GAO report on dietary supplement flaws released today in Senate hearing
Category: Alternative medicine
More hearings, more heavy metal contamination, more than likely: no real action.
Posted by Abel Pharmboy at 8:02 AM • 26 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Terra Sigillata
musings on medicines from the Earth
Profile
Abel Pharmboy is the nom de plume of David J Kroll, a US state university educator and cancer researcher who holds a PhD in Pharmacology and Therapeutics and BS in Toxicology. He writes on natural product drugs and dietary supplements, issues of under-represented groups in the STEMM disciplines, science and medical journalism, the science and culture of North Carolina, Florida, and Colorado, making and listening to music and, with the help of his colleague, Erleichda, wine appreciation.
"Why Terra Sigillata?" will tell you more about the origin of the blog name.
Please read the DISCLAIMER for details on the blog's intended audience, advertising and comment policy, and how not to use the information presented herein.
For the record, this is a personal blog and any content or opinions expressed are solely the author's and do not reflect those of his university employer or funding agencies. He does get a bit ornery from time to time.
Recent Posts
- Terra Sigillata announces new home at CENtral Science
- Terra Sigillata relocates after 4-year run at ScienceBlogs
- It's time to move on, time to get goin'
- Bora leaves ScienceBlogs with superb history and analysis of science blogging
- Take it to the Bridge: new blog from Sb commenter, namnezia
- The Cancer Letter reveals Rhodes Scholar falsification by Duke cancer researcher
Recent Comments
- jz on K2 Spice, JWH-018, and synthetic marijuana make The New York Times
- jz on K2 Spice, JWH-018, and synthetic marijuana make The New York Times
- Mystery Blueberry Alibi on K2 Spice, JWH-018, and synthetic marijuana make The New York Times
- video izle on Kodak Zi8 Love-Hate Relationship
- Bill Gx on Kodak Zi8 Love-Hate Relationship
- Fred on "Stiff Nights" Falls on Hard Times
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Pharmacognosy:
Horny Goat Weed (Epimedium spp.) is a limp excuse for Viagra, Cialis
Category: Pharmaceutical Law
Horny goat weed is far from stiff competition for a prescription PDE5 inhibitor like sildenafil (Viagra).
Posted by Abel Pharmboy at 11:02 AM • 15 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Update: Rocky Mountain High and the Serious Side of Colorado Medical Marijuana
Category: Colorado
An update with a more serious, clinical consideration than, "This is me and my mom's little marijuana farm"
Posted by Abel Pharmboy at 12:02 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
How to report in vitro cancer studies: maitake mushroom extract doesn't "fight cancer"
Category: Cancer
NEWSFLASH: News outlets overinterpret in vitro anticancer studies of mushroom extract. But the real story is how NHS Choices took it apart and took the Daily Express to task.
Posted by Abel Pharmboy at 6:02 PM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
On the Origin of Witches, Broomsticks, and Flying
Category: The Awesome Power of Natural Products
You might not care to explain this in great detail to the kids or other Harry Potter fans, but the legend does in fact come from the awesome power of natural products.
Posted by Abel Pharmboy at 12:02 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas Steitz, and Ada Yonath win 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Category: Academia
Yes, friends: this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry would not have been possible without the awesome power of natural products and the contributions of my natural products chemistry colleagues who provided Ramikrishnan, Steitz, and Yonath with the chemical tools for their work. "The ribosome is the target for about 50% of all antibacterial drugs to date, and the advent of high resolution structures of both ribosomal subunits has opened a large number of possibilities for [structure-based drug design] of new and effective drugs in the race against resistance development among bacterial pathogens."
Posted by Abel Pharmboy at 8:02 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Pediatric cancer patient checks in at age 55; beneficiary of Dr Charlotte Tan's actinomycin D work
Category: The Awesome Power of Natural Products
For all of you parents of children with cancer, here's what your kids might be doing in 50 years.
Posted by Abel Pharmboy at 1:02 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Sage advice?: NC to join 13 states in outlawing Salvia divinorum
Category: Botanical/Herbal Medicines
A widely-available plant that produces highly-disturbing hallucinations is being progressively prohibited in the US. However, as with other psychoactive natural products, salvinorin A holds promise for novel therapeutics to treat psychiatric disorders.
Posted by Abel Pharmboy at 11:04 AM • 33 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Heroin Hits The Heartland
Category: Drugs of Abuse
A excellent article on the front page of today's New York Times raises awareness of the flow of inexpensive heroin from Mexico to the suburban US.
Posted by Abel Pharmboy at 8:43 AM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Poppy seed tea can kill you
Category: Drugs of Abuse
A man who lost his son 6 years ago to a poppy seed brew reminds us that users can never know the morphine content of the tea. More importantly, even those of us in science and health care fail to appreciate the danger of this tea. Processing of morphine poppies and concentration by tea making can result in potentially lethal concentrations.
Posted by Abel Pharmboy at 8:02 AM • 24 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
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