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

Sunday, 11 August 2019

Cranberry, the Anti Urinary Tract Infection Healthy Food

By Kyle J. Norton

Infection is an inflammatory condition caused by a microbial invasion on body tissues

Most cases of bacterial infection are treated with antibiotics. However, bacteria are very adaptable, overuse of antibiotics has been found to make them resistant to antibiotics.

Most common symptoms of bacterial infection include redness and heat, swelling, fever, pain at the site of infection.

Urinary tract infection (UTIs) mostly occurred in women is an infection that affects the bladder and urethra caused mostly by bacterial strains Escherichia coli (E. coli), commonly found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

UTIs has been found to limit the function of the bladder and induce kidney infection.

Most common symptoms of urinary infection are a persistent urge to urinate, urinary burning sensation, cloudy urine, and smelly urine.

In severe cases, patients may also experience symptoms of blood in the urine and bladder and pelvic pain.

Most common risk factors of urinary tract infection are gender, females are more like to have UTI comapred to males, sexual activity, use of birth control, and menopausal women.

Some researchers suggested that sexual intercourse may increase the risk of symptomatic urinary tract infection in postmenopausal women.

Dr. Elya E. Moore, the lead scientist in the joint study lead by the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine wrote, ".., as with younger women, sexual intercourse is strongly associated with UTI in post-menopausal women, supporting a common mechanism for infection among women of widely varying ages".

And, " This finding emphasizes the clinical importance of inquiring about recent sexual intercourse when treating post-menopausal women for symptomatic urinary tract infections".

Cranberry is an evergreen dwarf shrub, genus Vaccinium, belongings to the family Ericaceae, native to Northern America and Southern Asia. Because of its health benefits, cranberry has been cultivated in some parts of the world for commercial profit and used in traditional and herbal medicine to treat wounds, urinary disorders, diarrhea, diabetes, stomach ailments, and liver problems.

On finding a potential compound for the treatment of urinary infection, researchers examined the effect of cranberry anti urinary tract infections (UTIs) activity.

Based on the analysis, cranberry consumption showed a significant effect on decreasing UTI related symptoms by suppressing inflammatory associated with the immunologic response to pathogenic invasion by eradicating the bacteria.

Furthermore, injection of cranberry against UTIs was also found to prevent the development of infections only in populations at lower risk for contracting UTIs compared to low effective in a higher risk population.

Taken altogether, cranberry may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of UTIs, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

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.

Sources
(1) Cranberry for Urinary Tract Infection: From Bench to Bedside by Nabavi SF, Sureda A, Daglia M, Izadi M, Nabavi SM. (PubMed)
(2) Current clinical status on the preventive effects of cranberry consumption against urinary tract infections by Vasileiou I1, Katsargyris A, Theocharis S, Giaginis C. (PubMed)
(3) Sexual Intercourse and Risk of Symptomatic Urinary Tract Infection in Post-Menopausal Women by Elya E. Moore, Ph.D. Stephen E. Hawes, Ph.D.,1 Delia Scholes, Ph.D.,1,3 Edward J. Boyko, MD, MPH,1,4,5 James P. Hughes, Ph.D.,6 and Stephan D. Fihn, MD, MPH. (PubMed)

Herbal Bilberry, the Natural Treatment for Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) with No Side Effects

By Kyle J. Norton

Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a condition caused by the interruption of blood that returns to the heart from the legs due to the damage of venous wall and/or valves in the leg veins, leading to the collection of blood on the veins.

The pool of blood that collected into the veins is called stasis which can be observed over the surface of the affected area.

Researchers do not know the exact causes that prevent the valves to block the calf muscles and the muscles in the feet to squeeze the veins and push the blood upward. However, according to epidemiological studies, researchers do know that aging, occupation associated with extended sitting or standing or a combination of aging and reduced mobility are some of the most prevalent factors associated with chronic venous insufficiency.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition of a blood clot that formed in a vein deep in the leg has been found to develop CVI within 10 years after diagnosis in over 30% of patients.

The University of California in the examination of the risk factors associated with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) by classified them against the gender suggested age, family history of venous disease, waist circumference, and flat feet were most common predictive risks in both sexes.

