Status of herbal medicines in the treatment of diabetes: a review.

Curr Diabetes Rev. 2009 May; 5(2): 102-11Samad A, Shams MS, Ullah Z, Wais M, Nazish I, Sultana Y, Aqil MDiabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia caused by defective insulin secretion, resistance to insulin action, or a combination of both. DM has reached epidemic proportions in the US and more recently worldwide. The morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes is anticipated to account for a substantial proportion of health care expenditures. Although there are several drug treatments currently available, the need for new herbal agents for treatment of diabetes are required. The treatment goals for patients with diabetes have evolved significantly over the last 80 years, from preventing imminent mortality, to alleviating symptoms, to the now recognized objective of normalization or near normalization of glucose levels with the intent of forestalling diabetic complications. The present review stated several findings from an extensive literature search of natural plants that have been assessed for the anti diabetic activity over past 80 years. An attempt has been made to summarize the information in order to highlight those chemical entities and plant species which are of worthy for further investigation as leads to the drug developments. Over 100 plant species from wide range of families containing various chemical classes of compounds have been cited here which are worthy for the researchers and the industrialist concerned to diabetes.

Characteristics and nutritional and cardiovascular-health properties of seaweeds.

J Med Food. 2009 Apr; 12(2): 236-58Bocanegra A, Bastida S, Benedí J, Ródenas S, Sánchez-Muniz FJWhile marine algae have traditionally formed part of the Oriental diet, their major use in Western countries has been in the phytocolloid industry. Only a few coastal communities outside Asia have customarily used seaweeds as components of special dishes. Of late, however, seaweeds have gained importance as foodstuffs in Western countries and most recently as components of functional foods because of their high dietary fiber, mineral, vitamin, and phytochemical content, low energy levels, and high concentrations of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids. The present paper reviews the available data for some of the components of the major edible algae and studies several factors that can affect their physiochemical properties (e.g., hydration, water and oil-holding capacity, fermentability, binding capacity, etc.) and, in turn, their nutritional importance. The effects of marine alga consumption on growth and body weight, mineral availability, lipid metabolism, blood pressure, and antioxidant properties are reviewed, together with preliminary data on the effects of some functional foods containing seaweeds on lipid metabolism and gene expression of enzymes engaged in antioxidant protection. This review concludes with some remarks regarding the danger of the improper use of seaweeds in herbal medications. In addition, as the properties of algae are highly dependent on their individual composition, any generalization regarding these properties may be considered misleading and scientifically inappropriate.

Effect of ShanZha, a Chinese herbal product, on obesity and dyslipidemia in hamsters receiving high-fat diet.

J Ethnopharmacol. 2009 May 16; Kou DH, Yeh CH, Shieh PC, Cheng KC, Chen FA, Cheng JTAIM: The present study is designed to investigate the effect of ShanZha (Crataegus pinnatifida) on obesity or dyslipidemia induced by high fat diet in hamsters and characterize the role of PPARalpha in this action of ShanZha. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We induced dyslipidemia and obesity in hamsters using high fat diet and treated hamsters with ShanZha or vehicle for 7 days. We measured the body weight, adipose tissue weights, and food intake of hamsters. Plasma total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) were determined at the beginning and end of this treatment. Effect of ShanZha on adipogenesis was examined in vitro and change of PPARalpha was analyzed using Western blot. RESULTS: The food intake, body weights, and weights of both brown and white adipose tissues were markedly reduced in hamsters receiving ShanZha as compared with the vehicle-treated control. Plasma levels of TC, TG and LDL-C were decreased by this ShanZha treatment while HDL-C was elevated. The effects of ShanZha were reversed by the combined treatment with PPARalpha antagonist, MK886. ShanZha inhibited the fat droplet accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes in a dose-dependent manner and this effect was abolished by MK886. Western blot results showed activation of PPARalpha by ShanZha in hamster adipose tissue. CONCLUSION: We suggest that ShanZha could activate PPARalpha to improve dyslipidemia or obesity.