Holistic Health Articles and Research Related to Herbal Medicines, Foods and Phytochemicals

Monday, 19 November 2018

Herbal Star Anise (Illicium verum), The Natural Anti Depressant Alternative

By Kyle J. Norton

Star Anise may be used as an antidepressant to treat diseases associated with the central nervous system,, some scientists suggested.

The central nervous system is a part of the nervous system of the brain and spinal cord with the function of integrates information it receives from for the entire nervous system, and control all the workings of your body.

Antidepressants are a class of conventional medication used for the treatment of the major depressive disorder and other psychological conditions, including anxiety depression disorders.

A neurotoxicity is a form of toxicity that affects the structure or function of the central and/or peripheral nervous system, leading to damage of neuron and brain cells of the central nervous system.

In some cases, neurotoxicity can induce unpleasant symptoms of weakness in the limbs. altered sensation, tingling, and numbness in the limbs, headache, and loss of certain types of acute cognitive function.

However, in severe cases, neurotoxicity can cause vision loss, complete loss of memory and reduced cognitive function.

Some patients with neurotoxicity also experience uncontrollable obsessive and/or compulsive behavior and sexual dysfunction.

Dr. Bateman DN the lead scientists in the concern of "Antidepressant use and risk of central nervous system toxicity metastasis" launched an investigation to examine "Tricyclic antidepressant poisoning: central nervous system effects and management" wrote, " All tricyclic drugs are potentially able to cause the main acute CNS toxic syndromes of coma and convulsions" and

"Coma is the most useful sign indicative of toxic risk and appears to predict severe toxic complications (fits and arrhythmias) more reliably than ECG changes".

The finding clearly suggested that the use of antidepressant should be taken with extreme care as the medicine may cause neurotoxicity similar to those of the overdose of Star Anise.

Ba Jiao Hui Xiang also known Chinese Star Anise is a spice which has been used in traditional Chinese cooking for thousands of years from a small evergreen tree, native in southwest China.

The acrid and warm herb has been used in TCM an antibiotic agent and to treat a hernia, chronic lower back pain, vomiting due to coldness in stomach, pain, and coldness in the stomach. etc. as it disperses cold moves qi and calms pain by enhancing the functions of liver, kidney, spleen, stomach channels.

Besides the main ingredient Anethole, star Anise also contains, D-pinene, I-phellandrene, Alpha-terpineol, Safrol, Methyl chavicol, Resin, Shikimic acid, etc.

Dr. Li J, the lead scientist at the Huaqiao University, in the finding a natural ingredient or whole food with a therapeutic function similar to those of conventional antidepressants with little or no side effects evaluated the behavioral and biochemical effects of macranthol, a triphenyl lignan isolated from Illicium dunnianum (Star Anise).

Depressed mice treated at different doses of macranthol (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg) are subjected to the forced swimming test, tail suspension test and chronic unpredictable mild stress.

One day of the acute treatment of macranthol significantly increased the mobility time in the forced swimming test and tail suspension test.

Chronic (5-week) treatment of macranthol reversed the reduction of sucrose preference induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress.

Where the sucrose preference test is a useful tool to investigate anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure).

Futhermore, application of macranthol completely ameliorated the corticosterone hypersecretion associated with patients with depression observed by acute swim stress or chronic unpredictable mild stress.

Also, the chronic macranthol treatment exerted a significant effect in attenuating the reduction of serotonergic neurotransmission in brain regions of frontal cortex and hippocampus.

Where low serotonin levels have been linked to depression.

These results strongly indicated that Star Anise produced an antidepressant-like effect mediated by the serotonergic and neuroendocrine system.

After taking into account co and confounder and additional observation, the team wrote in the final report, "the finding that only chronic but not acute treatment enhanced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression".

More importantly, with the concern that injection of Star Anise may induce acute toxicity, Dr. Chouksey D, the herb research team conducted an experiment to test the chemical component of fruit extracts and its action on the central nervous system.

The selected Male albino rats and mice were trained for seven days prior to the experiments and divided into five groups with six animals in each, prior to the drug administered by intraperitoneal route according to body weight.

At a dose of 200 mg of phenobarbitone, before injection of Star Anise, tested subjects showed a prolonged sleeping time, an alteration in general behavior pattern, reduced locomotor activity and anxiolytic effects without significant altering muscles coordination activity.

Application of Star Anise strongly inhibited the complication induced by the injection of phenobarbitone.

Compared to the efficacy of three extracts of Star Anise at the dose of 200 mg, methanol extract was found to produce more prominent effects, then hexane and ethyl acetate extracts.

