Evaluating the effect of Melissa Officinalis tea and Matricaria Chamomilla tea on anxiety of patients after lower limb orthopedic surgery

Introduction: Anxiety is one of the most important symptoms after orthopedic surgery which can have various side effects and negatively affect the process of recovery after surgery. The present study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the effect of Melissa Officinalis tea and Matricaria Chamomilla tea on anxiety of patients after lower limb orthopedic surgery. Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial which was conducted on 96 patients after lower-limb orthopedic surgery in Ayatollah Kashani hospital in Shahrekord, Iran. Patients were selected with convenience sampling method and after obtaining informed consent form, allocated to either Melissa Officinalis, Chamomile or control group. For Melissa Officinalis group, 1g of Melissa tea, for Chamomile group 1g chamomile tea and for control group black tea was prescribed 3 times a day. Participants' anxiety was evaluated using Spielberger's state anxiety inventory, once before interventions and nine times after intervention (after each prescription of tea). The mean score of anxiety before interventions and the mean changes of anxiety score after each step of interventions compared between groups. Data were analyzed with descriptive and analytical statistics using SPSS software.