Pica: Treatment with Punica Granatum extract

Pica is an eating disorder characterized by craving for nonfood items, such as dirt, clay, detergents, soap, stone, and paper. It occurs in children who start feeling the world with the oral cavity. The exact etiology of this disorder is still unknown; nonetheless, its treatment and prevalence vary according to patients' behavior and characteristics. We aim to present a case report of a patient with pica who was treated with Persian Traditional Medicine. This treatment was performed using four doses of 15 ml Punica granatum extract after every meal for 3 weeks while fasting before breakfast. The patient's appetite improve within 3 weeks, with remarkable improvement in pica symptoms. Punica granatum extract seems to be effective in controlling pica.

Automated summary

Pica is an eating disorder characterized by craving for nonfood items, and its exact etiology is still unknown. Treatment and prevalence of pica vary according to patients' behavior and characteristics. Punica granatum extract appears to be effective in controlling pica symptoms in a patient treated with Persian Traditional Medicine.