Herbal Medicine News and Research

Saudi man claims 'magic' cure for weak eye sight
Emirates 24/7
A Saudi ship captain says he has discovered herbal medicine that could treat weak eye sight and allow persons suffering from that problem to dispose of their eye lenses or glasses, local newspapers reported on Tuesday. Captain Aiel Sahlooni said he had ...

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Frederick News Post (subscription)
Herbal medicines: Healing in your backyard
Frederick News Post (subscription)
The Maryland Forests Association, along with the University of Maryland Extension and Forestry for the Bay, conducted a Medicinal Roots of Appalachia and Forest Management workshop last month at the Western Maryland Research and Education Center.

An improved acute gouty arthritis rat model and therapeutic effect of rhizoma dioscoreae nipponicae on acute gouty arthritis based on the protein-chip methods.

Am J Chin Med. 2012;40(1):121-34

Authors: Yao L, Dong W, Lu F, Liu S

Abstract
Rhizoma Dioscoreae Nipponicae (RDN) is an herbal medicine. In the theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the function of RDN is to expel wind and remove dampness. Inflammatory mechanisms play an important role in the pathological process and prognosis of acute gouty arthritis (AGA). The aim of this study was to determine the specially expressed proteins through testing the proteins of the synovium in rats with AGA. The animal model of AGA was set up by Monosodium urate crystal (MSU) combined with hypoxanthine (HX), which was ameliorated in our previous experiment. Blood samples for measurement of serum uric acid were collected prior to sacrifice. Outcomes were assessed (two days after injection) by histological stain and protein quantitation. Three chips of RayBio(Ⓡ) Human Label-based Antibody Array I were applied to detect 90 proteins in the synovium tissue of AGA rats. 14 differently expressed proteins were found in the synovium of AGA rats, and nine of them were first found in this model. There were seven up-regulated and seven down-regulated proteins, both TRAIL and Neuropilin-2 could be identified as key contributors to the pathomechanism of AGA.

PMID: 22298453 [PubMed - in process]

Clinical outcomes of traditional chinese medicine compound formula in treating sleep-disordered breathing patients.

Am J Chin Med. 2012;40(1):11-24

Authors: Wu YH, Wei YC, Tai YS, Chen KJ, Li HY

Abstract
Sleep-Disordered Breathing (SDB) is a prevalent affliction, which can range from simple snoring to severely obstructive sleep apnea. Compared to current treatment options of SDB, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) provides a noninvasive way to relieve SDB-related symptoms and deaths. The purpose of this retrospective study was to observe the progression of adult SDB patients who had taken compound formula SZ + NUH (concentrated herbal granules) for four weeks. Depending on subjects' individual needs, minor additions of formulas or single herbs were allowed. We found a significant amount of relief from snoring among the 118 enrolled subjects, according to before-after scores observed through the Snore Outcome Survey (SOS). Furthermore, as projected from the moderate linear correlation in before-after scores, we inferred that those cases with more severe snoring at baseline had greater improvement after treatment. Excessive daytime sleepiness was also significantly improved according to the results of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Assessment, using the SF-36 (Taiwanese version) revealed possible benefits of SZ + NUH in improving multiple facets of subjects' quality of life. During treatment, no significant side effects occurred. In conclusion, the TCM compound formula based on SZ + NUH could be a safe and effective option for SDB treatment.

PMID: 22298445 [PubMed - in process]

Ginsenoside Rg1 enhances endothelial progenitor cell angiogenic potency and prevents senescence in vitro.

J Int Med Res. 2011;39(4):1306-18

Authors: Shi AW, Gu N, Liu XM, Wang X, Peng YZ

Abstract
This study investigated the effect of ginsenoside Rg1 on the functions of ex vivo cultivated endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and whether ginsenoside Rg1 prevented EPC senescence. EPCs isolated from peripheral blood from healthy volunteers were incubated with different concentrations of ginsenoside Rg1 and the effects were observed at different time points. Cell proliferation and in vitro vasculogenesis were assayed and flow cytometry was used to determine the effects of ginsenoside Rg1 on the cell cycle. Senescence and telomerase activity in EPCs were also assayed. It was found that ginsenoside Rg1 promoted EPC proliferation and vasculogenesis in dose-and time-dependent manners. Cell-cycle analysis showed that ginsenoside Rg1 increased the proliferative phase and decreased the resting phase of EPCs. β-Galactosidase and telomerase activities increased. These results support the view that ginsenoside Rg1 induces EPC proliferation and angiogenesis, and inhibits EPC senescence.