However, men with occupation as a laborer, cigarette smoking, and normotension were also independently associated with severe venous disease.

In women, hours standing, history of a leg injury, number of births, and cardiovascular disease have also increased the risk of the condition.

Most common symptoms of CVI include swelling, pain, itchiness and twisted, enlarged veins observed on the skin on the affected location.

Untreated CVI may cause increased pressure and swelling that have been found to burst the capillaries, leading to skin reddish-brown, especially near the ankles.

Bilberry is a species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium, belonging to the family Ericaceae, native to Northern Europe.

The plant has been used as herbs in traditional medicine for the treatment of acute and chronic diarrhea, gastritis, gastric ulcer, and duodenal ulcer, enterocolitis, ulcerative colitis, anemia, cystitis, kidney disease, and psoriasis, diabetes, etc.

With an aim to discover a novel and natural ingredient for the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency with no side effects, researchers examined the effects of an oral venotropic compound (Linfavenix, including bilberry) on patients with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).

Patients selected to the study were divided into a group treated with Linfavenix or with below-knee elastic compression.

According to based results, the Linfavenix group included 14 patients 7 males and 7 females with the mean age of 44.5 exerted the average ambulatory venous pressure (AVP) range 34-55 compared to those in the elastic compression group with 12 patients (5 males and 7 females) with the mean age of 45 of the range of 36-56.

In other words, there were no significant differences in AVP and RT between the two groups in the improvement of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) at the treatment of 2 weeks.

However, at 4 weeks although there were nonsignificant between the two groups, RF in the Linfavenix group showed a significant decrease in chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) compared to the efficacy in a single ingredient treatment.

The findings suggested that the treatment with Linfavenix is effective for the treatment of CVI at least comparable to those of elastic compression but in a lesser extent compared to the combined treatment.

During the experiment, no adverse effects were reported by the participants. According to the compliance and tolerability scores, no patient had to stop treatment; there were no drop-outs.

Based on these results, researchers suggested, "the treatment with Linfavenix is, in its microcirculatory efficacy, at least comparable than elastic compression with is considered a standard therapeutic option in these patients".

Taken altogether, bilberry used combined with other ingredients may be considered a functioning remedy for the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) pending to the validation of larger sample size and multicenter human study.

1,2 Julie O. Denenberg, MA,1 John Bergan, MD,3Robert D. Langer, MD, MPH,5 and Arnost Fronek, MD, PhD. (PMC)

Healthy Food Cucumber's Cucurbitacin B (CuB) Gut Microbiota

By Kyle J. Norton

Gut Microbiota is a community of microorganisms living in our gut. Under normal condition, the ratio of the gut microbiome composition is balanced.

However, the use of antibiotics, illness, stress, aging, bad dietary habits, and lifestyle may alternate the ratio by increasing the growth of "bad" bacterias, leading the development of chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, cancer, and autism.

In other words, imbalanced of the gut microbiota may have a strong and negative impact on the immunity, the digestive, fat and carbohydrate metabolism, and the central nervous system

* In immunity, balanced of the gut microbes showed to stimulate the immune function against inflammatory immune disorders.

* In the digestive system, balanced gut microbes protect the gut against gastrointestinal diseases and non-gastrointestinal diseases.caused by overexpression of bad bacteria.

* In carbohydrate metabolism, gut microbes influence the nutrient extraction from the diet, thus reducing the risk of obesity and obese complication.

* Neurologically, gut microbiota can control brain insulin signaling and metabolite levels that play a critical role in neurobehaviors.

Out of many prevalent factors that cause the onset of the unbalanced ratio of gut microbiota, some researcher suggested that the Western diet may have negatively influenced to induce overgrowth of bad microorganisms in the gut.

Dr. Marit K. Zinöcker, the lead scientist wrote, "Western diet promotes inflammation that arises from both structural and behavioral changes in the resident microbiome"

And, "The environment created in the gut by ultra-processed foods, a hallmark of the Western diet, is an evolutionarily unique selection ground for microbes that can promote diverse forms of inflammatory disease".

