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From the Editor's Desk: Menopause Remedies and Breast Cancer & Other Herbal Scares

The Effects of Aromatherapy on Memory

Green Tea May Prevent Brain Damage

Recipes ~ Violet Custard

Dance of the Violet

Herbal Profile:  Fennel

Recommended Reading & Listening

Marketplace

Herbal Conferences

From the Editor's Desk: Menopause Remedies and Breast Cancer & Other Herbal Scares

Last month, it was St. John's wort to (once again) become the subject of media attention with the premature news that the herb may interfere with the birth control pill.  Kava was also in the news for its alleged connection with liver damage.  This month, a report published in the March/April issue of Menopause has everyone concerned about the safety of certain herbs used to treat menopausal symptoms.

According to the report, four herbs - dong quai, ginseng, black cohosh and licorice root -  were tested in either mice or in vitro for their estrogenic properties and their ability to stimulate the production of breast cancer cells.  According to the authors of this report, none of the herbs exhibited estrogen-like effects, but the dong quai and the ginseng both "significantly induced growth" of the cancer cells.

This news is actually quite surprising, especially since numerous previously and even simultaneously published studies show completely conflicting results. For instance, a Chinese study published in March of 2001 concludes that black cohosh, specifically, does indeed exhibit an estrogen-like action and that "the enhancing effect of [black cohosh] on ER [estrogen receptor (ER) level of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells] is one of the potential mechanisms involved with its therapeutic role in climacteric syndrome [menopause].  

Two months after this study came along, another study published in the Journal of  Agricultural Food Chemistry found that not only do the herbs mentioned above exhibit estrogenic activity, but that they also have minimal effects on breast cancer cells.

Finally, yet another study published in the Journal of Steroid Biochemical Molecular Biology in January of 2002 makes the statement that "...surprisingly little is known on [these herbs] potential estrogenic properties, e.g. on estrogen dependent gene transcription. In addition, available information on the effects on cell proliferation are contradictory."

The short point to this already-too-long article is this:  Generally speaking, most cases of toxicity occurring in long-established herbal remedies are usually due to excessive dosages, contamination of the product (even another herb being secretly substituted by an unscrupulous manufacturer or raw materials supplier), or combining botanical therapies with other medications.  Secondly, a good number of these reports are based on preliminary trials that are later found to be flawed.  The case of a study touting that ginkgo contains colchicine being flawed (as reported here last month) is the most recent case in point.  

Of course, this doesn't mean that consumers should turn a blind eye on these initial reports either.  If anything, it means that we should remain informed, seek professional counsel, and be diligent in our responsibility to exercise our rights as consumers and demand regulation of herbal supplements and adherence to acceptable manufacturing standards for public safety.

-- Karyn Maier, Editor

The Effects of Aromatherapy on Memory

According to researchers at the University of Northumbria at Newcastle, herbal scents "can influence mental performance."  

The study involved 144 young adults that were placed in cubicles that were either unscented or infused with the aromas of lavender or rosemary.  The subjects then completed a battery of tests that measured attention or reaction time; long-term memory, such as word recall and picture recognition; and working memory, such as remembering a set of numbers.

Those working in lavender-scented cubicles were apparently influenced by the herb's calming affects, because they had slower reaction times and exhibited poorer working memory than their counterparts.  These people also reported feeling less alert during the test-taking.  Those subjected to the aroma of rosemary, however, scored higher on the long-term memory tests.

The study findings were presented last month at the British Psychological Society's annual meeting in Blackpool, UK.

Green Tea May Prevent Brain Damage

Ironically, it is because of the very biological response of certain brain cells to an event such as stroke or brain injury, that causes permanent brain damage to occur.  The normal DNA repair system, (dubbed the PARP/PARG system), may actually cause these cells to go into self-destruct mode. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) believe that constituents found in green tea may block this system and prevent the release of cell-damaging oxygen radicals that lead to brain damage.

The researchers studied the effects of two plant chemicals - gallotannin from green tea and nobotanin B from a plant called glory bush.  Both were found to be 10 to 1,000 times more potent in blocking PARG activity than other blockers, and gallotannin was found to be 100 times more effective than antioxidants, chemicals that can soak up the toxic oxygen molecules.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2001;98:12227

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Herbal Profile...

Common names: Sweet Fennel

Range: Native to the Mediterranean, naturalized in most of Europe, cultivated in France, Russia and India.

Above the lowly plants it towers
The fennel, with its yellow flowers,
And in an earlier age than ours,
Was gifted with the wondrous powers,
Lost vision to restore.
It gave new strength, and fearless mood;
And gladiators, fierce and rude,
Mingled it in their daily food;
And he who battled and subdued,
A wreath of fennel wore.

- from "The Goblet of Life," Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1842)

Fennel has long been considered to be of medicinal value, primarily as a carminative, a diuretic, and a mild stimulant. Culpeper recommended fennel to break kidney stones, to relieve gout, as an antidote for mushroom poisoning, a detoxifyer of the liver, to cure colic in infants, and to relieve congestion of the lungs. In Europe today, fennel water is often given to infants to relieve colic, and the herb is found in many cough preparations. Other medicinal uses of fennel include a poultice of the powdered seed for snakebite, a remedy still used in China today. Dioscorides and Hippocrates believed fennel would stimulate milk production in nursing mothers. Dioscorides found fennel to contain diuretic properties, and recommended it for urinary tract disorders. The Greeks thought fennel to be useful in treating disorders of the eye, since they believed serpents ate fennel to regain their sight after shedding their skins. Fennel was one of the four "warming seeds" and declared by the Anglo-Saxons to be one of the nine sacred herbs that would cure the nine causes of medieval diseases.

