Herbal abstracts on Medline

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See herbal abstracts on Medline:

 

Elder C, Aickin M, Bauer V, Cairns J, Vuckovic N. Randomized trial of a

whole-system ayurvedic protocol for type 2 diabetes. Altern Ther Health

Med. 2006 Sep-Oct;12(5):24-30. Kaiser Permanente Center for Health

Research, Portland, Oregon, USA. CONTEXT: Though complementary and

alternative medicine (CAM) treatments are popular, evidence to support

their application to diabetes care is scarce. Previous CAM diabetes

research has generally focused on single modalities, but CAM practitioners

more commonly prescribe complex, multimodality interventions.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to determine the feasibility and

clinical impact of a whole-system, Ayurvedic intervention for newly

diagnosed people with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: Patients were randomly

assigned to either an experimental or control arm. SETTING: Group model

health maintenance organization. Participants: We recruited 60 adult

patients with baseline glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) values between 6.0

and 8.0. INTERVENTION: Treatment for the experimental group included

exercise, an Ayurvedic diet, meditation instruction, and an Ayurvedic herb

supplement (MA 471). Control patients attended standard diabetes

education classes with primary care clinician follow-up. MEASUREMENTS:

Clinical outcomes were assessed at 3 and 6 months and included HbA1c,

fasting glucose, lipids, blood pressure, and weight. RESULTS: Ninety-two

percent of randomized patients completed the study, and there were no

significant adverse study-related events. Using analysis of co-variance

(ANCOVA), we found no significant differences for clinical outcomes at 6

months between on-study patient groups, though trends favored the

Ayurvedic group. When we included a factor measuring how much baseline

HbA1c exceeded the mean (6.5%), however, we found statistically

significant improvements in the Ayurvedic group for HbA1c (P = .006),

fasting glucose (P = .001), total cholesterol (P = .05), low-density lipoprotein

(LDL) cholesterol (P = .04), and weight (P = .035). CONCLUSIONS: These

results suggest that the+ Ayurvedic intervention may benefit patients with

higher baseline HbA1c values, warranting further research. PMID:

17017752 [PubMed - in process]

 

[' Note: From another reference, Ayurvedic formula MA 471

contains Enicostema littorale, Phyllanthus niruri, Eugenia jambolana, Melia

azadirachta,Terminalia arjuna, and Aegle marmelos + Shilajit, a mineral

preparation of black bitumen. The herbs were processed in an aqueous

extract made from the leaves of the Aegle marmelos and from the fruits of

the Momordica charantia. All patients received MA-471, 2 X 500mg tablets

twice/ a day for an average of 9 months]

 

Homma M, Ishihara M, Qian W, Kohda Y. Effects of Long Term

Administration of Shakuyaku-kanzo-To and Shosaiko-To on Serum

Potassium Levels. Yakugaku Zasshi. 2006 Oct;126(10):973-8. Department

of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human

Sciences, University of Tsukuba. Typical adverse effects of Shakuyaku-

kanzo-To (SKT), an herbal medicine containing licorice, is a licorice-induced

pseudoaldosteronism with hypokalemia and hypertension. The risk factors

for this side effect are still unclear. To identify the risk factors, we

surveyed

37 cases of licorice-induced pseudoaldosteronism in the literature and

serum potassium levels in our patients receiving SKT and Shosaiko-To

(SST), which contain 6 g and 1.5 g of licorice in the daily dose, respectively.

In the case report survey, pseudoaldosteronism developed a median 35

(range 2-231) days after the administration of SKT, which is shorter than

after SST (450, range 150-2190 days) and other licorice products including

glycyrrhizin (210, range 14-730 days). A significant correlation was

observed between the glycyrrhizin contents in the licorice preparations and

the dosing periods for developing pseudoaldosteronism (r=-0.700, p < 0.01).

A negative correlation was also observed between serum potassium level

and dosing period for SKT, but not for SST. The difference in age (65.3 +/-

11.6 vs. 57.2 +/- 17.3 y) and dosing period (57.3 +/- 66.3 vs. 19.0 +/- 24.3

days) between the patients with and without hypokalemia after the

administration of SKT was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The occurrence

rate of hypokalemia including pseudoaldosteronism was around 80% with

SKT administration for more than 30 days for patients exceeding 60 years

old. It was suggested that patient age (>60 y) and dosing period of SKT

(>30 days) might be risk factors for developing pseudoaldosteronism or

hypokalemia as well as coadministration of drugs inducing hypokalemia.

