April 2012
Stay up to date with the latest information, research and scientific studies being done worldwide on herbal solutions and herbal remedies. Compliments of Oregon's Wild Harvest. Edited by Joanne Roberts, Research & Development Director, OWH.
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Herbal Business
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Supplements use up to 69% of US adults: CRN survey
Supplements use among US adults has increased to a record level of 69%, according to results of a survey commissioned by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN).
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Consumer-Trends/Supplement-use-up-to-69-of-US-adults-CRN-survey
Social media has changed how Americans eat, says Hartman report
Increased communication via social media has changed the way Americans relate to food, including what they buy and cook, and how they plan their meals, according to a report from market research firm The Hartman Group.
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Consumer-Trends/Social-media-has-changed-how-Americans-eat-says-Hartman-report |
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Herb of the Month: Burdock
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Tumor specific cytotoxicity of arctigenin isolated from herbal plant Arctium lappa L. Susanti S et al. J Nat Med. 2012 Feb 16.
The effectiveness of cancer chemotherapy is often limited by the toxicity to other tissues in the body. Therefore, the identification of non-toxic chemotherapeutics from herbal medicines remains to be an attractive goal to advance cancer treatments. This study evaluated the cytotoxicity profiles of 364 herbal plant extracts, using various cancer and normal cell lines. (More)
Effect of aqueous extract of Arctium lappa L. (burdock) roots on the sexual behavior of male rats.
Jianfeng C et al. Complement Altern Med. 2012 Feb 1;12:8
Background: Arctium lappa L. root has traditionally been recommended as an aphrodisiac agent. It is used to treat impotence and sterility in China, and Native Americans included the root in herbal preparations for women in labor. However, its use has not been scientifically validated. The present study therefore investigated the effects of aqueous extract of Arctium lappa L. roots on sexual behavior in normal male rats. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that aqueous extract of Arctium lappa L. roots enhances sexual behavior in male rats. The aphrodisiac effects of the plant extract may be related to the presence of flavonoids, saponins, lignans and alkaloids, acting via a multitude of central and peripheral mechanisms. These results thus support the traditional use of Arctium lappa L. root extract for treating impotence and sterility. (More) |
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Sustainable Planet
| The Next Decade: Five Trends in Product Sustainability
Through the coming year, watch this space for features and interviews with visionaries, thought leaders, business innovators, scientists, and educators. The question we'll put to everyone will be this: Over the next decade, what will be the most important ideas and trends that will advance business toward sustainability? To kick it off, we took a stab at answering this question ourselves looking at product sustainability. Together, the whole staff identified nearly a hundred topics and narrowed them down to a handful. Here are GreenBlue's top five topics that we believe will become increasingly important for product sustainability in the coming years. (More) 'Natural': The Most Meaningless Word on your Food Label?By Elaine Watson Food Navigator USA, February 28, 2012
Consumers, the marketers all tell us, want foods that are 'wholesome', 'authentic', and above all 'natural', although a few of them can articulate what this means. (More)
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Notable Herbal Studies
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Short-term study on the effects of rosemary on cognitive function in an elderly population. Pengelly A et al. J Med Food. 2012 Jan;15(1):10-7. Epub 2011 Aug 30Rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis L.) has traditional reputations that justify investigation for a potential role in reducing widespread cognitive decline in the elderly. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, repeated-measures crossover study was conducted to investigate possible acute effects of dried rosemary leaf powder on cognitive performance. ( More) Plant secondary metabolites and gut health: the case for phenolic acids.
Russell W, Duthie G. Proc Nutr Soc. 2011 Aug;70(3):389-96.
