167 PERCEPTIONS AND LIPID PROFILES OF MIXED HERBAL DRINK (GARLIC, GINGER, LEMON, HONEY, AND APPLE VINEGAR) CONSUMERS WITH HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA Ahmad Muthi Abdillah 1* , Ahmad Sulaeman 1 , Tiurma Sinaga 2 1-2 Community Nutrition Department, Human Ecology Faculty, IPB University, Indonesia E-mail: ahmad.muthi@live.com ABSTRACT Cholesterol-lowering herbal treatment made from natural ingredients are believed to be able to replace modern medicine even though it has not been scientifically proven. Purpose of this study was to test perceptions of customers and effects of mixed herbal drink on lipid profile of consumers with hypercholesterolemia. Study was conducted using cross sectional study design consisted of three stages, that is survey, questionnaire data collection, and medical record data collection. The research subjects were selected by stratified random sampling, which subjects were consumers of mixed herbal drink in total of 55 people, both men and women. Data was collected through interviews of questionnaires covering subject characteristics, subject perceptions of mixed herbal drink, and their medical record data before and after consumption of mixed herbal drinks. Paired T-test were used to observe the differences in subject lipid profile before and after consumption of mixed herbal drink. Consumer perceptions toward health aspects showed that 83.7% of subjects experienced a decrease in cholesterol after consuming mixed herbal drink. Consumer emotional perception showed that 90.9% of subjects feel healthier and filter after consuming mixed herbal drink. Results of subject medical records on lipid profile showed a decrease in total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides (p<0.05). Based on perceptions and medical records, it is known that mixed herbal drink can be used as an alternative to traditional cholesterol-lowering medicines. Keywords: hypercholesterolemia, mixed herbal drinks, consumer perceptions, lipid profiles Abdillah et al. Media Gizi Indonesia (National Nutrition Journal). 2020.15(3): 167–172 https://doi.org/10.204736/mgi.v15i3. 167–172 ©2020. The formal legal provisions for access to digital articles of this electronic journal are subject to the terms of the Creative Commons- Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Received 23-07-2019, Accepted 14-10-2019, Published online 18-09-2020 BACKGROUND Heart disease is one of major causes of death in Indonesia. The 2013 Basic Health Research Report (RISKESDAS) reported that prevalence of coronary heart disease in Indonesia was 1.5%. One of the main factors of coronary heart disease is a disruption in blood fat levels. Muchtadi (2007) suggested that high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol (especially cholesterol-LDL) in the blood would form plaque and cause atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is triggered due to high levels of cholesterol in the blood (hypercholesterolemia) which is one of the factors causing coronary heart disease (Anies, 2015) Modern pharmacological treatment and medical therapy are generally used to reduce cholesterol levels. However, long-term use would cause side effects. Adib (2009) suggested the use of cholesterol-lowering drugs might give side effects such as liver damage, gastroenteritis, irritation and inflammation of the stomach, and kidney damage if used for a long period. The use of traditional medicines such as herbs or herbal medicines is considered safer than the use of modern medicine. Javed et al. (2009) stated the use of plants as medicine against various diseases has increased, considering synthetic medicines have many side effects. There were more than 2000 types of medicinal plants that could be used to treat heart diseases such as ischemic heart disease and hypercholesterolemia (Mahmood et al., 2010). Saraswat et al. (2010) noted several plants such as garlic (Allium sativum), ginger (Zingiber officinale), lemon (Citrus limon), and apple vinegar (Malus domestica) have effects in the treatment of heart disease. Garlic, ginger, and lemon have been consumed as a mixture of traditional drinks and are believed to provide health effects and reduce cholesterol. Javed, et al. (2014) showed that mixed herbs (garlic, ginger, apple vinegar, lemon, and honey) were effective in treating hyperlipidemia in male white rats.