PMID: 17016026 [PubMed - in process]

 

[' Note: Shakuyaku-kanzo-To = Shaoyao Gancao Tang;

Shosaiko-To = Xiao Chaihu Tang]

 

Biol Pharm Bull. 2006 Oct;29(10):2065-9. Links

Does a kampo medicine containing schisandra fruit affect pharmacokinetics

of nifedipine like grapefruit juice?Makino T, Mizuno F, Mizukami H.

Department of Pharmacognosy, Graduate School of Nagoya City University.

 

Herb-drug interaction has attracted attention as medicinal topics recently.

However, the drug information is sometimes confusing. Previous in vitro

studies revealed that schisandra fruit had strong inhibitory effect on

CYP3A4 and claimed the possibilities of its herb-drug interaction. In the

present study, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of schisandra fruit and

shoseiryuto, an herbal formula in Japanese traditional kampo medicine

containing eight herbal medicines including schisandra fruit, on rat CYP3A

activity in vitro, and the effect of shoseiryuto on pharmacokinetics of

nifedipine in rats, in comparison with those of grapefruit juice, a well-

characterized natural CYP3A inhibitor. Shoseiryuto and its herbal

constituents, schisandra fruit, ephedra herb and cinnamon bark exhibited in

vitro inhibitory effect of CYP3A. Although shoseiryuto inhibited rat CYP3A

activity in vitro with a degree comparable to grapefruit juice, shoseiryuto did

not significantly affect a plasma concentration profile of nifedipine in rats as

grapefruit juice did. These results indicate that in vivo experiments using the

extract of herbal medicine prepared with the same dosage form as patients

take are necessary to provide proper information about herb-drug

interaction. PMID: 17015952 [PubMed - in process]

 

Kim ST, Kim JD, Lyu YS, Lee MY, Kang HW. Neuroprotective Effect of

Some Plant Extracts in Cultured CT105-Induced PC12 Cells. Biol Pharm

Bull. 2006 Oct;29(10):2021-4. #Room 452-1, Nano-Bio of Research

Institute, Division of Nanoscience, Department of Nature Science, Ewha

Womans University. Carboxyl-terminal fragments of APP (CT) have been

found in plaques, microvessels and the neurofibrillary tangles in the brains

of AD patients. These carboxyl-terminal fragments, which contain the

complete Abeta sequence, appear to be toxic to neurons in culture cells.

However, the possible role of other cleaved products of APP is less clear.

We showed that a recombinant carboxy-terminal 105 amino acid fragment

(CT105) of APP induced strong neurotoxicity in PC12 cells. We prepared

alcoholic extract from Oriental herbal plants and screened their protective

effects against CT(105)-induced cell death in PC12 cells after the treatment

of these extracts. Of the 10 kinds of plant extracts, 12 kinds of extracts had

considerable protective effects against CT(105)-induced cell death,

especially, Gouteng-Uncariae Ramulus et Uncus (UREU), Tianma-

Gastrodia elata (GAE), Wuzhuyu-Evodia officinalis (EO) and Renshen-

Panax ginseng (PAG) showed the most protective effect at the

concentration of 50mug/ml. BuOH extract of UREU and GAE possessed

the strongest protective effects against neurotoxicity of CT(105)-induced

PC12 cells and showed inhibitory effect with IC(50) values of 4.8 and

8.3mug/ml, respectively. These plants are promising candidates of

neuroprotective effects and would be useful for the treatment of the

neuronal degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's diseases. PMID:

17015944 [PubMed - in process]

 

Lin YK, Yen HR, Wong WR, Yang SH, Pang JH.Successful Treatment of

Pediatric Psoriasis with Indigo naturalis Composite Ointment. Pediatr

Dermatol. 2006 Sep-Oct;23(5):507-10. Department of Traditional Chinese

Medicine, Center for Traditional , Chang Gung Memorial

Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan. The treatment of psoriasis in children is still an

intractable problem and demands a long-term therapy with prolonged

efficacy that is free from serious adverse events. Many modes of therapy

are currently in use but the disease is often resistant to treatment owing to

the unacceptable toxicity that leads to poor compliance. Therefore, to

develop an alternative treatment is indispensable. Traditional Chinese

medicine has been documented for over 1000 years to provide various

effective treatments for inflammatory skin diseases. Herein, we report an 8-

year-old boy with recalcitrant pediatric psoriasis who, after multiple

treatment failures with conventional antipsoriatic medications, showed

remarkable clinical improvement with 8 weeks of topical treatment with

Indigo naturalis composite ointment. Remission has lasted for over 2 years

until now. Our patient's response suggests that topical Indigo naturalis

composite ointment may provide a safe and effective alternative treatment

for pediatric psoriasis. PMID: 17014654 [PubMed - in process]

