A Tibetan herbal formula with circulation-stimulating, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties.
The herbal mixture is a fine brown dusty powder with a characteristic pungent smell. It is a mixture of more than 20 different herbs, supplied by PADMA Inc., Schwerzenbach, Switzerland according to the Tibetan formula.
Padma 28 is used for circulatory disorders with symptoms such as tingling, the sensation of insects crawling over the skin, the feeling of heaviness and tension in the arms and/or legs, numbness of the hands and feet, and calf cramps.
Padma 28 has shown promising results in the treatment of atherosclerosis, intermittent claudication, chronic active hepatitis, and infection of the respiratory tract.
In 2013 a survey of five trials involving 365 participants for at least 16 weeks found that pain-free and maximum walking distances both increased significantly in the groups treated with Padma 28, with no significant change in the placebo group.
In a double-blind trial, people with intermittent claudication received 760mg twice daily of the Tibetan herbal formula Padma 28 or a placebo for 16 weeks. The average walking distance increased by 115% among people receiving Padma 28, compared with a 17% increase in the placebo group (a statistically significant difference). No side effects were reported. [Smulski HS, Wojcicki J. Placebo-controlled, double-blind trial to determine the efficacy of the Tibetan plant preparation Padma 28 for intermittent claudication. Altern Ther 1995;1(3): pp.44-9]
Padma 28 was also found to increase walking distance in a second study. [Drabaek H, Mehlsen J, Himmelstrup H, Winther K. A botanical compound, Padma 28, increases walking distance in stable intermittent claudication. Angiology 1993;44: pp.863-7]