The cucumber plant is a species of Cucumis Sativus, belongings to the family Cucurbitaceae and native to Western Asia. It is a creeping vine with roots in the ground and grows up with the support of frames.

With an aim to find a natural compound which enhances the gut microbiomes composition, researchers compared the effects of carrot, cucumber, and broccoli seed flours extracts with 50% acetone on gut microbiota modulating capacity.

In vitro, all three seed flour extracts enhanced a total number of gut bacteria and altered the abundance of specific bacterial phylum or genus.

In other words, cucumber showed a potential effect to improve the ratio of gut microbiota in the flavor of the "good" bacterias, similar to those of carrot and broccoli.

In J774A.1 cells, cucumber also exerted a similar activity by protecting the microbiota that exhibits anti-inflammatory activity by suppressing LPS induced production pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1β and COX-2 mRNA expressions.

Furthermore, in obesity, induced progression of metabolic disorders, especially type 2 diabetes (T2DM), cucumber not only improved IR in obese mice and relieving inflammation in adipose tissue and blood but also enhanced the microbiota composition ratios.

More precisely, cucumber improved the ratio of gut microbiome composition by promoting IR and reducing inflammation.

Taken altogether, cucumber may be used for the improvement of gut microbiota, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Chemical Compositions of Cold-Pressed Broccoli, Carrot, and Cucumber Seed Flours and Their in Vitro Gut Microbiota Modulatory, Anti-inflammatory, and Free Radical Scavenging Properties by Choe U1, Li Y1,2, Gao B2, Yu L1, Wang TTY, Sun J, Chen P, Liu J3, Yu L. (PubMed)
(2) Therapeutic Effect of Cucumis melo L. Extract on Insulin Resistance and the GutMicrobiome in Lepob/Lepob Mice by Lee D1, Yoo JH1, Lee BC. (PubMed)
(3) The Western Diet–Microbiome-Host Interaction and Its Role in Metabolic Disease by Marit K. Zinöcker1,* and Inge A. Lindseth. (PMC)

Herbal Ashwagandha Gobbles Up Lung Cancer Cells in Vitro

By Kyle J. Norton

Cancer is a class of diseases caused by cells growth and multiplication disorderly and uncontrollably due to the alternation of the DNA.

After colonizing the entire tissues of the specific organ, the oversize tumor cell can travel a distance away from the originated site to invade other healthy tissues, via lymph or blood.

Most advanced stage of cancer may result in the death of the patients.

The lung is a vital organ located near the backbone on either side of the heart with major functions to inhale oxygen from the air to the bloodstream that nourishes the body cells and exhale carbon dioxide from the bloodstream.

Other functions of the lung are to maintain the right levels of pH, filter out blood clots, protect the heart against shock, infection, and speech.

Lung cancer is a condition of the abnormal growth of the cells in the lung's tissue. Most common form of primary lung cancers is derived from epithelial cells.

According to the statistics provided by the American Lung Cancer Association, lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in both men and women in the U.S. in 2018, 154,050 Americans died from lung cancer in 2018, accounting for approximately 25 percent of all cancer deaths.

The exact causes of lung cancer are unknown. However, passive smoking, tobacco smoking are 2 of the most common risk factors were found in patients with the disease.

Other risk factors are

* Exposure to certain chemicals

The risk of lung cancer for people who inhale or exposing certain industrial chemical such as radon gas, arsenic, chromium, nickel,..in the workplace is substantially higher compared to non-exposures.

* Family history
Risk of lung cancer increased if one of the members of the direct family has lung cancer.

* Lung disease
Risk of lung cancer increases if you have or previously had certain types of lung disease

* Excessive drinking
According to the study by Freudenheim et al., R. Curtis Ellison MD suggested that alcohol intake of more than 2 drinks per day is associated with a small increased risk of lung cancer.

Ashwagandha also is known as Withania somnifera is a nightshade plant in the genus of Withania, belonging to the family Solanaceae, native to the dry parts of India, North Africa, Middle East, and the Mediterranean.

The herbal medicine has been considered as Indian ginseng and used in Ayurvedic medicine over 3000 years to treat tumors and tubercular glands, carbuncles, memory loss, and ulcers and considered as anti-stress, cognition-facilitating, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging herbal medicine.