 

Guo R, Canter PH, Ernst E. Herbal medicines for the treatment of

rhinosinusitis: A systematic review. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2006

Oct;135(4):496-506. Department of Complementary Medicine, Peninsula

Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, 25 Victoria Park

Road, Exeter EX2 4NT, United Kingdom. OBJECTIVES: To assess the

efficacy of herbal medicines for treating rhinosinusitis. DATA SOURCE:

Five electronic databases, bibliographies of located papers, manufacturers,

and experts in the field. REVIEW METHODS: Inclusion of randomized

clinical trials (RCT) testing any herbal medicine in rhinosinusitis, as sole or

adjunctive treatment. Data were extracted independently by two reviewers

following a predetermined protocol. RESULTS: Ten RCTs, testing six

different herbal products against placebo (8 RCTs) or " no additional

treatment " (2 RCTs) were included. Four RCTs tested Sinupret as

adjunctive treatment for either acute (3 RCTs) or chronic (1 RCT)

rhinosinusitis. The quality of these studies varied, but two in acute sinusitis,

including the largest and best quality study, and one in chronic sinusitis

reported significant positive findings. Three RCTs tested bromelain in either

acute sinusitis (2 RCTs) or patients of mixed diagnosis (chronic and acute

sinusitis), and all reported some positive findings. Metanalysis of the two

RCTs in acute sinusitis suggested that adjunctive use of bromelain

significantly improves some symptoms of acute rhinosinusitis. Single RCTs

were identified for 4 other herbal products (Esberitox, Myrtol, Cineole, and

Bi Yuan Shu) as treatments for sinusitis, all reported some positive results.

The median methodological quality score was 3 of 5. CONCLUSION:

Evidence that any herbal medicines are beneficial in the treatment of

rhinosinusitis is limited, particularly in chronic rhinosinusitis. There is

encouraging evidence that Sinupret and bromelain may be effective

adjunctive treatments in acute rhinosinusitis. Positive results from isolated

RCTs of four other herbal products require independent replication. PMID:

17011407 [PubMed - in process]

 

Wang CY, Chiao MT, Yen PJ, Huang WC, Hou CC, Chien SC, Yeh KC,

Yang WC, Shyur LF, Yang NS. Modulatory effects of Echinacea purpurea

extracts on human dendritic cells: A cell- and gene-based study.Genomics.

2006 Sep 28; [Epub ahead of print] Agricultural Biotechnology Research

Center, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan, Republic of China.

Echinacea spp. are popularly used as an herbal medicine or food

supplement for enhancing the immune system. This study shows that plant

extracts from root [R] and stem plus leaf [s+L] tissues of E. purpurea exhibit

opposite (enhancing vs inhibitory) modulatory effects on the expression of

the CD83 marker in human dendritic cells (DCs), which are known as

professional antigen-presenting cells. We developed a function-targeted

DNA microarray system to characterize the effects of phytocompounds on

human DCs. Down-regulation of mRNA expression of specific chemokines

(e.g., CCL3 and CCL8) and their receptors (e.g., CCR1 and CCR9) was

observed in [s+L]-treated DCs. Other chemokines and regulatory molecules

(e.g., CCL4 and CCL2) involved in the c-Jun pathway were found to be up-

regulated in [R]-treated DCs. This study, for the first time, demonstrates that

E. purpurea extracts can modulate DC differentiation and expression of

specific immune-related genes in DCs. PMID: 17011161 [PubMed - as

supplied by publisher]

 

Dordevic S, Petrovic S, Dobric S, Milenkovic M, Vucicevic D, Zizic S, Kukic

J. Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer and antioxidant activities of

Carlina acanthifolia root essential oil. J Ethnopharmacol. 2006 Aug 26;

[Epub ahead of print] Institute for Medicinal Plant Research " Dr. Josif

Pancic " , Tadeuska Koscuska 1, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. The root of

Carlina acanthifolia All. (Asteraceae) has been traditionally used in the

treatment of various disorders including stomach and skin diseases. We

studied antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer and antioxidant activities

of Carlina acanthifolia root essential oil, in order to validate some of the

ethnopharmacological claims. Antimicrobial activity was tested on 15

bacteria and three strains of fungi using the agar diffusion and broth

microdilution methods. In assessing anti-inflammatory activity the

carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema test was used, while ethanol-induced

stress gastric ulcer test in rats was used in testing anti-ulcer activity.