The results of the observation firmly indicated that the extracts of Star Anise possess potent CNS depressant action and anxiolytic effect without interfering with motor coordination.

Taken altogether, Star Anise may have a depressant like effect, comparable to those of the conventional antidepressants. However, intake of Star Anise extract or whole herb should only be prescribed by the related field specialist, as acute toxicity has been detected at the the dose over 2 000 mg/kg.

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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

References
(1) Central nervous system activity of Illicium verum fruit extracts by Chouksey D, Upmanyu N, Pawar RS. (PubMed)
(2) Antidepressant-like effect of macranthol isolated from Illiciumdunnianum tutch in mice by Li J, Geng D, Xu J, Weng LJ, Liu Q, Yi LT. (PubMed)

Isothiocyanates, The Potential Anti Cancers Phytochemicals

By Kyle J. Norton

Dithiolthione, a phytochemical found abundantly in the cruciferous vegetables may be next target for the development of chemo medicine for the treatment of cancer without inducing any side effects, some study suggested.

Cancers are the class of chronic and medical condition characterized by cell growth disorderly and uncontrollably that start on the inner lining of the tissue of an organ due to the alternation of cell DNA.

At the advanced stage, most cancer cells can travel a distance away from the original site to infect other healthy tissue and organs through blood and fluids circulation.

The causes of cancer are unknown. Epidemiological studies suggested that depending to the types of cancer, most common risk factors are aging, tobacco, sun exposure, radiation exposure, chemicals toxins, viruses and bacteria, change of hormones, family history, excessive alcohol drinking, poor diet, lack of physical activity and overweight or obesity.

However, most people with some of the above risk factors have never developed cancer.

Genetic preposition and acquired genetic mutation are the most risk factors that can precisely predict the percentage of prevalent risk of the onset of the disease.

Mutation of gene TP53 and PTEN. which produce a protein that suppresses the growth of tumors, genetic mutation of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are associated with the higher risk of cancer.

In acquire genetic mutation, some researchers suggested that the result of errors in the cell cycle division caused by long-term exposure to carcinogenic substances such as tobacco smoke and occupations which are required to chemical exposure that also damage the cells DNA are also some prevalent factors associated to the increased risk of cancers.

The US National Library of Medine wrote "For example, certain mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes greatly increase a person's risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Variations in other genes, such as BARD1 and BRIP1, also increase breast cancer risk, but the contribution of these genetic changes to a person's overall risk appears to be much smaller".

Futhermore, on the other front of acquired genetic mutation, Dr. Michael R. Stratton, the lead author in the study "The cancer genome" said, "the cancer cell may have acquired, from exogenous sources, completely new DNA sequences, notably those of viruses such as human papilloma virus, Epstein Barr virus, hepatitis B virus, human T lymphotropic virus 1 and human herpes virus 8, each of which is known to contribute to the genesis of one or more type of cancer".

Some researchers proposed that cancer may be results of weaken immunity, Dr. Louise M.E. Janssen, the lead scientist in the study "The immune system in cancer metastasis: friend or foe?" said, " the primary tumor induces an immune response, which may not be sufficient to destroy the primary tumor, but prevents the growth of a secondary tumor or metastases. Since that time, many different immune cells have been shown to play a role in both inhibiting and promoting metastatic disease".

Dithiolthiones are phytochemicals in the class of Organosulfides, found abundantly in cruciferous vegetables, garden sorrel, horseradish, etc.

In the concerns of chemo drugs side effect in the treatment of invasive cancers, researchers in the cancer team at the Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine conducted an experiment to test the association between urinary levels of isothiocyanates (ITCs) and the risk of pancreatic cancer in urban Shanghai.

The case-control study has been conducted in urban Shanghai from December 2006 to December 2008) through a newly established "instant case reporting" system.

Intake of cruciferous vegetables intake and ITC consumption, urinary ITC levels (median (P25, P75)) were 95.0 (66.9, 135.8) g/d, 11.0 (7.1, 16.0) µmol/d, 0.95 (0.12, 2.92) µmol/g Cr respectively in treatment cases, all lower than those of controls, separately 107.4 (80.1, 154.1) g/d, 12.3 (8.0, 18.0) µmol/d, 1.78 (0.53, 5.28) µmol/g Cr with a statistically significant differences of 3.75.

The urinary levels of ITCs all cases were found to the correlation with cruciferous vegetable consumption and dietary ITC exposure.

Further analysis suggested that there is an inverse association between urinary ITCs and the risk of pancreatic cancer after adjusting for possible confounding factors such as age, sex, history of diabetes and pancreatitis.

Dr. the lead author said, " High levels of cruciferous vegetables or ITC consumption were associated with a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer (all P trend <0.05)".

