Prescriptions of Chinese medicinal herbs in Switzerland: the example of suan zao ren (Ziziphi Spinosae Semen)

Introduction According to the Swiss Health Survey 2007, 1.7% of the adult population use traditional Chinese medicine (including Chinese herbal medicine, but excluding acupuncture). In contrast to conventional drugs, that contain single chemically defined substances, prescriptions of Chinese herbs are mixtures of up to 40 ingredients (parts of plants, fungi, animal substances and minerals). Originally they were taken in the form of decoctions, but nowadays granules are more popular. Medium daily dosages of granules range between 8 to 12g. In a recent work we identified the most commonly used Chinese herbs (all ingredients are referred to as herbs for reasons of simplicity) and classical formulas (mixtures). Here we present a short overview and the example of suan zao ren (Ziziphi Spinosae Semen), which is used in the treatment of insomnia and anxiety and contains saponins that have been shown to increase sleep in animal studies. Material and Methods A random sample of 1,053 prescriptions was drawn from the database of Lian Chinaherb AG, Switzerland, and analysed according to the most frequently used individual herbs and classical formulas. Cluster analysis (Jaccard similarity coefficient, complete linkage method) was applied to identify common combinations of herbs. Results The most frequently used herbs were dang gui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix), fu ling (Poria), bai shao (Paeoniae Radix Alba), and gan cao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma); the most frequently used classical formulas were gui pi tang (Restore the Spleen Decoction) and xiao yao san (Rambling Powder). The average number of herbs per prescription was 12.0, and the average daily dosage of granules was 8.7g. 74.3% of the prescriptions were for female, 24.8% for male patients. Suan zao ren was present in 14.2% of all prescriptions. These prescriptions contained on average 13.7 herbs, and the daily dosage of granules was 8.9g. Suan zao ren was more frequently prescribed by practitioners of non-Asian than of Asian origin but equally often for female and male patients. Cluster analysis grouped suan zao ren with yuan zhi (Polygalae Radix), bai zi ren (Platycladi Semen), sheng di huang (Rehmanniae Radix) and dan shen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma). Discussion Prescriptions including suan zao ren contained on average slightly more herbs than other prescriptions. This might be due to the fact that two of the three most popular classical formulas with suan zao ren are composed of 13 and 12 herbs with the possibility of adding more ingredients when necessary. Cluster analysis resulted in the clustering of suan zao ren with other herbs of the classical formula tian wang bu xin dan (Emperor of Heaven’s Special Pill to Tonify the Heart), indicating the use of suan zao ren for the treatment of insomnia and irritability. Unfortunately, the diagnoses of the patients were unavailable and thus correlations between use of suan zao ren and diseases could not be analysed.

Investigations of stress responses in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Transcriptional control and heat shock protein function

The baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae responds to the cytotoxic effects of elevated temperature (37-42°C) by activating transcription of ∼150 genes, termed heat shock genes, collectively required to compensate for the abundance of misfolded and aggregated proteins and various physiological modifications necessary for the cell to survive and grow at heat shock temperatures. An intriguing facet of the yeast heat shock response is the remarkable similarity it shares with the global remodeling that occurs in mammalian cells in response to numerous pathophysiological conditions including cancer and cardiovascular disease and thus provides an ideal model system. I have therefore investigated several novel features of stress signaling, transcriptional regulation, and physiology. Initial work focused on the characterization of SYM1, a novel heat shock gene in yeast which was demonstrated to be required for growth on the nonfermentable carbon source ethanol at elevated temperature, and to be the functional ortholog of the mammalian kidney disease gene, Mpv17. Additional work addressed the role of two proteins, the Akt-related kinase, Sch9, and Sse1, the yeast Hsp110 protein chaperone homolog, in signaling by protein kinase A, establishing Sse1 as a critical negative regulator of this pathway. Furthermore, I have demonstrated a role for Sse1 in biogenesis and stability of the stress-response transcription factor, Msn2; a finding that has been extended to include a select subset of additional high molecular weight proteins, suggesting a more global role for this chaperone in stabilizing the cellular proteome. The final emphasis of my doctoral work has included the finding that celastrol, a compound isolated from the plant family Celasfraceae, a component of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, can activate heat shock transcription factor (Hsf1) in yeast and mammalian cells through an oxidative stress mechanism. Celastrol treatment simultaneously activates both heat shock and oxidative stress response pathways, resulting in increased cytoprotection. ^

Promoção, comunicação e educação em saúde: a prática da acupuntura e da fitoterapia