Antioxidant properties were evaluated trough the effect of the essential oil

on lipid peroxidation (TBA assay) and its capability of quenching 2,2-

diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and OH radicals. The oil expressed

significant antimicrobial activity, being the most active against Gram (+)

bacteria: Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis

and against Candida albicans. In all applied concentrations, Carlina

acanthifolia root essential oil reduced carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema

in dose-dependent manner, achieving high degree of anti-inflammatory

activity. The effect was comparable with that of indomethacin used as a

reference drug. In the ethanol-induced stress gastric ulcer test in rats, it was

shown that the tested essential oil produced significant dose-dependent

gastroprotective activity. The results also pointed out substantial and dose-

dependent antioxidant activity of the investigated essential oil, with carlina

oxide as the main antioxidant component. PMID: 17011148 [PubMed - as

supplied by publisher]

 

Zhang ZJ, Kang WH, Li Q, Tan QR. The beneficial effects of the herbal

medicine Free and Easy Wanderer Plus (FEWP) for mood disorders:

Double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. J Psychiatr Res. 2006 Sep 28;

[Epub ahead of print] School of , The University of Hong

Kong, 10 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR, China. Our previous

study has shown the beneficial effects of the herbal medicine called Free

and Easy Wanderer Plus (FEWP) as adjunctive therapy with

carbamazepine (CBZ) in the 12-week treatment of bipolar disorders (Zhang

ZJ, Kang WH, Tan QR, Li Q, Gao CG, Zhang FG, et al., Adjunctive herbal

medicine with carbamazepine for bipolar disorders: a double-blind,

randomized, placebo-controlled study. J Psychiatr Res; 2005). Here, we

present follow-up data obtained from a continuation of the previously

reported study. Treatment and clinical evaluation of bipolar patients (n=188)

who had randomly received 12-week CBZ plus placebo (n=92) or CBZ plus

FEWP (n=96) were extended to 26 weeks under double-blind condition.

Patients in adjunctive FEWP showed a significantly lower overall

discontinuation rate (31%) at endpoint compared to placebo (51%,

p=0.009), and of 15% in adjunctive FEWP discontinued due to intolerable

side effects, markedly lower than those in placebo (28%, p=0.019). No

difference in discontinuation for lack of efficacy and exacerbation was

observed in the two groups. Patients receiving adjunctive FEWP had

significantly fewer adverse side effects and lower serum levels of CBZ than

those in placebo. A separate study was further conducted to evaluate the

effectiveness of FEWP as monotherapy in depressed patients. A total of 87

unipolar and 62 bipolar depressed patients were randomly assigned to

treatment with 36g/day FEWP (n=86) or placebo (n=63) for 12 weeks under

double-blind condition. Efficacy was measured using the Hamilton Rating

Scale for Depression (HAMD), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating

Scale (MADRS), and Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S). Both

unipolar and bipolar patients assigned to FEWP displayed significantly

greater improvement on the three efficacy indices and significantly higher

clinical response rate (74%) than those treated with placebo (42%, p<0.001)

at endpoint. These results suggest that adjunctive FEWP improves

tolerability of CBZ in the long-term use, which may be associated with the

suppression of blood CBZ concentrations via herb-drug interactions. FEWP

monotherapy may be also an effective alternative treatment for depressed

conditions. PMID: 17010995 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Nguyen-Pouplin J, Tran H, Tran H, Phan TA, Dolecek C, Farrar J, Tran TH,

Caron P, Bodo B, Grellier P. Antimalarial and cytotoxic activities of

ethnopharmacologically selected medicinal plants from South Vietnam.J

Ethnopharmacol. 2006 Aug 15; [Epub ahead of print] UMR 5154 CNRS

Chimie et Biochimie des Substances Naturelles, Dpt R.D.D.M., Museum

National d'Histoire Naturelle, CP54, 63 rue Buffon, 75231 Paris Cedex 05,

France; USM 0504 MNHN Biologie Fonctionnelle des Protozoaires, Dpt

R.D.D.M., Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CP52, 61 rue Buffon,