Moreover, in the study to test the the combination of Thiazolo and isothiocyanates antiproliferative activity in a panel of 8 cancer cell lines, including lung (NCI-H322 and A549), epidermal (A431), glioblastoma (T98G), pancreatic (MIAPaCa-2), prostate (PC-3), human leukemia (HL-60) and breast (T47D) cells, researchers found that

* The combination injection showed antiproliferative activity in the lung (NCI-H322 and A549), epidermal (A431) and glioblastoma (T98G) cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 7.1, 1.4, 3.1 and 3.4 μM, respectively.

* The application compound showed the induction of apoptosis in A549 cells at 10 μM, as indicated by the increase in the sub-G1 population.

* The compounds also induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells at 20 μM. The effect of compound 4a on mitochondrial potential loss in HL-60 cells. was also studied.ct

These results suggested that Thiazolo under the influence of isothiocyanates demonstrated a potency in the inhibition of all cancer cell lines in a concentration and dose-dependent manner without inducing any side effects.

More importantly, Dr.de Figueiredo SM, the lead scientist at the Campus Morro do Cruzeiro in the study "The anti-oxidant properties of isothiocyanates: a review" revealed that ITCs induce Phase II enzymes related to detoxification processes of chemical carcinogens to prevent the start of carcinogenesis and exhibits antitumor activity at post-initiation phase.

Additionally, the lead researcher also suggested that ITCs inhibit the cell viability of human cervical cancer cells, human pancreatic cancer cells, human hepatocellular carcinoma cells, human ovarian cancer cells, and have anti-inflammatory properties in the treatment of human T-cell leukemia cells probably through improving antioxidant status.

Taken altogether, Phytochemical Isothiocyanates found abundantly in cruciferous vegetable may be considered a bioactive functional ingredient for the prevention and treatment of cancers, depending on a large sample size and multi-center in the human study.

References
(1) [A case-control study on the association between urinary levels of isothiocyanates and the risk of pancreatic cancer].[Article in Chinese] by Wang J1, Han L, Zhang W, Wang J, Ni Q, Shen M, Gao Y2.(PubMed)
(2) Synthesis, antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing activity of thiazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidines by Singh B1, Guru SK, Kour S, Jain SK, Sharma R, Sharma PR, Singh SK, Bhushan S, Bharate SB, Vishwakarma RA.(PubMed)
(3) The anti-oxidant properties of isothiocyanates: a review by de Figueiredo SM1, Filho SA, Nogueira-Machado JA, Caligiorne RB.(PubMed)
(4) The immune system in cancer metastasis: friend or foe? by Janssen LME1, Ramsay EE2, Logsdon CD2, Overwijk WW. (PubMed)

Herbal Andrographis Protects Your Heart Against the Onset of Heart Disease

By Kyle J. Norton

Herbal Andrographis may process certain bioactive compounds for the prevention and treatment of heart diseases, some scientists suggested.

Heart disease is the medical condition associated with the blood vessels, including coronary artery disease, heart rhythm, and a heart defect caused by the accumulation of plaques.

Plaque made up of cholesterol, fatty molecules, and minerals accumulated in the arteries can cause stiffening and hardening of the arterial wall and narrowing the arteries, affecting the transportation of oxygen risk blood to the heart.

These result suggested that people who follow the Western diet high in saturated and trans fat, red med meat and processed foods and over the use of calcium supplement are associated with the increased risk plaque building up.

Long-term building up plaques can cause substantial damage to the arterial wall, facilitating the onset of heart disease.

According to statistics, heart disease kills more than 2,000 Americans every day and approximately 60 million Americans have heart disease.

The exact causes of heart disease are debatable. Researchers do not why people who over a few decades of following the Western diet, only some are susceptible to heart disease while many do not, even they have the same health conditions.

The differentiation suggested that some people may process certain genetic preposition which

can increase the development of heart disease.

Dr. Seka Kathiresan, the lead scientist in the study"Genetics of Human Cardiovascular Disease" Cardiovascular disease encompasses a range of conditions extending from myocardial infarction to congenital heart disease most of which are heritable", and

"ANGPTL3mutations as a cause of familial combined hypolipidemia, BAG mutations for dilated cardiomyopathy, NT5E mutations for arterial calcification, KCNJ5 mutations for hereditary hypertension due to aldosterone-producing adenomas, and KLHL3 or CUL3mutations for hypertension and hyperkalemia".

Other risk factors, according to epidemiological studies include obesity insulin resistance or diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure, physically inactive, smoking and eating an unhealthy diet are also associated with disease onset.

However, most people who carry some of the risk factors have never developed heart disease.

