OBJECTIVE: To determine bleeding time using Moringa oleifera leaf extract versus saline control in an experimental epistaxis model.
METHODS:
Design: Randomized controlled trial
Setting: Tertiary Government Training Hospital
Participants: Ten adult male New Zealand White rabbits were acclimatized for 1 week in a standard environment. One-centimeter long, full-thickness mucosal wounds in the junction of the nasal floor and anterior part of the septum were treated randomly with topical Moringa oleifera extract or colored isotonic saline control in either right or left nasal cavity, one site at a time. The duration of bleeding - time bleeding started to time bleeding stopped -- was recorded in seconds. Data was subjected to a t-test for paired samples.
RESULTS: The mean bleeding time for wounds treated with Moringa extract was 53 seconds (range 38-70 secs), versus 159 seconds (range 100-218 secs) for controls. The bleeding time in the former was significantly shorter than in the latter (p = .000019, t-stat = 8.139), with a mean difference of 106 seconds between the two groups.
CONCLUSION: Moringa oleifera leaf extract was associated with significantly shorter bleeding time than saline control in this experimental epistaxis model and may be worth investigating further as a hemostatic agent for epistaxis.