With an aim to find a potent ingredient for the treatment of lung cancer, researchers examined the effects of Withaferin A (WA) a bioactive lactone, isolated from Withania somnifera on lung tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo.

According to the tested differentiation, WA entered a significant anti lung cancer cells activity by -mediating cytotoxicity involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS) expression.

On NSCLC cell line A549 compared to non-carcinoma WI-38 and PBMC cell lines as controls, WA induced oxidative damage to NSCLC cells without affecting much of normal cells in a dose-dependent manner.

In a comparison of the anti lung cancer effect among a chlorinated steroidal lactone (27-acetoxy-4β,6α-dihydroxy-5β-chloro-1-oxowitha-2,24-dienolide), a diepoxy withanolide (5β,6β,14α,15α-diepoxy-4β,27-dihydroxy-1-oxowitha-2,24-dienolide), and withaferin A, researchers found that all 3 compounds exhibited growth inhibition and cytotoxic activity against human lung cancer cell line (NCI-H460).

Withaferin A was found to have a most effective activity at GI(50)=0.18 μg/mL and LC(50)=0.45 μg/mL) compared to other 2 chemical constituents.
Taken altogether, Ashwagandha processed abundantly bioactive compounds may be considered a functional herb for the prevention and an adjunct therapy combined with the primary medicine for the treatment of lung cancer, pending to the results of large sample size and multicenter study.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How-To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

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.

Sources
(1) Withaferin A induces mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells via generation of reactive oxygen species by Liu X1, Chen L, Liang T, Tian XD, Liu Y, Zhang T. (PubMed)
(2) Chlorinated and diepoxy withanolides from Withania somnifera and their cytotoxic effects against human lung cancer cell line by Choudhary MI1, Hussain S, Yousuf S, Dar A, Mudassar, Atta-ur-Rahman. (PubMed)

Saturday, 10 August 2019

Phytochemical Betanin, the Chemo Prevention and Treatment of Cancer

By Kyle J. Norton

Cancer is a class of chronic disease associated with the alternation of cell DNA.

Most cases of cancer start in the cell on the surface of the inner lining of the organ tissue, before penetrating deeper into other layers to form a tumor.

Epidemiologically, most cases of cancer at the very early stage are asymptomatic. However, at the advanced stage, primary cancer cells can travel a distance away from the original site to infect other healthy tissues and organs.

Types of secondary metastasis can be classified into

1. Local spreading, lymph vessel, blood vessel

* Local spreading as soon as the cancer cells grow to its tumor size, it will invade the nearby area.

* Spread through lymph vessel
If some cancer cells detached from the primary tumor and travel, they can grow into secondary cancer but most of the time they are trapped in the nearby lymph nodes closest to the original tumor.

* Spread through blood circulation
Similar to spread through lymph vessel, cancer cells detached from an original tumor can enter the bloodstream by slipping pass the blood vessel wall and start growing into the secondary tumor as they are trapped into some small capillaries.

2. Travel of clumps of cancer along the channels
Sometimes, cancer cells detached from the primary tumor can travel through other channels and spread to some parts of the body that are more vulnerable to become metastatic sites than others.

3. The arrival of cancer cells at a distance site
The development of the survival of cancer cells gets trapped and grow into the second tumor.

4. Angiogenesis
Angiogenesis is a process involving the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. The secondary tumor can persuade the adjacent tissue to build blood vessels by providing it with vital nutrients and oxygen.

At this stage, the overgrowth of the tumor may also press on the nerve cells, blood vessels, and healthy tissues, leading to specific symptoms, depending to the types of tumor accompanied by the general symptoms shared by all cancers.

Betanin is phytochemicals in the class of red and yellow indole-derived pigments of Betacyanins, belonging to the group of Betalains, found abundantly in beets, chard, etc.

In the urgency to find a potential and natural compound for the treatment of cancer with no side effects, researchers examined the effects of betanin (BET) in reducing the side effects of potent anticancer drugs e.g. doxorubicin (DOX) on the normal tissues in co-administration.