Andrographis paniculata is also known as Andrographis is a herbaceous plant, genus Andrographis, belonging to the family Acanthaceae, native to India and Sri Lanka.

The plant has been used in traditional Siddha and Ayurvedic in treating the common cold, flu, upper respiratory infections, infectious diseases, diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, pneumonia, swollen lymph nodes, leprosy, bronchitis, sore throats, tuberculosis, chicken pox, etc.

Besides the main ingredient andrographolides, giving the plant a bitter taste, herbal Andrographis also has diterpene lactones, neoandrographolide, andrographolide, 14-doexy-11, 12-didehydro andrographolide, etc., flavonoids viz., oroxylin, wogonin, andrographidines A, B, C, D, E, F.

In the concern of ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury in the increase of the complication of myocardial infarction (MI), researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences conducted a study with an aim to find a natural ingredient or whole herb which processes a cardioprotective effect.

In the rat model, hydroalcoholic extract of Andrographis paniculata was evaluated against left anterior descending coronary artery (LADCA) ligation-induced I-R injury of the myocardium.

Selected MI rats were induced by LADCA ligation for 45 min followed by reperfusion for 60 min and divided into five experimental groups viz., sham (saline-treated, but LADCA was not ligated), I-R control (saline-treated + I-R), benazepril (30 mg/kg + I-R), A. paniculata (200 mg/kg per se) and A. paniculata (200 mg/kg + I-R).

* In I-R control group, LADCA ligation showed a significant cardiac dysfunction evidenced by reduced hemodynamic parameters; mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR).

* The I-R control without treatment of the herbal extract expressed a decline of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione (GSH) but enhanced lipid peroxidation product, malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of oxidative stress.

After 30 days of 200 mg/kg A. paniculata administered orally, treated group showed favorable improvement of hemodynamic and left the ventricular contractile function, restoration of the myocardial antioxidants and prevention of depletion of myocytes injury marker enzymes along with inhibition of lipid peroxidation.

The results indicated that 200 mg/kg A. paniculata demonstrated a significant cardioprotective activity by inhibiting the adverse effect caused by LADCA in the rat model.

Dr. Ojha SK, the lead author said. "The cardioprotective effects of A. paniculata were found comparable to that of benazepril treatment".

Additionally, in the reaffirming the cardioprotective effect of herbal Andrographis, researchers launched an investigation to examine the watery extract of Andrographis paniculata Nees (APN) activity after one hour of the development of myocardial infarction by the formation of thrombus.

13 dogs were included in the study with 6 of the was served as a control group.

Andrographis treatment group showed a clinically significant efficacy in the improvement of the myocardial structure surrounding the initially appearing ischemic area.

Andrographis exerted a cardioprotective effect in a reversal the damaged area by restoring the damaged area.

The degree of myocardial degeneration and necrosis in the central part of the ischemic area was mild. in the treatment, dogs compared to the control.

These observations strongly suggested that APN processes a cardioprotection by limiting the expansion of ischemic focus, accelerating the reversibly ischemic myocardium.

Taken altogether, herbal Andrographis may be considered a functional food for the prevention and an adjunct therapy combined with the primary medicine for the treatment of heart disease.

Sunday, 18 November 2018

Ginger, The Pungent Spice Suppresses the Symptoms and Disability of Osteoarthritis

By Kyle J. Norton

Ginger may be considered a natural whole food to treat osteoarthritis with no side effects, some scientists suggested.

Osteoarthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease, as a result of the protective cartilage on the ends of your bones were worn and torn down over time. The disease affects millions of people worldwide.

Contrast to the general belief, osteoarthritis only damages the joints of hands, knees, but also cause inflammation of the joints in your hips and spine.

The condition is a slow development disease, often starts in the 40s and 50s and affects almost all people to some degree by age 80.

The common risk factors of osteoarthritis are aging, gender, improper healing of injured joint at a young age, obesity and bone deformity. However, people who have a job with tasks that place repetitive stress on a particular joint are associated with the onset of osteoarthritis in most industrial countries.

Dr. Berran Yucesoy, the lead author in the concerns of the repetitive occupation associated with the risk of osteoarthritis launched an investigation to examine the occupational that contribute to this debilitating condition.

The results of searching the medical data on PubMed using the search terms osteoarthritis, occupation, work, and genetics wrote, " One of the most common occupational risk factors for knee OA is heavy physical workload" and "Other risk factors include frequent exposure to several biomechanical stressors such bending of the knee, kneeling or squatting, standing for long hours (≥ 2 hours per day), walking ≥ 3 km/day, regular stair climbing, heavy lifting (≥ 10 kg), jumping, and vibration".

