An Impact of the Trivedi Effect® – Biofield Energy Healing Based Herbomineral Formulation on Pro-inflammatory Cytokines Expression in Mouse Splenocytes

Due to the increased popularity of herbomineral preparations in the healthcare sector, a new proprietary herbomineral formulation was formulated consisting of ashwagandha root extract and three minerals viz. zinc chloride, magnesium gluconate, and sodium selenate. The objective of the study was to evaluate the in vitro effect of Biofield Energy Healing (The Trivedi Effect®) on the test formulation using murine splenocyte cells. The herbomineral formulation was divided into two parts; one defined as the control, while the other part was treated with the Biofield Energy Healing Treatment performed from a remote distance by twenty renowned Biofield Energy Healers (The Trivedi Effect®) and defined as the Biofield Treated formulation. The splenocyte cells were exposed to test formulations at concentration from 0.00001053 to 10.53 µg/mL and were analyzed after 48 hours for cell viability using MTT assay. The expression of the cytokines (TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, and MIP-1α) was determined using ELISA assay. The cell viability data showed that all the tested concentration ranges were found to be safe with percentage cell viability at more than 80%. Further, TNF-α expression was significantly inhibited in the Biofield Treated test formulation group with respect to the vehicle control, while at 0.001053 and 0.1053 µg/mL, the expression was suppressed by 1.70% and 8.16%, respectively in the Biofield Treated test formulation compared to the untreated formulation. However, a significant immunosuppression was reported in IFN-γ expression at 0.00001053, 0.0001053, 0.01053, 0.1053, and 1.053 µg/mL by 12.63%, 2.31%, 8.31%, 9.15%, and 7.86%, respectively in the Biofield Treated test formulation compared with the untreated test formulation. The MIP-1α expression was inhibited by 8.31%, 21.53%, and 8.70% at 0.0001053, 0.01053, and 0.1053 µg/mL, respectively in the Biofield Treated formulation compared with the untreated test formulation. However, IL-1β expression was significantly suppressed by 19.72% at concentration 0.00001053 µg/mL in the Biofield Treated test formulation compared with the untreated test formulation. Thus, the down-regulation of tested cytokines and chemokines in the Biofield Energy Healing test formulation might be applicable for controlling acute and chronic inflammation in many clinical diseases. Overall, the results demonstrated that The Trivedi Effect®- Biofield Energy Healing (TEBEH) has the capacity to potentiate the immunomodulatory activity of the test formulation, which can be useful against autoimmune disorders. Biofield Treated Test formulation may also be useful in anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, stress management and in preventing immune-mediated tissue damage in organ transplants by improving overall health and quality of life.

Based on the obtained results, it was concluded that the Biofield Energy Treated test formulation modulates the splenocyte cells function with respect to the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IFN-γ, MIP-1α, and IL-1β. However, the Biofield Treated test formulation significantly inhibited the activity of pro-inflammatory cytokines with respect to the untreated test formulation. In vitro cells viability assay showed that all the tested concentrations of the herbomineral formulation were found safe with respect to the vehicle control group. The percentage cell viability ranged from 88.9% to 187.2% in different concentration ranges of the test formulation, so concentration ranges from 0.00001053 to 10.53 μg/mL of the test formulation were selected for the splenocyte cells for the cytokines estimation.

TNF-α levels were significantly inhibited at 0.001053 and 0.1053 μg/mL, in which the Biofield Treated test formulation group showed suppression by 1.70% and 8.16% as compared with the untreated test formulation. Similarly, significant suppression of IFN-γ expression was reported at five concentrations i.e. at 0.00001053, 0.0001053, 0.01053, 0.1053, and 1.053 μg/mL of the Biofield Treated test formulation by 12.63%, 2.31%, 8.31%, 9.15%, and 7.86%, respectively as compared with the untreated test formulation. This might help in inflammatory tissue response and can be used in many inflammatory disorders. In the case of MIP-1α secretion, the expression was inhibited by the Biofield Treated test formulation at three tested concentrations i.e. at 0.0001053, 0.01053, and 0.1053 μg/mL by 8.31%, 21.53%, and 8.70%, respectively as compared with the untreated test formulation. IL-1β secretion was significantly suppressed only at a very low concentration i.e. 0.00001053 μg/mL by 19.72% as compared with the untreated test formulation.

On the basis of the experimental results of the various tested cytokines showed significant immunosuppressive activity in the new herbomineral formulation after treatment with The Trivedi Effect®- Biofield Energy Healing (TEBEH) by the group of twenty renowned Biofield Energy Healers. Overall, The Trivedi Effect® - Biofield Energy Healing Treated test formulation significantly inhibited the activity of pro-inflammatory cytokines and showed immunosuppressive activity with a safe therapeutic index as compared with the untreated test formulation. Biofield Energy Healing shows great promise as a complementary and alternative medicine therapy and might play an important role in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases like Chronic peptic ulcers, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis, Celiac Disease (gluten-sensitive enteropathy), Addison Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s Disease, Graves’ Disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, Chronic periodontitis, Ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, Chronic sinusitis, Lupus, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Hashimoto Thyroiditis Type 1 Diabetes, Asthma, Chronic active hepatitis, Myasthenia Gravis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Reactive Arthritis, Pernicious and Aplastic Anemia, Sjogren Syndrome, Alopecia Areata, Psoriasis, Scleroderma, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Vitiligo, Vasculitis, Alzheimer’s Disease, Atherosclerosis, Dermatitis, Diverticulitis, stress, etc. Biofield Energy Healing may also be useful in the prevention of immune-mediated tissue damage in cases of organ transplants (for example heart transplants, kidney transplants and liver transplants), stress prevention and management, for anti-aging and in improving overall health and quality of life.