Constituents: Anethol and Fenchone

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~ Recipes ~

Violet Custard

3/4 cup violet petals
3 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups milk
1 tsp. Vanilla

Divide the violet petals between 8 individual ramekins. Beat together the eggs, yolks, and sugar. Blend in the milk, vanilla, and sugar. Divide the custard among the ramekins and place them into a large baking dish. Add enough boiling water to the large baking dish to reach the halfway point on the ramekins. Place the baking dish with ramekins in the oven, lower the temperature to 325' F, and bake for 45-50 minutes. The custard is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean.

Dance of the Violet

by Karyn Siegel-Maier

"That which above all others yields the sweetest smell in the air, is the violet..."
- Francis Bacon

As a distinguished member of the Violaceae family, the violet (Viola spp.) shares it's roots with few relatives. In fact, its only cousins are pansies and garden violas. While the genus Viola numbers more than 500 in species, the number of hybrid varieties probably outnumber the pure ones. Much loved by various cultures throughout the world, the essential violet, Viola odorata, has been widely cultivated for more than 2,000 years.

This highly aromatic and ornamental herb has enjoyed a long association with romance, fertility, and occasions for joyous celebration. The Romans welcomed the arrival of spring by scattering violet petals and leaves in banquet halls and with the partaking of Violetum, a sweet wine formulated by the gourmet Apicius.

The ancient Greeks made the violet the official symbol of Athens. Legend has it that Zeus protected his lover, the goddess Io, from the jealous Hera by turning his love into a heifer and allowing her to graze unseen upon a meadow of sweet violets.

In 13th century France, troubadours were bestowed with great cascades of violets in appreciation of their poetic achievements. Napole`on Bonaparte made the violet his "signature flower." It became the emblem of his political party, and a symbol of everlasting love between he and his first wife, Josephine. Josephine reputedly honored her husband by scattering violet petals on his final resting place.

Medicinally, the violet has been employed to remedy a variety of ailments. The Romans believed wearing a band of violets about the head would ensure sobriety during festivals and would deter "morning after" unpleasantness. (One wonders if this prevention arose out of necessity from the habitual imbibing of too much violet wine!) Preparations formulated from violets to ease hangover pangs are still popular in France today. Pliny recommended violet water for gout and spleen disorders. The leaves and flowers are reputed to have an expectorant quality and "Violet Plate," a violet sugar or conserve, was a popular ingredient in 17th century throat lozenges and cough syrups. For centuries, violets have been used to treat fever and headache, and in China today to treat abscesses and as a poultice for inflammation. The results were likely effective since the plant contains an aspirin-like substance known as methyl salicylate. The flowers are still used today to tint certain medications.

Victorian nosegays and "strewing" potpourri of the 18th century usually included violets due to their soporific effect. Although fresh violets are highly fragrant when first cut, their very scent, as well as undesirable odors that may be present at the time, become less noticeable very quickly. Shakespeare's Laertes made reference to this mysterious quality when he said: "A violet in the youth of primy nature, Forward, not permanent; sweet, not lasting. The perfume and suppliance of a minute. No more." Great quantities of the sweet violets are commercially grown in France and Italy today for the perfume industry. It takes more than 2 million flowers to produce a single pound of the essential oil!

A low-growing perennial reaching approximately 4 inches in height, the violet is particularly suitable for rock gardens, banks, as a border for ponds or anywhere groundcover is desired. It will prosper if given a moist, rich bed of soil of between 7 and 8 pH and plenty of sun, although most varieties will tolerate partial shade. Violets can be easily transplanted to your garden from the wild as long as you are able to duplicate the conditions in which it was found. Since violets grow on runners, they will spread rapidly each year and may need thinning out. Also, the flower heads will burst forth with more frequency if excess runners are trimmed.

The violet is quite agreeable to propagation by seed or root division, but the easiest method is to clip the off-shoots in early spring and root them in soil at least 1 foot apart. Some species can be grown from seed sown in outdoor frames in early autumn, the seeds of which need to experience freezing temperatures before they will germinate. However, the frames should be covered with burlap until germination occurs, usually within 10 to 20 days. Cover the frames with mulch to protect the young plants from winter's chill.

The flowers of different species of violets range in color, but most frequently they are deep purple, blue, white, or pink. The pansy, or V. Triclor is one of the more popular hybrids due to its particularly beautiful flowers. Several species are native to North America, such as V. Blanda and V. Lanceolata, both of which are aromatic and thrive in swampy conditions. V. Pedata is prized for it's large flowers which reminds one of a bird's foot. This species produces flowers of every conceivable color. Other popular species are V. Palmata, which makes an early entrance in late winter; V. sagittata, the leaves of which grow to an unusually large size after flowering; and V. rostrata, which enjoys a moist, rocky environment. V. pubescens produces large pale green foliage and the flowers of V. rotundifolia are an exquisite yellow. The Canadian violet, V. Canadensis, is an unusually tall species that yields white star-shaped flowers. Most violets have slightly toothed leaves of varying degree and shape which is probably why what is commonly called the dog-tooth violet is often mistaken as a relative. The association ends with the common name since the dog-tooth violet, or Erythronium denscanis, is actually a member of the Liliaceae family. Similarly, although several species of violets are to be found in Africa, the African violet (Saintpaulia ionantha) is not related to the true violet.

Violets may be somewhat inconspicuous singularly, but will very soon take over whatever space is afforded to them and they will continue to delight you with sprays of color for many seasons. There is another reason to celebrate the appearance of violets other than the arrival of another growing season, and for the same reason you'll want to have an abundance of flower heads available. They're great fun to prepare and serve in salads, jams, soups, puddings or even as the old fashioned crystallized treat. Bon Appetite!