August 2000

Contents

Clinton Appoints Alternative Medicine Panel 

Chinese Herbal Formulas May Slow Aging

Is Your Ginseng Supplement Tainted with Pesticides and Heavy Metals?

Thai Hospitals Replace Western Medicines with Herbal Formulas

Teach Your Children About the Dangers of Ecstasy 

China Bans Harvesting of Medicinal Herbs

Warfarin Products and Herbs Make a Harmful Combination

Univera Pharmaceuticals Develops Method of Authenticating Botanicals

Folexco and East Earth Herb Join Forces

New Red Clover Product Introduced to Promote Prostate Health

Herbal Profile

Book Recommendations

Chat Schedule

Member's Corner

Marketplace

Contest Winners!

Herbal Conferences

U.S. President Clinton appointed Dr. James S. Gordon, of Washington, to chair the White House Commission on Alternative Medicine founded by executive order earlier this year.  Gordon, a Harvard educated psychiatrist, and nine other panel members were appointed to recommend federal guidelines for the use of alternative medical therapies to help consumers make informed choices.   Other members are expected to join the panel at a later date.

Chinese Herbal Elixers May Slow Aging

Researchers are taking a close look at Chinese herbal medicines used for centuries to retard the aging process.  The research team is being led by Dr. Shen Ziyin who has dedicated forty years of his life to research that he hopes will integrate Chinese and western medical theories.

Researchers have found that older people produce more T cells with a molecule coined as Fas, or CD95. Another molecule, called ligand, binds Fas molecules together and promotes the self-destruction of cells. Shen asserts that the only way to prevent this synthesis is to stabilize the body's metabolism through minimal calorie intake.  

Shen also believes that his research demonstrates that Chinese herbal elixers can stall the destruction of cells, especially those that boost the immune system. This can be very important to middle-aged patients experiencing premature aging due to illness.  Specifically, these herbal formulas support "shen," a body system that regulates metabolism and literally translates to mean "kidney".   

In a series of clinical studies that examined 1,000 cases in seven Chinese cities, only those subjects supplementing with a shen-boosting herbal formula witnessed improved immune function.

Twenty-two brands of ginseng dietary supplements evaluated by ConsumerLab.com for ginsenoside levels (quality markers) and the presence of contaminants, such as lead, cadmium and arsenic and the pesticides hexachlorobenzene, quintozene, and lindane.  Eight of the twelve supplements labeled as containing "Korean Ginseng" were found to contain the pesticides hexachlorobenzene and/or quintozene up to twenty times higher than the acceptable level.  In addition, two of products tested contained unacceptable levels of lead and seven were found to contain insufficient levels of ginsenosides.  None of the products were found to contain harmful levels of arsenic or cadmium, nor of the pesticide lindane. 

Here are the ginseng products tested that passed review:

Thai Hospitals Replace Western Medicines with Herbal Formulas

Thailand has registered five more herbal treatments to their national drug registry giving the go-ahead for hospitals to use them in place of expensive western medicines.  The addition of these herbal treatments to the already existing 4,000 registered traditional Thai medicines arose from the urgence of the Public Health Minister, Korn Dabbaransi, on Thailand's Food & Drug Administration to resist pressure from industry giants who fear losing their hold on the medicine market to local herb producers.

The newly registered herbs include phaya yo, a treatment also known as Indian mulberry used to treat herpes, turmeric capsules for indigestion, and fa thalai chon capsules to relieve sore throats. National Drug Sub-Committee chairman Charas Suwannavaela said the list of traditional medicines will be reviewed every three months to consider the addition of other herbs to the national drug registry. 

Teach Your Children About the Dangers of Ecstasy

Ecstasy remains a drug of choice for many teenagers and college kids who partake of the so-called "happy pill" to experience greater confidence and a feeling of bliss.  But, there are serious health and legal consequences of doing so.

Ecstasy is illegal in virtually every country in the world under a United Nations agreement, even in those that are non-members of the UN, such as Switzerland.  The street drug is an ephedrine product sometimes called Herbal Ecstasy and at higher dosages is a neurotoxin.  Its mechanism is to release the feel-good chemical called serotonin at accelerated rates than the brain normally would, in fact dumping it from the brain all at once.  This leads to a feeling of joy but "crashing" or exhaustion and depression follow when the drug is eliminated from the body.  However, the affects on the brain may last for several days.

Ecstasy damages the liver and can instigate panic attacks, heart palpitations, nightmares, dizziness, profuse sweating and personality changes.  It is classified as a hallucinogen and is sometimes laced with heroin.

China Bans Harvesting of Medicinal Herbs

In an effort to preserve fertile land in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of northwest China, approximately 160,000 poor farmers will lose their primary source of income as a result of a ban recently imposed on the digging of certain medicinal herbs. The banned herbs help to improve sandy soil and are essential in preserving grassland environments and include licorice root, Chinese ephedra and facai, a black hair-like plant which sells for up to $25 U.S. per kilogram in southern China.

Warfarin Products and Herbs Make a Harmful Combination

The July 1, 2000 issue of American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy published an article titled, "Potential interactions between alternative therapies and warfarin" alerting health care practitioners - including pharmacists - to 35 herbs with the potential to adversely affect patients using warfarin therapy.

Thirty herbs cited on the list present an increased risk of excessive bleeding when used concurrently with warfarin and other anticoagulant products.  The article urges pharmacists and physicians to question their patients about any herbal products they may be using.

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Herbal Profile...

Burdock (Arctium lappa)

Used to: Treat colds, measles, and as a mild laxative and anti-inflammatory agent. Many cultures include this herb in cancer therapies.  Burdock has also been used to purify the blood, helping the liver and kidneys to eliminate waste.  French herbalists suggest that inulin, a starch found in the seeds and which is easily digestible, is useful to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics.

Region: Wild in damp areas of Eastern U.S. and Europe

Parts Used:  Leaves, ripe seeds, fresh or dried root

Dosage: Capsules (burdock oil) 460-475 mg.

Contraindications:  None known at this time.