75231 Paris Cedex 05, France. Malaria is a major global public health

problem and the alarming spread of drug resistance and limited number of

effective drugs now available underline how important it is to discover new

antimalarial compounds. An ethnopharmacological investigation was

undertaken of medicinal plants traditionally used to treat malaria in the

South Vietnam. Forty-nine plants were identified, 228 extracts were

prepared and tested for their in vitro activity against Plasmodium falciparum,

and assessed for any cytotoxicity against the human cancer cell line HeLa

and the embryonic lung MRC5 cell line. In a first screening at a

concentration of 10mug/ml, 92 extracts from 46 plants showed

antiplasmodial activity (parasite growth inhibition >30%). The IC(50) values

of the most active extracts were determined as well as their selectivity

towards Plasmodium falciparum in comparison to their cytotoxic effects

against the human cell lines. Six plants showed interesting antiplasmodial

activity (IC(50) ranging from 0.4 to 8.6mug/ml) with a good selectivity: two

Menispermaceae, Arcangelisia flava (L.) Merr. and Fibraurea tinctoria Lour.,

and also Harrisonia perforata (Blanco) Merr. (Simaroubaceae), Irvingia

malayana Oliv. ex Benn. (Irvingiaceae), Elaeocarpus kontumensis Gagn.

(Elaeocarpaceae) and Anneslea fragrans Wall. (Theaceae). PMID:

17010546 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Manna P, Sinha M, Sil PC. Aqueous extract of Terminalia arjuna prevents

carbon tetrachloride induced hepatic and renal disorders.BMC Complement

Altern Med. 2006 Sep 30;6(1):33 [Epub ahead of print] ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND: Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is a well-known hepatotoxin

and exposure to this chemical is known to induce oxidative stress and

causes liver injury by the formation of free radicals. Acute and chronic renal

damage are also very common pathophysiologic disturbances caused by

CCl4. The present study has been conducted to evaluate the protective role

of the aqueous extract of the bark of Termnalia arjuna (TA), an important

Indian medicinal plant widely used in the preparation of ayurvedic

formulations, on CCl4 induced oxidative stress and resultant dysfunction in

the livers and kidneys of mice. METHODS: Animals were pretreated with

the aqueous extract of TA (50 mg/kg body weight) for one week and then

challenged with CCl4 (1 ml/kg body weight) in liquid paraffin (1:1, v/v) for 2

days. Serum marker enzymes, namely, glutamate pyruvate transaminase

(GPT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were estimated in the sera of all

study groups. Antioxidant status in both the liver and kidney tissues were

estimated by determining the activities of the antioxidative enzymes,

superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase

(GST); as well as by determining the levels of thiobarbutaric acid reactive

substances (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH). In addition, free

radical scavenging activity of the extract was determined from its DPPH

radical quenching ability. RESULTS: Results showed that CCl4 caused a

marked rise in serum levels of GPT and ALP. TBARS level was also

increased significantly whereas GSH, SOD, CAT and GST levels were

decreased in the liver and kidney tissue homogenates of CCl4 treated mice.

Aqueous extract of TA successfully prevented the alterations of these

effects in the experimental animals. Data also showed that the extract

possessed strong free radical scavenging activity comparable to that of

vitamin C. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that the aqueous

extract of the bark of TA could protect the liver and kidney tissues against

CCl4-induced oxidative stress probably by increasing antioxidative defense

activities. PMID: 17010209 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Kietzmann M, Braun M. [Effects of the zinc oxide and cod liver oil containing

ointment Zincojecol in an animal model of wound healing][Article in

German] Dtsch Tierarztl Wochenschr. 2006 Sep;113(9):331-4. Institut fur

Pharmakologie, Toxikologie und Pharmazie Stiftung Tierarztliche

Hochschule Hannover. The effects of Zincojecol an ointment containing zinc

oxide and cod liver oil on wound healing were compared with ointments that

either contained no active ingredients or zinc oxide or cod liver oil alone. All

formulations enhanced the epidermal proliferation after mechanical irritation

of the tail skin. The combination of zinc oxide and cod liver oil was found to

be superior to the vehicle control and formulations containing only one

active ingredient. This combination was also found to be most efficient in

accelerating wound healing being retarded by repeated dexamethasone

treatment. PMID: 17009808 [PubMed - in process]

 

Best regards