Believe or not, the researcher continued, " a more than the five-fold greater risk of knee OA among workers ≥ 55 years who were exposed to a combination of heavy lifting (> 25 kg) and kneeling/squatting or climbing stairs".

If your occupation is in the group mentioned in the study, you are likely to develop osteoarthritis at a younger age. Please make sure you are taking all preventive measure to reduce the risk of the onset of the disease at the later life

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) or ginger root, the second superfood used for thousands of years by mankind, is the genus Zingiber, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, native to Tamil.

The pungent and kitchen spice has been used in traditional and Chinese medicine to treat dyspepsia, gastroparesis, constipation, edema, difficult urination, colic, etc.

With an aim to find the evidence that ginger powder consumption can relieve pain and inflammation due to specific anti-inflammatory phytochemical constituents, researchers at the joint investigation led by the Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences launched a study to examine the effect of ginger supplementation on proinflammatory factors.

The randomized double-blind placebo-controlled 3-month clinical trial investigating knee osteoarthritis includes 120 participants assigned to one of two groups: the ginger group (GG) or the placebo group (PG).

Participants in the GG intervention received capsules containing 500 mg of ginger powder, while PG participants received capsules filled with 500 mg starch.

At 3 months, the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) cytokines were found to decrease substantially in the GG compared to the PG.

Dr. Mozaffari-Khosravi H, the lead scientist wrote in the final report " ginger supplementation may have promising benefits for knee osteoarthritis".

Furthermore, the assessment of the clinical efficacy and safety of oral ginger for the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) by carrying out a systematic literature search followed by meta-analyses on selected studies in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing oral ginger treatment with placebo in OA patients aged >18 years also suggested that

* Ginger intake shows a statistically significant pain reduction with a low degree of inconsistency among trials.

* The ginger treatment group also demonstrates a statistically significant reduction in disability.

* Patients given ginger are more than twice as likely to discontinue treatment compared to placebo. And,

* Ginger was modestly efficacious and reasonably safe for treatment of OA.

Taken altogether, through the inhibition of proinflammatory factors, ginger and ginger supplement may be considered for the prevention and adjunct therapies combined with primary medicine for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Sources
(1) Effect of Ginger Supplementation on Proinflammatory Cytokines in Older Patients with Osteoarthritis: Outcomes of a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial by Mozaffari-Khosravi H1,2, Naderi Z1, Dehghan A3, Nadjarzadeh A1, Fallah Huseini H. (PubMed)
(2) Efficacy and safety of ginger in osteoarthritis patients: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials by Bartels EM1, Folmer VN2, Bliddal H2, Altman RD3, Juhl C4, Tarp S2, Zhang W5, Christensen R. (PubMed)
(3) Occupational and genetic risk factors for osteoarthritis: A review by Berran Yucesoy,∗ Luenda E. Charles,b,1 Brent Baker,a and Cecil M. Burchfiel. (PMC)

Herbal Calendula in the Prevention and Treatment of Atherosclerosis

By Kyle J, Norton

The finding a natural ingredient for the treatment of atherosclerosis without inducing any side effect has been a lifetime dream of many scientists.

Calendula, a herbal medicine under intensive studies may have a potential effect in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis, according to some studies.

Atherosclerosis is a medical condition caused by long-term plaques building up on the wall of the arteries, leading to the reduced oxygen-rich blood flow to the heart.

Plaques mostly are made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, found in the blood.

Some researchers suggested the most common risk factors according to the epidemiological studies are a poor diet high in saturated and trans fat, red meat and processed foods and fewer fruits and vegetable and unhealthy lifestyle and physical inactivity.

However, the role of calcium in the diet is one of the less being mentioned in the medical literature.

In examining the complexity of the atherosclerotic process, researchers showed that calcium also plays an important role in the formation of plaques in the arteries.

The calcium mineralization of the lumen in the atherosclerotic artery promotes and solidifies plaque formation causing narrowing of the vessel, leading to the soft tissue calcification associated with tissue denegation.

The deposition of minerals in the form of calcium (Ca(2+)) initially transformed from the mineral octacalcium phosphate, a precursor of hydroxylapatite are found to contribute to calcium deposited in the wall of arteries.

Dr. John J. B. Anderson, the lead scientists in the study "Risk of High Dietary Calcium for Arterial Calcification in Older Adults" said, "high calcium intakes in free-living adults have relatively little or no beneficial impact on bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture rates suggest that current recommendations of calcium for adults may be set too high" and "The maintenance of BMD and bone health continues to be an important goal of adequate dietary calcium consumption, but eliminating potential risks of CVDs from excessive calcium intakes needs to be factored into policy recommendations for calcium by adults".

