Abstract
Myrrh (Mirazid) has been produced and marketed as an antischistosomal drug since 2001. The current study was designed to assess the efficacy of a commercially available product of myrrh. One hundred four individuals, infected with Schistosoma mansoni, were randomized in two groups, one for myrrh and the second for praziquantel. Treatment-whether myrrh or praziquantel-was given twice with a 3-week interval. The cure rate with myrrh was very low, 15.6% after the first treatment, and 8.9% after the second treatment. Egg reduction among uncured persons was also very low, being 17.2% after the first treatment, and 28% after the second treatment. Praziquantel cure rate was 73.7% and 76.3%, and individuals still passing S. mansoni ova after praziquantel treatment showed a substantial reduction in the geometric mean egg counts (84% and 88.2% after the first and second treatments, respectively). When 34 individuals-uncured after two myrrh treatments-were offered praziquantel in the standard dose, 32 of them stopped passing S. mansoni eggs when tested 4 weeks post-treatment. The results of the current study raise serious doubts about the antischistosomal properties of Mirazid.
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