessary prescription of medication, physician visits, and disturbing school performance (8-13). Nowadays, pharmacotherapy and allergen avoidance are choices for managing symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Due to self-treatment with over-the-counter medications, that have significant side effects, the clinicians' obligation is to ensure that the patient receives essential medication with the lowest side effects (14-16).
Ma’oljobon is derived from cow milk. It is an Arabic word which consists of “Maå” (water) and “jobon” (cheese) (17). It is a pale green-colored liquid, derived down in the course of the cheeseproducing process by adding either rennet or acid (citric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, etc.) or by adding vinegar or oxymel (syrup of honey and vinegar) to hot milk to separate liquid and coagulated part (17, 18). Ma'oljobon is a kind of whey protein (17-22). Twenty percent of cow protein is whey (23). The major biological components of whey protein are lactoferrin, betalactoglobulin, alfa lactalbumin, glycomacropeptide, immunoglobulin (18, 23). Beta-lactoglobulin and alfa lactalbumin are the principal whey proteins that account for 80% of the total product (24), while other components include lactose, mineral, growth factor, lactoperoxidase, and lysozyme (25, 26). Whey protein is a functional food with several health benefits (23), such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity (27). Also, it has a role in increasing immunity, along with its anti-viral and anti-bacterial activity due to its rich protein and immunoglobulin (28-30). However, there is controversy about the temperament of Ma'oljobon; It is a product with wet and cold temperament in some studies (18, 19, 31), and wet and warm in some other references (32, 33). This is the first report evaluating the remedial effect of Ma'oljobon on allergic rhinitis.