In order to overcome the incomplete oral absorption and low stability of BET that limits its application, synergistic effect of DOX@BET by a new pH-responsive nanocarrier via decoration of gelatin nanoparticles (GNPs) (methoxy poly (ethylene glycol)-poly ((2-dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate-co-itaconic acid) (PGNPs) was designed.

According to the triggered release ability of drugs assays, the GNPs not only controlled the release of DOX and BET with adjusting the pH of the environment but also decreased the cell viability amount of breast cancer cells (MCF-7) compared to the free form of DOX or BET.

In other words, BET combined with DOX not only enhanced the chemo drug toxicity against cancer but also reduced the side effect found in the free form of DOX.

Furthermore, in two mouse lung tumor models, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine investigated the chemopreventive activity of betanin by oral consumption.

The experiment included vinyl carbamate (VC) and benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) induced lung cancer female A/J mice with lung cancer were treated with betanin in drinking water.

According to the tested assays, injection of betanin significantly decreased tumor multiplicity and tumor load induced by both carcinogens by 20% and 39% in the VC lung model, and by 46% and 65% in the B(a)P lung model, respectively.

The efficacy of betanin in both lung cancer models has attributed to the phytochemical lung tumor inhibitory effects in the induction of apoptosis and inhibition of angiogenesis.

Dr. Zhang Q, the lead scientists after taking other factors into account wrote, " Our data show that betanin significantly inhibits lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice and merits investigation as a chemopreventive agent for human lung cancer:.

Taken altogether, betanin may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of cancer, pending to the confirmation of larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of betanin in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Bromelain, The Natural Prevention and Treatment of Edema

By Kyle J. Norton

Edema is a condition associated with the abnormal accumulation of fluid in certain tissues within the body.

Depending on the affected area or organs, edema can be peripheral edema or ankle edema, and pulmonary edema if the fluid is accumulated in skin ankle and lung respectively.

Traditional Chinese medicine suggested that fluid accumulation is caused by kidney dysfunction in transport the fluid coming from the pancreas to nourish other body tissues and organs.

In other words, kidney deficiency is a major cause of edema. Similar to the aforementioned condition, conventional medicine also suggested that certain kidney disease can induce fluid retention in some parts of the body.

Furthermore, heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver, venous insufficiency are also the most common systemic diseases that cause edema, epidemiologically.

Most common risk factors associated with the risk of edema are mostly involved in the lifestyle and general health factors, including staying in one position (sitting, standing or supine) for too long, increased sodium intake and hormonal changes due to menstruation.

Some women during the course of pregnancy also experience symptoms of edema, particularly under the skin of the leg.

Furthermore, the use of medications such as Estrogen-based medication Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), certain diabetes medications and medical equipment such as vasodilators has also been found to increase the risk of fluid retention.

Conventionally, the treatment of edema is totally depending on the causes of the disease. Untreated edema has been associated with the complication of skin infections or ulcerating, leading to, decreased blood circulation and increasing the risk of blood clots in the deep veins of the body.

Bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme found in pineapples (Ananas comosus) has been used in traditional medicine as an inflammatory agent and to treat pains, strains, and muscle aches and pains and ease back pain and chronic joint pain, skin diseases, etc.

With an aim to find a potential compound for the treatment of edema, researchers examined the Bromelain-loaded katira gum nanoparticles effect on an animal model.

According to the tested results, the Nanoparticles of the optimized batch showed a strong anti-inflammatory activity by employing the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema method in vivo.

In other words, the anti-inflammatory activity of potential was attributed to enhanced absorption owing to reduced particle size and the protection of bromelain from acid proteases.

Moreover, according to the search of the computerized bibliographic databases Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, and CINAHL was performed on March 23, 2015, researchers found 7 studies used oral bromelain for the treatment of edema.

