Herbal

Nutritional additives based on green tea have been claiming various beneficial health effects. However, several case reports on hepatotoxicity after the intake of green tea derivatives containing Camellia Sinensis have been published. We report a patient with an acute hepatitis after intake of an oral green tea derivative claiming protection against hair loss, showing a histological image compatible with drug induced hepatitis. Other important causes of hepatitis were excluded. After cessation of this nutritional additive there was a rapid and sustained recovery.

We raise concern about the safety of nutritional additives with few proven beneficial effects and want to emphasize the importance of accurate and thorough history taking, with attention for over the counter drugs and herbal products.


"Acute hepatitis after treatment for hair loss with oral green tea extracts (Camellia Sinensis)."
Acta Gastroenterol Belg. 2009 Apr-Jun; 72(2): 262-4Verhelst X, Burvenich P, Van Sassenbroeck D, Gabriel C, Lootens M, Baert D


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To investigate the usage patterns of complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs), as well as dietary interventions, by South Australian people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

DESIGN:
Self-administered postal survey.

SETTING:
Questionnaire mailed to recipients of the South Australian (SA) MS Society newsletter (n=1230).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Patterns of CAMs use and dietary interventions, reasons for using/not using CAMs in MS, sources of CAMs information and monthly expenditure on CAMs/dietary interventions.

RESULTS:
A total of 428 surveys were returned (response rate 34.8%) of which 416 met the inclusion criteria for analysis. The majority of SA people with MS who responded reported using CAMs/dietary interventions (64.7%). Respondents with tertiary education and those with mild and moderate disease reported highest CAM use.

The most frequently used CAM product categories were vitamins (81.8%), essential fatty acids (80.7%) and minerals (62.5%). Commonly used herbal products included Ginkgo biloba (18.2%) and valerian (16.4%). Popular diets were the low fat (39.8%), low/no sugar (23.8%) and gluten-free (16.4%) diets.

The majority of those using CAMs/dietary interventions did so concurrently with conventional treatments (72.1%). Reasons for use included: general health and well-being; to alleviate 'general' as well as specific MS symptoms such as muscle weakness, urinary or memory problems and mobility.

Conventional health professionals, and friends/family, were the most common sources of information. Monthly expenditure was most commonly AUD$20-49/month.

CONCLUSION:
This study reports frequent use of CAM/dietary intervention amongst SA people with MS. The majority of users did so in conjunction with conventional treatments.



"Complementary and alternative medicines and dietary interventions in multiple sclerosis: What is being used in South Australia and why?"
Complement Ther Med. 2009 Aug; 17(4): 216-23Leong EM, Semple SJ, Angley M, Siebert W, Petkov J, McKinnon RA

A herbal preparation "Compound Codyceps-TCM-700C (CC-700C)" was tested for hepatoprotective effect against the carbon tetrachloride induced liver damages in Sprague-Dawley rat model for a period of 6-weeks. Two dosage levels of CC-700C, respectively 286.2mg/kg-bw (L-TCM) and 2862mg/kg-bw (H-TCM), and a positive control Silymarin (Sigma) were used to compare their therapeutic effect.

Both CC-700C's and Silymarin showed nontoxic in nature, as evidenced by body weight gain, organ weights and appearance including liver, spleen, and kidney. The activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine-aminotransferase (ALT) were more effectively suppressed by CC-700C than Silymarin.

In addition, all levels of serum bilirubin, serum albumin, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), platelet count (PLT), and prothombin time (PT) except TG were shown effectively restored to normal values by CC-700C and Silymarin.

Moreover, although levels of glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GSH-Rd), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were equally maintained by these three preparations, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) was suppressed only by H-TCM, and SOD only by Silymarin. In contrast, the activity of catalase efficiently recovered to control level on administration of CC-700C, being far better than Silymarin.

Finally the liver collagen content, an indication of fibrosis, was also significantly suppressed by CC-700C, better effect was by L-TCM, but both levels were superior to Silymarin. Conclusively, the herbal preparation "Compound Cordyceps TCM-700C" is a potent hepatoprotective preparation. For therapeutic use, a dosage of 286.2mg/kg-bw would be sufficiently effective.


"Compound Cordyceps TCM-700C exhibits potent hepatoprotective capability in animal model"
Fitoterapia. 2009 Jul 8; Ko WS, Hsu SL, Chyau CC, Chen KC, Peng RY

The significance of herbals and herbal products is gaining world wide recognition. The concept of complementary or alternative medicine is becoming much more widely accepted and there is an increasing belief in the efficacy of herbal remedies.

Recently, the role of herbal drugs, herbal products and certain phytochemicals in the control of ageing has been documented using modern scientific approaches. This review pulls together such studies and critiques the efficacy and value of herbal medicines in the control of the ageing process.


Herbals in the Control of Ageing
Drug Discov Today. 2009 Jul 8; Kapoor VK, Dureja J, Chadha RT (Hubmed)


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