PMID: 21986132 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PR Web (press release)
Diabetes is One of the Fastest Deadly Growing Diseases around the World
PR Web (press release)
The active herbal antioxidant effect in GlucoNature can also assist those people with evidence of complications associated with Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases. Heshoutang TCM Health Care manufactures of Gluconature in a press conference in their ...

Is there a herbal alternative to statins?
WalesOnline
by Liz Sanders, Western Mail I'm aged 43 and have been taking simvastatin for seven months due to high cholesterol. I've noticed my hair is thinning and I'm also getting quite severe muscle pains. Do you know of any natural alternatives that would keep ...

Uni defends complementary medicine
Northern Star
Both reviews, the 2005 Victorian health department review on Naturopathy and Western Herbal Medicine and the 1996 Traditional Chinese Medicine joint review by the Victorian, NSW and Queensland health departments, supported the movement of those ...

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French wild fish stew
Fiji Times
Like Fijian herbal medicines, some cooking herbs and fruits have hidden vitamins that the ancient civilisations would eat or drink to prevent sickness. So continuing our Sunday journey to explore old civilisations, I wanted to find an old land that has ...

Health Scan: Looking through the surgical keyhole
Jerusalem Post
He and Sela, a TCM practitioner specializing in women's health, have long been wondering if Chinese herbal and acupuncture therapies could raise the success rates of Western- style fertility treatments. In a retrospective study, Lev-Ari and Sela ...

Home & Interiors
WalesOnline
by Lynne Allbutt, Western Mail BBC Radio 2's Sally Boazman, right, or 'Sally Traffic' as she's better known, tells me that she recently felt sorry for the plants out on the balcony of her London flat so brought them all into the living room.

Poisoning and suicide by cyanide jewelry cleaner in the US Hmong community: A case series.

Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2012 Jan 31;

Authors: Garlich FM, Alsop JA, Anderson DL, Geller RJ, Kalugdan TT, Roberts DJ, Thomas LC

Abstract
Over 200 000 persons of Hmong ethnicity live in the United States. The majority of this Southeast Asian ethnic group live in California, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Tradition plays a strong role in the Hmong population, and difficulty in assimilation into "Western ways" has been reported to result in depression and suicide attempts. Some products sold at Southeast Asian ethnic markets are well-known within the Hmong community to be lethal but are essentially unknown to the outside community. We describe eight cases in which cyanide-containing products were ingested by Hmong patients. Seven cases were suicide attempts involving the ingestion of a locally-purchased substance intended for cleaning metal, coins, or jewelry. One case involved the fatal ingestion of a cyanide-containing "herbal" cure. In the majority of the cases, cyanide was not initially suspected, and treatment was delayed due to lack of information regarding the product ingested. In the two patients who survived, the cyanide antidote kit (sodium nitrite, amyl nitrite, and sodium thiosulfate) was administered early. Clinicians should be aware that unusual and potentially lethal products are easily available at ethnic markets. Cyanide toxicity should be suspected, and empiric antidote therapy initiated early, in patients of Hmong or Southeast Asian descent who present with sudden and unexplained cardiovascular collapse and metabolic acidosis, especially in the setting of a suspected suicidal ingestion.

PMID: 22292976 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Concomitant herbal medicine and Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) use among HIV patients in Western Uganda: A cross-sectional analysis of magnitude and patterns of use, associated factors and impact on ART adherence.

AIDS Care. 2012 Jan 31;

Authors: Lubinga SJ, Kintu A, Atuhaire J, Asiimwe S

Abstract
Abstract Use of herbal medicines among patients receiving Anti-retroviral Therapy (ART) remains by far an uncharacterised phenomenon in Africa and Uganda specifically. We evaluated the use of herbal medicines among patients on ART at the HIV clinic of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH), examined factors associated with their concomitant use and their impact on ART adherence. This was a cross-sectional study among 334 systematically sampled patients receiving ART at the HIV clinic of MRRH from February to April 2010. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical characteristics, perceptions of quality of care received, self-perceived health status, information on ART received, herbal medicines use and ART adherence. Study outcomes were concomitant herbal medicine and ART use, and ART adherence. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were conducted using Stata10.0. Close to half, 155 (46.4%) reported concomitant herbal medicines and ART use, with 133 (39.8%) using herbal medicines at least once daily. Most (71.6%) used herbal medicines to treat HIV-related symptoms. A majority (92.3%) reported that the doctors were unaware of their use of herbal medicines, 68.5% citing its minimal importance to the attending physician. Most frequently used herbs were Aloe vera (25%) and Vernonia amygdalina (21%). Time since start of ART (OR 1.14 95% CI: 1.01-1.28, for each one year increase), number of ART side effects reported (≥3 vs.≤1, OR 2.20 95% CI 1.13-4.26) and self-perceived health status (Good vs. Poor, OR 0.31 95% CI 0.12-0.79) were independently associated with concomitant herbal medicine and ART use. Concomitant herbal medicine and ART use was not associated with poor ART adherence (OR 0.85 95% CI 0.47-1.53). There is widespread concomitant herbal medicines and ART use among our patients, with no association to poor ART adherence. Patients appear to use these therapies to complement as opposed to substituting ART.