5/7 randomized controlled trials reported improvement postprocedure with oral bromelain compared to those of arnica,

Taken altogether, oral bromelain may be used for the treatment of edema, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of bromelain in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Sources
(1) Is There a Role for Arnica and Bromelain in Prevention of Post-Procedure Ecchymosis or Edema? A Systematic Review of the Literature by Ho D1, Jagdeo J, Waldorf HA. (PubMed)
(2) Enhancement of anti-inflammatory activity of bromelain by its encapsulation in katira gum nanoparticles by Bernela M1, Ahuja M2, Thakur R. (PubMed)

Collard Greens (Brassica) Protects the Nerves Against the Risk of Peripheral Neuropathy in Diabetes

By Kyle J. Norton

Diabetic neuropathy is a complication of patients with diabetes associated with nerves damage, inducing pain and numbness in the legs and feet to conditions associated with the digestive system.

Most cases of diabetic neuropathy in diabetics are involved in a history of hyperglycemia caused by long-term high levels of glucose in the bloodstream, urinary tract, blood vessels, and heart due to poor lifestyle.

Peripheral neuropathy is the main type of diabetic neuropathy, affecting the nerves that control the feet and legs first, followed by the hands and arms. Other main types of diabetic neuropathy are
* The autonomic neuropathy that affects the nerves that control the heart, bladder, stomach, intestines, sex organs and eyes.

* Radiculoplexus neuropathy found mostly in older patients affects nerves that control the thighs, hips, buttocks or legs.

* Mononeuropathy, or focal neuropathy also found commonly in older patients affects the nerves that control the face, middle of the body (torso) or leg.

The most common signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are a gradual onset of numbness, prickling or tingling in the feet or hands, over time which can spread upward into your legs and arms.

Some patients with peripheral neuropathy may also experience sharp, jabbing, throbbing or burning pain and skin that extreme sensitivity to touch.

The causes of peripheral neuropathy that damage of nerves and blood vessels in the affected area has been found to induce by over time, uncontrolled high blood sugar.

In other words, peripheral neuropathy is preventable by keeping the blood glucose in the healthy range.

Collard Green is a species of Brassica Oleracea, belongings to the family Brassicaceae with unknown origin. Today, the plant is cultivated commercially for its thick, slightly bitter edible leaves.

With an aim to find a potential compound for the prevention of diabetes complications-induced loss of limbs' sensation that results in lower limb amputation in patients with diabetes, researchers examined the effects of sulforaphane on peripheral neuropathy in an animal model.

The experiment included diabetes rats induced through single intraperitoneal injections of nicotinamide (50 mg/kg) and streptozotocin (52.5 mg/kg) randomly divided into five groups
* Two groups were treated with saline or sulforaphane

* Three diabetic groups were either untreated or given sulforaphane (1 mg/kg, p.o.) or pregabalin (10 mg/kg, i.p.).

According to the results of tested analysis after 2 weeks, groups treated with sulforaphane restored animals' body weight, reduced levels of blood glucose in the nicotinamide (50 mg/kg) and streptozotocin (52.5 mg/kg) treated group

Furthermore, glycated hemoglobin and increased insulin levels were also normalized by the administration of sulforaphane, compared to the untreated diabetes groups,

Histopathological changes induced by the nicotinamide (50 mg/kg) and streptozotocin were also reversed in the sulforaphane-treated group observed by the normalizing motor coordination and the latency withdrawal time and increasing the latency withdrawal time.

Furthermore, sulforaphane also decreased markers (malondialdehyde) of oxidative stress of sciatic nerve and inhibited the overexpression of free radicals in the initiation of the production of proinflammatory cytokines and cellular damage compared to untreated groups.

Moreover, levels of antioxidant enzymes in the sciatic nerves produced the treatment groups also significant increase by the injection of sulforaphane.

The results strongly suggested that sulforaphane processed a neuroprotective effect against peripheral neuropathy in diabetic rats possibly through modulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and extracellular matrix associated with cellular differentiation remodeling,

Collectively, researchers wrote in the final report, " In NA-STZ model of diabetes mellitus, sulforaphane, restored animals' body weight, reduced blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and increased insulin levels. In parallel, it normalized motor coordination and the latency withdrawal time of the tail flick test increased the latency withdrawal time of cold allodynia test and ameliorated histopathological changes".

Taken altogether, collard green processed abundantly bioactive compound sulforaphane may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of peripheral neuropathy, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of turmeric in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.