Esta pesquisa discute a Comunicação em Saúde no contexto das Práticas Integrativas e Complementares (PIC) no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), no que concerne ao tratamento do câncer realizado num hospital público de Campinas. O arcabouço teórico se debruça sobre as diretrizes do ideário da Promoção da Saúde e sobre as discussões da Educação em Saúde, por serem premissas fundamentais para que a Comunicação em Saúde seja participativa e democrática, e que a Comunicação das PIC conquiste maior espaço na Saúde Pública. O objetivo geral foi investigar o processo de comunicação entre profissionais de saúde e usuários do SUS participantes do Projeto de Construção do Cuidado Integrativo (PCCI). A metodologia utilizada foi a qualitativa tendo como instrumentos pesquisa documental e entrevistas semi-estruturadas para a coleta dos dados. Os participantes do estudo foram usuários que fizeram parte do grupo de Acupuntura e de Fitoterapia e usaram práticas complementares ao tratamento convencional do câncer, e também os profissionais de saúde envolvidos no PCCI realizado no Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)/SP. Os dados foram analisados por meio da análise temática de conteúdo de Bardin, que permitiu identificar as seguintes categorias: Medo da intervenção, Analgesia como resultado, Continuidade do tratamento, Falta de informação e Divulgação das práticas. Os resultados mostraram que houve dificuldades de comunicação, indicando lacunas importantes em relação à infraestrutura, à falta de divulgação e continuidade do tratamento complementar com as PIC, a falta de valorização da participação popular e estímulo à autonomia como preconiza o ideário da Promoção da Saúde. Concluiu-se que o modelo de saúde vigente, de base biomédica, não tem permitido a participação dos usuários, e, mais ainda, tem dificultado o desenvolvimento da comunicação democrática, humanizada e solidária. O Projeto (PCCI) foi importante em sua execução, uma vez que trouxe resultados positivos com o uso das PIC por melhorar as condições da qualidade de vida dos usuários e ter promovido analgesia, conferido maior disposição e recuperação dos movimentos. Entretanto, o Projeto (PCCI) não teve potencial o suficiente para provocar uma mudança na lógica do tratamento convencional que está hegemonicamente imerso no modelo biomédico, com isso limitando a inserção e a comunicação das PIC na Saúde Pública e dificultando a abertura para o diálogo entre os diferentes saberes. Entende-se que este é um dos principais desafios da Medicina Tradicional e Complementar (MTC).

La palmera datilera y la palmera canaria en la medicina tradicional de España

En la actualidad son muy pocos los usos vigentes. Aunque los dátiles son la materia utilizada con mayor frecuencia, también se han empleado la savia, el polen y el cogollo tierno o palmito. Los dátiles de Phoenix dactylifera se utilizaron como analgésico y para tratar la anemia y trastornos digestivos, o para fortalecer las encías, en el tratamiento de la disfunción eréctil y como afrodisiacos, para facilitar el parto y calmar los dolores postparto, y tratar el prolapso de la matriz o para el exceso de flujo menstrual. También se utilizaron como diuréticos, para la disuria y en trastornos de la vejiga. El uso que más claramente ha persistido es el tratamiento de diversos problemas respiratorios. En uso externo se utilizaron para tratar problemas de la piel, heridas, hemorragias y hemorroides. De la palmera de Canarias (Phoenix canariensis), especialmente en la isla de la Gomera, la savia cruda o guarapo, su concentrado o miel de palma y los resultantes de su fermentación (vino de palma) se consumen como alimento y también se utilizan como diurético, remedio de trastornos génitourinarios, digestivo, para infecciones de la cavidad bucal, expectorante, antitusígeno y para las irritaciones de garganta. En el Toledo de Al-Andalus las espatas de P. dactylifera se utilizaron, hace casi mil años, en el tratamiento de la debilidad, los dolores, nefritis, las enfermedades de la vejiga, trastornos hepáticos (también como preventivo), diarrea, trastornos digestivos, dolores en el abdomen y en el estómago, excesivo sangrado menstrual, úlceras en la piel y sarna, dolores articulares y trastornos cardiacos. La fitoterapia racional debería prestar atención a este recurso, considerar la evidencia científica disponible (farmacológica e incluso clínica) e incorporarlo a nuestro repertorio terapéutico.

American medicinal barks /

"Issued June 5, 1909."

Characteristics of older dietary supplement users: Review of the literature

Published literature reports rates of dietary supplement usage by individuals aged 60 years or more to be 16−60%. Prevalence figures are dependent on the population studied and the method of data collection. In general, older supplement users are female, Caucasian and well educated, with healthier lifestyle practices than non-supplement users, and they are less likely to be overweight or to smoke. Neither income nor self-rated health status are reliable predictors of supplement use in this group. In many cases older supplement users report higher intakes of several micronutrients from food than older non-supplement users. Current patterns of supplement use by the older person reveal that although they consume a range of products, they do not supplement with nutrients that are of particular benefit to them. The supplements most commonly consumed by individuals aged 60 years and over are multivitamins and minerals, vitamin C and vitamin E preparations. There is insufficient data to quantify the dosage, frequency and duration of supplement use by the older population. Obtaining this information and data about herbal medicine use is an important step towards minimising the risk of drug–nutrient–herbal interactions. Identifying the health professionals who monitor the appropriateness and safety of supplement use in older individuals, particularly given the already high use of medication in this population, also needs to be a focus of future utilisation investigations. This systematic review of the literature published between 1982 and 2003 aims to measure the patterns of dietary supplement use by community-living individuals aged 60 years and over and to profile the characteristics of older supplement users.

Gingerol content of diploid and tetraploid clones of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe)

Ginger (Zingiber officinale, Roscoe), a monocotyledonous, sterile cultigen, is widely used as a spice, flavoring agent, and herbal medicine. The pungency of fresh ginger is due to a series of homologous phenolic ketones of which [6]-gingerol is the major one. The gingerols are thermally unstable and can be converted to their corresponding shogaols, which are present in dried ginger, Fresh rhizomes of 17 clones of Australian ginger, including commercial cultivars and experimental tetraploid clones, were assayed by HPLC for gingerols and shogaols. [6]-Gingerol was identified as the major pungent phenolic compound in all samples, while [8]- and [10]-gingerol occurred in lower concentrations. One cultivar known as Jamaican contained the highest concentrations of all three gingerols and was the most pungent of the clones analyzed. Gingerols were stable in ethanolic solution over a 5-month period when stored at 4 degrees C. Shogaols were not identified in the extracts prepared from fresh rhizomes at ambient temperature, confirming that these compounds are not native constituents of fresh ginger, In contrast to previous findings, this study did not find significant differences in gingerol concentrations between the tetraploid clones and their parent diploid cultivar.