PMID: 22292937 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Metabolite profiling and characterization for medicinal herbal remedies.

Curr Drug Metab. 2012 Jan 18;

Authors: Yang M, Cheng C, Yang J, Guo DA

Abstract
Metabolisms of herbal remedies and their natural components, which play a critical role in support of medicine development, and clinical medication, are drastically different from those of designed drugs. The separation, isolation and identification of drug metabolites from complex endogenous matrices like urine, plasma and tissue extracts are extremely challenging. For herbal medicine studies, it is even more difficult due to the complex chemical composition. Usually, a combination of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) is proven to be a powerful analytical tool for screening and identifying drug metabolites. For suitable instruments, the quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF), hybrid ion trap time-of-flight (IT-TOF), and orbitrap mass spectrometry could clearly enhance the efficiency in metabolite profiling compared to general triquadrupole (QQQ) and ion trap (IT) mass spectrometry technique. Due to the ability for unambiguous structure determination, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) is also coupled to HPLC for on-line analysis of metabolites. Capillary electrophoresis and gas chromatography are also optional methods. These techniques could provide abundant information from a wide variety of samples. However, in many cases, preparations of metabolites are critical for further pharmacokinetics, pharmacologic, and toxic evaluation of the remedy. Therefore, accumulations of metabolites from the in vivo biological samples are essential. Biotransformation models are considered to be important complementary sources for preparation of drug metabolites. Fungi, plant cells, and a variety of enzymes were used to provide information for further in vivo testing. This review focuses on the screening and identification of drug metabolites from herbal medicines.

PMID: 22292788 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

A novel naturally-occurring salicylic acid analogue acts as an anti-inflammatory agent by inhibiting nuclear factor-kappaB activity in RAW264.7 macrophages.

Mol Pharm. 2012 Jan 31;

Authors: Zhang T, Sun L, Liu R, Zhang D, Lan X, Huang C, Xin W, Wang C, Zhang DM, Du G

Abstract
Methyl salicylate 2-O-b-D-lactoside (DL0309), is a molecule chemically related to salicylic acid that is isolated from Gaultheria yunnanensis (FRANCH.) REHDER (G. yunnanensis). G. yunnanensis is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine and is widely used for treating rheumatoid arthritis, swelling, pain, trauma, and chronic tracheitis. In the present study, we explored the mechanism whereby DL0309 exerts the anti-inflammatory effect, using the model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW264.7 cells. We examined the effects of DL0309 on LPS-induced nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kB) activity by western blot analysis, cell imaging analysis and an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Production of pro-inflammatory cytokines was also measured. Our observations indicate that DL0309 suppressed production of nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), in a concentration-dependent manner. The phosphorylation of IKK-β and degradation of IκB-α by LPS were both inhibited by DL0309 in the cytoplasm. The increased protein level of NF-κB and by LPS in the nucleus and cytoplasm was also reduced by DL0309. Consistent with these results, we also found that DL0309 may prevents the nuclear translocation and DNA binding activity of NF-κB. Finally, our results demonstrate that DL0309 exerts anti-inflammatory effects, by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and suppressing of the activation of NF-kB signaling pathway in LPS-treated macrophage cells. Therefore, DL0309 may have therapeutic potential for treating inflammatory diseases by regulating NF-κB pathway and pro-inflammatory cytokine production.

PMID: 22292506 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

A systematic review on use of Chinese medicine and acupuncture for treatment of obesity.

