March 2002

Happy New Year!

Herbal News from Herbal Musings

Back to Herbal Musings

The latest news in herbal and nutritional supplements for your health.

Contents

No colchicine in ginkgo:
Independent testing refutes results of flawed research

Harvard Warns of High Calcium-Prostate Cancer Link

St. John's Wort May Render Birth Control Pills Ineffective

Herbs to Dye For

Treating Minor Infections With Herbs

Q&A With The Natural Vet - Dr. Shawn P Messonnier

Recipes - Honey Wasabi Salmon

Herbal Profile: Rue

Book Recommendations

Music Selections

Marketplace

Herbal Conferences

No colchicine in ginkgo:
Independent testing refutes results of flawed research

Independent analyses of raw powdered Ginkgo biloba and ginkgo extract have discredited a recent study suggesting that ginkgo supplements contain the toxic alkaloid colchicine. The flawed study, "Identification of Colchicine in Placental Blood from Patients Using Herbal Medicines," by Petty et al., was released on the American Chemical Society's website on August 4, 2001, but apparently has not yet been formally published. The authors of the study warn that consumption of ginkgo supplements by pregnant women may pose dangers to developing fetuses, based on an analysis that they believe revealed the presence of colchicine in ginkgo.

Major media sources have publicized the study's conclusions, but herb experts and other scientists have strongly criticized the validity of the conclusions and the research methods used by the researchers. Some have suggested that the investigators misidentified a non-toxic ginkgo compound as colchicine. This ginkgo compound reportedly has a structure similar to that of colchicine, and the researchers failed to perform a test necessary to differentiate between the two. "Ginkgo simply does not contain colchicine," said HRF President Rob McCaleb. "These scientists should have done their homework before submitting their erroneous conclusions for publication."

Ginkgo has been the subject of hundreds of clinical, pharmacological, chemical, and toxicological studies, not a single one of which has identified colchicine as a gingko constituent. "For the authors to say 'such supplements should be avoided by pregnant women or those trying to conceive because the colchicine in them could affect the viability of a fetus,' as quoted in Chemical and Engineering News, is an unacceptable leap, give the questions raised about this report, and its conflict with the existing scientific literature with colchicine," said John Cordaro, president and chief executive officer of Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). Both CRN and the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) commissioned third party analyses of finished ginkgo products sold in the US. Colchicine has not been detected in any of the products.

In addition, a comprehensive search of the scientific literature on ginkgo conducted by Dr. Norman Farnsworth, Distinguished Research Professor of Pharmacognosy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, further confirmed that colchicine has never been detected in ginkgo or ginkgo products. "Anyone who thinks that colchicine can be found naturally in ginkgo is not qualified to be a peer reviewer of this paper," Farnsworth said. -Evelyn Leigh

Petty HR, Fernando M, Kindzelskii AL. Identification of colchicine in placental blood from patients using herbal medicines. Chemical Research in Toxicology. In press, 2001.

Source:  Herb Research Foundation

Harvard Warns of High Calcium-Prostate Cancer Link

According to an 11-year study recently completed by researchers from Harvard University Medical School, too much dietary calcium can increase men's risk of developing prostate cancer. The study found a correlation between the incidence of prostate cancer and dairy intake, with participants facing a 34% greater risk of developing the disease if they were among the top 20% of dairy products consumers. The researchers concluded, "These findings may serve to interject a note of caution into the current enthusiastic promotion of a higher intake of calcium in the US." However, Dr. June Chanl, lead author of the report, told HealthWorld, "This is a 'head's up' rather than the sounding of an alarm." 

Justfood.com, September 25, 2001.

Source:  Herb Research Foundation

St. John's Wort May Render Birth Control Pills Ineffective

The Medical Products Agency, the pharmaceutical authority of Sweden, has recently announced that at least two unwanted pregnancies have occurred in their country as a result of the women - aged 28 and 31 - taking St. John's wort while being on the pill.  Similar cases have been reported in Britain.

Sweden had already introduced a warning label on certain types of St. John's wort products in 1999 after it was determined that the herb may interfere with other prescription medications, such as drugs treating HIV infection, blood-thickening drugs and cyclosporine, a medicine used to prevent rejection of organ transplants.