The differentiation indicated that elderly who are overtaking calcium supplements to improve bone density may be at the higher risk of the arterial calcification, a leading cause of atherosclerosis

Calendula is also known as pot marigold, annual or perennial herbaceous plants of about 12–20 species of genus Calendula, belonging to the family Asteraceae, native to Southern Europe.

The plant has been used in herbal medicine as spasmolytic, spasmogenic, inflammatory effects and to treat abdominal cramps, wound healing, skin diseases, colitis, constipation, etc.

The chemical ingredients of calendula include triterpenoids, flavonoids, coumarines, quinones, volatile oil, carotenoids, loliolide (calendin), calendulin and n-paraffins.

In the finding natural products including botanicals for both therapy of clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis and reduction of atherosclerosis risk factors, researchers examined the antiatherosclerotic effect of formulas Inflaminat (calendula, elder and violet), and phytoestrogen-rich Karinat (garlic powder, extract of grape seeds, green tea leafs, hop cones, β-carotene, α-tocopherol, and ascorbic acid).

In a total of 196 asymptomatic men aged 40-74 in the double-blinded placebo-controlled randomized clinical study, researchers found that both formulas have a direct anti-atherosclerotic effect on carotid atherosclerosis and this effect is likely to be due to serum atherogenicity inhibition, according to The AMAR (Atherosclerosis Monitoring and Atherogenicity Reduction) assay.

Further investigation of the natural products, the promising drugs for anti-atherosclerotic therapy, using cellular models and natural products, researchers suggested that the formula Inflaminat (calendula, elder, and violet), which possesses anti-cytokine activity, shows to induce the regression of carotid atherosclerosis following the treatment of asymptomatic men for one year.

Dr. Orekhov AN, after taking another assessment of the 2 studies wrote, "our basic findings were successfully translated into clinical practice. Because of this translation, a novel approach to antiatherosclerotic therapy was developed".

Moreover, in the study"Use of natural products in anti-cytokine therapy in the evaluation of botany products which has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of atherosclerosis researchers also found a formula of medicinal plants (calendula, elder, and pansy) with maximum anti-inflammatory activity.

The application of the formula was found effective in reducing the production of a proinflammatory cytokine in facilitating the formation of plaques in the arteries.

Dr. Gorchakova TV, the lead author said, at the final report, "The combination can be used for pathogenetic therapy of various inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis".

Taken altogether, herbal calendula may be considered a functional food for the prevention and combined with other herbal medicines for the treatment of atherosclerosis, without inducing any side effects.

References
(1) Anti-atherosclerotic therapy based on botanicals by Orekhov AN1, Sobenin IA, Korneev NV, Kirichenko TV, Myasoedova VA, Melnichenko AA, Balcells M, Edelman ER, Bobryshev YV.(PubMed)
(2) Direct anti-atherosclerotic therapy; development of natural anti-atherosclerotic drugs preventing cellular cholesterol retention by Orekhov AN(PubMed)
(3) Use of natural products in anti-cytokine therapy by Gorchakova TV1, Suprun IV, Sobenin IA, Orekhov AN(PubMed)
(4) Risk of High Dietary Calcium for Arterial Calcification in Older Adults by John J. B. Anderson1,* and Philip J. Klemmer. (PMC)

Saturday, 17 November 2018

Honey Protects Our Skin Pigment Against the Onset of Melanoma Skin Cancer

By Kyle J. Norton

Scientists may have found a natural whole food for the prevention and treatment of skin melanoma cancer, according to some studies.

Skin melanoma is a skin cancer characterized by the alternation of the pigment-containing cells known as melanocytes. However, in the rare case, melanoma can also occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye.

The 4 most common types of skin melanoma include
1. Superficial spreading melanoma, the type of cancer has a tendency to spread grow outward and spread across the surface of the skin, accounted for 70% of all melanoma skin cancer.

2, Nodular melanoma normally grows down into the skin and has a tendency to spread more quickly than other types of melanoma skin cancer.

3. Lentigo maligna melanoma, most common in the older population, making up approximately 15% of all melanoma skin cancer.

4. Acral lentiginous melanoma, most common in people with the darker skin. Cancer first moves outward before spreading deeper into the skin.

According to the statistic, melanoma skin cancer is increasing and anticipated to continue to rise. In the United States, approximately 70,230 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed, causing the death of 8,790.

The causes of melanoma skin cancer are associated with the alternation of the pigment cells in the skin. Why some people are susceptible to the onset of the disease while others do not even they share similar health conditions, family history, and ethnicity.