Obes Rev. 2012 Feb 1;

Authors: Sui Y, Zhao HL, Wong VC, Brown N, Li XL, Kwan AK, Hui HL, Ziea ET, Chan JC

Abstract
Obesity is a major health hazard and despite lifestyle modification, many patients frequently regain any lost body weight. The use of western anti-obesity drugs has been limited by side effects including mood changes, suicidal thoughts, and gastrointestinal or cardiovascular complications. The effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine including Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and acupuncture provide an alternative established therapy for this medical challenge. In this systematic review, we used standard methodologies to search, review, analyse and synthesize published data on the efficacy, safety and relapse of weight regain associated with use of CHM and acupuncture. We also examined the rationale, mechanisms and potential utility of these therapies. A total of 12 electronic databases, including Chinese, English, Korean and Japanese, were searched up to 28 February 2010. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for CHM and/or acupuncture with comparative controls were considered. We used the Jadad scale to assess methodological qualities, the random effect model in the pooled analysis of therapeutic efficacy to adjust for heterogeneity and funnel plots to explore publication bias. After screening 2,545 potential articles from the electronic databases, we identified 96 RCTs; comprising of 49 trials on CHM treatment, 44 trials on acupuncture treatment and 3 trials on combined therapy for appraisal. There were 4,861 subjects in the treatment groups and 3,821 in the control groups, with treatment duration ranging from 2 weeks to 4 months. Of the 77 publications written in Chinese, 75 had a Jadad score <3, while 16 of the 19 English publications had a Jadad score of >3. Efficacy was defined as body weight reduction ≥2 kg or body mass index (BMI) reduction ≥0.5 kg/m(2) . Compared with placebo or lifestyle modification, CHM and acupuncture exhibited respective 'risk ratio' (RR) of 1.84 (95% CI: 1.37-2.46) and 2.14 (95% CI: 1.58-2.90) in favour of body weight reduction, with a mean difference in body weight reduction of 4.03 kg (95% CI: 2.22-5.85) and 2.76 kg (95% CI: 1.61-3.83) and a mean difference in BMI reduction of 1.32 kg m(-2) (95% CI: 0.78-1.85) and 2.02 kg m(-2) (95% CI: 0.94-3.10), respectively. Compared with the pharmacological treatments of sibutramine, fenfluramine or orlistat, CHM and acupuncture exhibited an RR of 1.11 (95% CI: 0.96-1.28) and 1.14 (95% CI: 1.03-1.25) in body weight reduction, mean difference in body weight reduction of 0.08 kg (95% CI: -0.58 to 0.74) and 0.65 kg (95% CI: -0.61 to 1.91), and mean difference in BMI reduction of 0.18 kg m(-2) (95% CI: -0.39 to 0.75) and 0.83 kg m(-2) (95% CI: 0.29-1.37), respectively. There were fewer reports of adverse effects and relapses of weight regain in CHM intervention studies conducted in China than studies conducted outside China. CHM and acupuncture were more effective than placebo or lifestyle modification in reducing body weight. They had a similar efficacy as the Western anti-obesity drugs but with fewer reported adverse effects. However, these conclusions were limited by small sample size and low quality of methodologies.

PMID: 22292480 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

[Study on method on post-marketing traditonal Chinese medicine safety assessment].

Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2011 Oct;36(20):2771-5

Authors: Kou Q, Zhao S, Feng G, Xie Y

Abstract
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) safety assessment is an important content of post-marketing Chinese herbal medicine assessment and the primary question. It includes safety monitoring and safety evaluation. China has established the elementary system for the TCM safety monitoring, but did few things on safety evaluation. People have knew that the methods of pharmacoepidemiology have good practicability on drug safety assessment in recent years. This article analyzed three methods of pharmacoepidemiology used in post-marketing Chinese herbal medicine safety assessment. There are three examples that may give some suggestions to fellow doctors working for safety monitoring and evaluation of TCM.

PMID: 22292361 [PubMed - in process]

Look both ways
The Australian
All my work is a kind of adventure beyond the civilised centres of Western Europe. I want to inform people that there is a world we hardly know, and let them experience fragments of it." Violent fragments. "Violence surrounds us, more than we can ...

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Bangkok Post
Multi-talented chef adds his worldly, modern touch to home-grown favourites
Bangkok Post
The ribs had been slowly simmered in tom yum broth to allow the spicy herbal flavour of the soup penetrate the meat and make it tender before being rubbed with house-blended chilli paste and charred on woodfire. The result was smoky flavourful meat ...

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Tibetans and the Chinese state
The Economist
In recent years rural incomes in eastern areas of the vast Tibetan plateau have been soaring, thanks to a surge in Chinese demand for Tibetan herbal remedies. But in late January the same region experienced the biggest outbreak of violent unrest since ...

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