The agency said the herb's effects may last for two weeks after use and recommends that women taking it at the same time as the pill - or any other drug - should consult their doctor.

Herbs to Dye For

Man has been using plants to dye cloth and other materials for centuries, possible as early as A.D. 700. But, it was the Native American Navajo that truly perfected the laborious art of dying wool for weaving, as evidenced by their exceptionally beautiful blankets and tapestries.

Fresh plant material is preferred in preparing the "dye bath," since they yield their colors easily, whereas dried plants and roots must be soaked for several hours. Cloth, or skeins of wool are dipped or soaked in the herbal dye bath solution and then hung to dry. Today, "mordants" are often used to deepen and "fix" colors, but they were seldom used by early Native Americans. Usually, cloth or wool would be rinsed in water several times until the material stood colorfast and no longer bled the dye. Later, materials such as juniper tree needles and raw alum were added to the dye bath to hasten this process. Juniper needles were burned to ash and then dissolved in hot water and strained. Alum, a natural element occurring under rock formations that were once under water, was toasted on hot coals before adding to the dye bath. Some popular mordants used today are chrome, tin, iron and cream of tartar.

Often, plants produce a very different dye color than you might expect based on their general appearance. The paintbrush plant, for instance, yields a beige-colored dye in spite of its bright red flowers. Lichen, which ranges in color from white to bright green, produces an orange dye.

The following are some common dyes the early Native Americans used for dying wool. Stainless steel, aluminum or enamel pots make the best vessels, but you can also use earthenware in most cases.

Plant: Wild Celery (Pseudocymopterus montanus)
Harvest: June and July
Parts Used: Flowers, leaves
Vessel: Tin or aluminum
Color Yield: Light Yellow

Boil 1 pound of wild celery in 5 gallons of water for 2 hours. Strain off plant material and add ¼ cup of alum and boil an additional 10 minutes. Add 1 pound of wet yarn and boil for 15 minutes. Rinse wool and hang to dry.

Plant: Sunflower
Harvest: August
Parts Used: Seeds
Vessel: Earthenware or enamel
Color Yield: Deep purple

Boil 3 cups seeds in 8 cups water. When seeds split open, strain off seeds and add wet yarn to liquid. Steep several hours or overnight before rinsing.

Plant: Ground lichen (Parmelia mollusula)
Harvest: Best gathered while still moist after a rain
Parts Used: Fresh or dried
Vessel: Earthenware
Color Yield: Orange

Boil 1 pound of lichen in 4 gallons of water for 1 hour. Strain off plant material and add ¼ cup alum and boil another 15 minutes. Add 1 pound of wet yarn and boil for 30 minutes. May steep to obtain reddish color before rinsing.

Plant: Oregon grape (Berberis aquifolium)
Harvest: September - October
Parts Used: leaves and vines Vessel: granite
Color Yield: Green

Boil 4 pounds of plant material in 5 gallons of water for 2 hours. Stain off plant material and add ¼ cup raw alum. Boil another 10 minutes, then add 1 pound of wet yarn. Steep overnight, then rinse and hang to dry.

Other Colors from a Dyer's Garden

Black: black walnut, alder
Brown: burdock, comfrey, fennel, onion, geranium
Gold: goldenrod, plantain, safflower, agrimony
Blue: indigo, elder, elecampane
Pink: bloodroot, chicory, madder
Green: agrimony, angelica, betony, coltsfoot, foxglove, marjoram, rosemary, tansy, yarrow
Gray: poplar, raspberry
Red: dandelion, St. Johns Wort, sweet woodruff, hops

___________________________________

Herbal Profile...

Common names: Herb of Grace

Range: Native to southern Europe

What We're Talking About...

       What you should know about some of them

       Are you at risk?

      Do you know which foods can help to fight the signs of aging skin?

Have questions about using or preparing herbs and other supplements? Let other members help!  

Post in the Message Boards.

~ Recipes ~

Honey Wasabi Salmon 

3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 6-oz. fresh salmon fillets

1. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, mirin, wasabi powder and lime juice.

2. In a nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and cook salmon 3-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Transfer salmon to plates.

3. Add honey wasabi glaze to skillet and simmer for one minute, stirring constantly. Pour glaze over salmon and serve.

From Delicious!