However, according to the epidemiological studies, genetic mutation inherited from the parent, exposure to the environmental toxins and sun UV ray are the most common associated with the increased risk of melanoma skin cancer.

In fact, people who inherited the BRAF oncogene have a substantial risk to develop the melanoma skin cancer and the most common genes which have been primarily linked to familial melanoma, are CDKN2A and CDK4.

Dr. Miriam Potrony, the lead author in the study "Update in genetic susceptibility in melanoma" suggested that 10% of melanoma skin cancer are genetically related and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A), identified as the first melanoma susceptibility gene more than 20 years ago, is the main high-risk gene for melanoma.

Honey is the miraculous product made by bees using nectar from flowers.

The rich golden liquid considered one of healthy sweet food for replacing the use of white sugar and artificial sweetener by many people.

In the finding a natural ingredient for the reduction of risk and treatment of melanoma skin cancer, researchers launched an investigation to determine the effect of chrysin, a flavonoid present in honey, propolis, against human uveal melanoma cell lines (M17 and SP6.5)

Injection of chrysin reduced the viability of cultured human melanoma cells in a dose-dependent manner (0, 10, 30 and 100 µM) with IC50 at 28.3 and 35.8 µM in SP6.5 and M17 cell lines, respectively.

Chrysin at 30-100 µM levels selectively reduced the viability of melanoma cells without affecting the viability of nearby healthy cells.

Chrysin inhibited the melanoma skin cancer cells through the proteins associated with cancer cell death and degradation.

These results indicated chrysin induces apoptosis of human uveal melanoma cells via the mitochondrial signaling pathway in the increased mitochondrial permeability.

In the finding the scientist evidence for Manuka honey effect in the treatment of cancer, researchers at the UAE University conducted an investigation to examine the anti-cancer effect on three different cancer cell lines, murine melanoma (B16.F1) and colorectal carcinoma (CT26) as well as human breast cancer (MCF-7) cells in vitro.

Manuka honey has a potent anti-proliferative effect on all three cancer cell lines in a time- and dose-dependent manner, at the concentrations as low as 0.6% (w/v).

The efficacy of Manuka honey in the inhibitory melanoma skin cancer was attributed to the increased expression of proapoptotic and cell death programming activity.

Treatment with manuka honey alone resulted in about 33% inhibition of tumor growth, which correlated with a histologically observable increase in tumor apoptosis without inducing any side effects.

Dr. Fernandez-Cabezudo MJ, the lead author said, "Although better control of tumor growth was observed in animals treated with paclitaxel alone or in combination with manuka honey (61% inhibition), a dramatic improvement in host survival was seen in the co-treatment group".

In support of the above differentiation, a joint study led by Nazarbayev University also suggested that honey processed the anti-carcinogenic effects in vitro and in a murine model of melanoma.

Taken altogether, honey may be considered a functional food for the prevention of melanoma skin cancer and a secondary therapy combined with primary medicine for the treatment of melanoma skin cancer.

Sources
(1) Chrysin induces cell apoptosis in human uveal melanoma cells via intrinsic apoptosis by Xue C1, Chen Y2, Hu DN3, Iacob C4, Lu C5, Huang Z. (PubMed)
(2) Honey: A Therapeutic Agent for Disorders of the Skin by McLoone P1, Oluwadun A2, Warnock M3, Fyfe L. (PubMed)
(3) Intravenous administration of manuka honey inhibits tumor growth and improves host survival when used in combination with chemotherapy in a melanoma mouse model by Fernandez-Cabezudo MJ1, El-Kharrag R, Torab F, Bashir G, George JA, El-Taji H, al-Ramadi BK. (PubMed)
(4) Update in genetic susceptibility in melanoma by Miriam Potrony,1 Celia Badenas,2,3 Paula Aguilera,1,2 Joan Anton Puig-Butille,2,3Cristina Carrera,1,2 Josep Malvehy,1,2 and Susana Puig. (PMC)

Friday, 16 November 2018

Beet Juice Protects Your Heart and Arteries Against Cardiovascular Diseases

By Kyle J. Norton

Scientists may have found a fruit or vegetable in the nightshade family consumed in many cultures with a potential in reducing the risk and protected against CVD.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a group of conditions associated with the heart and blood vessels.

The causes of cardiovascular diseases are associated with the accumulation of plaques in the arteries, impeding the blood flow which carries the nutrients and oxygen to the heart, causing damage to the heart tissue and reduced function of the arteries.

In other words, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, weight, depression and family history associated with the early onset of plaques accumulated and impeding function of the arteries are the prevalent risk factors of cardiovascular diseases.

According to the statistic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women in the US with 90% of women having one risk factor.