Plant-based diets contain a plethora of secondary metabolites that may impact on health and disease prevention. Much attention has been focused on the potential bioactivity and nutritional relevance of several classes of phytochemicals such as flavonoids, carotenoids, phyto-oestrogens and glucosinolates. Less attention has been paid to simple phenolic acids that are widely found in fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices and beverages. ( More) Anti-tumorigenic activity of five culinary and medicinal herbs grown under greenhouse conditions and their combination effects.Yi W, Wetzstein HY. J Sci Food Agric. 2011 Aug 15;91(10) CONCLUSION: Extracts from herb species (thyme, rosemary, sage, spearmint and peppermint) can significantly inhibit the growth of human colon cancer cells. Mixtures of herb extracts can have combination effects on cancer cell growth. The study suggests that these five herbs may have potential health benefits to suppress colon cancer. ( More) Silibinin potentially protects arsenic-induced oxidative hepatic dysfunction in rats.
Muthumani M, Prabu SM. Toxicol Mech Methods. 2012 Jan 9. Arsenic (As) compounds are reported as environmental toxicants and human carcinogens. Exposure to arsenic imposes a big health issue worldwide. Silibinin (SB) is a major flavonolignan compound of silimarin and is found in milk thistle of Silybum marianum. It has been reported that silibinin has antioxidant efficacy as metal chelators due to the orientation of its functional groups. However, it has not yet been explored in experimental animals.........These results suggest that silibinin has a potential protective effect over arsenic-induced hepatotoxicity in rat. ( More) Antioxidant Properties of Taraxacum officinale Leaf Extract Are Involved in the Protective Effect Against Hepatoxicity Induced by Acetaminophen in Mice.Colle D et al. J Med Food. 2012 Mar 16 ....Taraxacum officinale Weber (Family Asteraceae), commonly known as dandelion, is used for medicinal purposes because of its choleretic, diuretic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective properties. This study evaluated the hepatoprotective activity of T. officinale leaf extract against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity..... ( More) Herbal medicines for the management of irritable bowel syndrome: A comprehensive review.
Rahimi R, Abdollahi M. World J Gastroenterol. 2012 Feb 21;18(7):589-600.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gut disorder with high prevalence. Because of various factors involved in its pathophysiology and disappointing results from conventional IBS medications, the treatment of IBS is challenging and use of complementary and alternative medicines especially herbal therapies is increasing. ( More) Anti-inflammatory properties of culinary herbs and spices that ameliorate the effects of metabolic syndrome.Jungbauer A, Medjakovic S. Maturitas. 2012 Mar;71(3):227-39. ....Spices can play essential roles as anti-inflammatory agents in our diet, acting as pan PPAR activators and improving insulin sensitivity, counteracting dyslipidaemia and weight gain. The effects of chronic inflammation caused by obesity are counteracted and, consequently, the progression of diseases associated with chronic inflammation slowed. ( More)
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Notable Studies for Women
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A clinical study on the short-term effect of berberine in comparison to metformin on the metabolic characteristics of women with polycystic ovary syndrome.Wei W et al. Eur J Endocrinol. 2012 Jan;166(1):99-105.Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a frequent reproductive and metabolic disorder associated with insulin resistance (IR). Berberine (BBR) is an isoquinoline derivative alkaloid extracted from Chinese medicinal herbs that has been used as an insulin sensitizer. .....Intake of BBR improved some of the metabolic and hormonal derangements in a group of treated Chinese women with PCOS. Main effects could be related to the changes in body composition in obesity and dyslipidemia.( More)
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Herbalism-Lite
| With the spring come thoughts of cultivation and harvesting of nature's medicine. With the increasing popularity of herbs, it is important that consumers (and producers) of herbs follow sustainable guidelines to protect them. These articles shed some light on the subject:
Wildcrafting: A "simple" life fraught with a host of complex ethical and practical considerations An ethical harvester of wild plants ponders the best way to preserve and protect the wild plants he depends on. by Bruce Buren http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/2004301/buren
Sustainable Herbalism by Julia Behrens
http://www.herbal-consultant.com/Julia-Behrens-Medical-Herbalist-sustainable.html
Wildcrafting Ethics and similar things by Howie Brounstein http://www.henriettesherbal.com/faqs/medi-5-2-wildcrafting.html
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Herb Wizard
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Think you know herbs?
Q: Which herb was the inspiration for velcro?
A: Milk Thistle
B: Cleavers
C: Burdock
D: Nettle
Answer: Click here
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