Believe or not, women are 4 times more likely to die from heart disease than breast cancer and 2/3 of women are not aware heart disease is such a risk for them, according to the Jean Hailes for the Women Health in the article cardiovascular health.

Many people know that tobacco use is associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer, but most of them do not know that smoking is one of the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Jaana Keto, the lead author in the concern of the widespread smoking habits in Southeast Asia due to 30 years of economic prosperity launched a population-based cohort study to examine the cardiovascular disease risk factors in relation to smoking behavior and history.

Data were collected at the 31-year and 46-year follow-ups when a total of 5038 and 5974 individuals participated in clinical examinations and questionnaires.

The results astonishingly suggested "the effect of past or present smoking on individual CVD risk parameters such as blood pressure and cholesterol seems to be of clinically minor significance in people aged 46 years" and "smoking seems to be above all an independent risk factor for CVD in the working-age population" and "quitting smoking in working age may thus reduce calculated CVD risk nearly to the same level with people who have never smoked".

In other words, smokers are associated with high risk of cardiovascular diseases in the working-age population and risk of CVD in smokers are reduced to the same level of nonsmokers, if they quit smoke.

Beet is best known as the beetroot or garden beet, belonging to the amaranth family.

The perennial plant with leafy stems can grow to 2 m tall.

Besides the major chemical constituents betalains and phenolics, beet also contains a lesser amount of isobetanin, probetanin, neobetanin, indicaxanthin, vulgaxanthins, etc.

In the finding, a fruit or vegetable which process a function in reducing blood pressure (BP) and the risk of adverse cardiovascular events, researchers at the Queen Mary University of London conducted an experiment to examine the effect of beet juice in risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Participants of healthy volunteers approximately 3 hours after ingestion of a dietary nitrate load (beetroot juice 500 mL) showed a statistically clinical evidence of BP at-10.4/8 mm Hg, an effect that correlated with peak increases in plasma nitrite concentration.

Injection of the beet juice prevented endothelial dysfunction induced by an acute ischemic insult in the human forearm induced by the injection of adenosine diphosphate (ADP).

Beet juice in vivo also significantly attenuated platelet aggregation in response to collagen and adenosine diphosphate (ADP).

The results of these vasoprotective effects were attributed to the activity of nitrate converted from the ingested nitrate in the beet juice.

Dr.Webb AJ, the lead author said, "the beneficial effects of a vegetable-rich (beet juice) diet and highlights the potential of a "natural" low-cost approach for the treatment of cardiovascular disease".

Furthermore, in the study to reaffirm the effect of dietary nitrate wide range beneficial vascular effects, including reducing blood pressure, inhibiting platelet aggregation, preserving or improving endothelial dysfunction, enhancing exercise performance in healthy individuals and patients with the peripheral arterial disease, researchers found that pre-clinical studies with nitrate or nitrite also show the potential to protect against ischemia-reperfusion injury and reduce arterial stiffness, inflammation, and intimal thickness.

However, in the concerns of the injection of nitrate-rich vegetables (such as a Mediterranean diet) may have a possible small positive and negative associations with cancer and interactions with other nutrients such as vitamin C, polyphenols and fatty acids, researchers developed the Nitrate 'Veg-Table' with 'Nitrate Units' [each unit is 1 mmol of nitrate (62 mg)] to achieve a nitrate intake that is likely to be sufficient to derive benefit, but also to minimize the risk of potential side effects from excessive ingestion

These guidelines not only provide maximum benefits for the use of beet juice in reducing risk and treatment of cardiovascular diseases but also decrease the concerns of other scientists that high intake of nitrate may increase the risk of cancer and nutrients interaction.

Taken altogether, adding a cup of beet juice into your daily diet may have significant effects in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

References
(1) Acute blood pressure lowering, vasoprotective, and antiplatelet properties of dietary nitrate via bioconversion to nitrite By Webb AJ, Patel N, Loukogeorgakis S, Okorie M, Aboud Z, Misra S, Rashid R, Miall P, Deanfield J, Benjamin N, MacAllister R, Hobbs AJ, Ahluwalia A.(PubMed)
(2) Vascular effects of dietary nitrate (as found in green leafy vegetables and beetroot) via the nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway by Lidder S, Webb AJ.(PubMed)
(3) Cardiovascular disease risk factors in relation to smoking behaviour and history: a population-based cohort study by Jaana Keto,1,2 Hanna Ventola,2,3 Jari Jokelainen,1,4 Kari Linden,5Sirkka Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi,1 Markku Timonen,1 Tero Ylisaukko-oja,1,2 and Juha Auvinen. (PMC)