Botanical/Herbal Medicines
terrasig | October 19, 2006The real news in this story is how the lead researcher responsibly tempers the interpretation of his 15 October report in Clinical Cancer Research.
From United Press International:
Grape seeds may help attack colon tumors
DENVER, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Chemicals found in grape seeds have been found to inhibit growth of colorectal tumors in both cell cultures and in mice, say Colorado researchers.
"With these results, we are not suggesting that people run out and buy and use grape seed extract. That could be dangerous since so little is known about doses and side effects," said Rajesh Agarwal of the…
terrasig | October 9, 2006I sometimes get grief from my colleagues about subscribing to the Wall Street Journal, but it is worth every penny. Some of the best stories on health and drug development appear in the WSJ. Beyond its outstanding health reporting, even basic news articles will appear in the WSJ and get picked up, literally, three or four days later by CNN as though they were news. Contrary to other opinions, the WSJ is not a shill for the neoconservative movement - only its editorial page wields a heavy conservative hand which, I find, is fun to read just the same.
I pay the extra $39 a year and have my…
terrasig | October 5, 2006This other thing called the day job has interfered with my finishing the last bit of the curcumin series (on the piperine/Bioperine bioavailability enhancer) and a new post for The Friday Fermentable. I've also got some biz travel scheduled today, so I hope that gives me some wine and/or beer fodder for next week.
In the meantime, I urge readers interested in herbal remedies for cancer to revisit this week's posts:
Curcumin for Cancer: Part One
Curcumin for Cancer: Part Two
And, for those inclined toward the fruit of the vine, please be sure to read last week's Friday Fermentable by guest-…
terrasig | October 4, 2006Yesterday, we began discussing why the health care consumer should be wary of dietary supplement promotions based solely on "scientific research" cited from studies done on isolated cells in Petri dishes, pure enzymes, or other systems far removed from whole animals or whole humans.
There are many barriers to absorption of compounds from herbs, supplements, and prescription drugs, and the body's capacity to metabolize xenobiotics (and externally administered compound) is quite robust. For a compound to become a drug, it must sometimes be modified chemically to circumvent the metabolic…
terrasig | October 3, 2006Subtitle: Why Petri dish studies don't always translate into benefit for patients
While I am an enthusiastic supporter of naturally-derived compounds as the source of drugs, I am extremely disappointed and dismayed at how non-prescription natural products are promoted indirectly for disease treatment. Patients with cancer or HIV/AIDS are those most often preyed upon by manufacturers of the "next great cure" - hence, the convergence of cancer and natural products leads me to today's post, the first in a multi-part series of general comments on the marketing of herbal or dietary supplements.…
terrasig | September 20, 2006Curcumin has been much in the news as of late as considerable cell culture data has been suggestive of the compound's utility in cancer prevention and cancer treatment. The impetus for me speaking on this has been the recent report by my ScienceBlogs.com colleague, Razib, at Gene Expression.
Unfortunately, the story of curcumin has been clouded by overly aggressive attempts by marketers to manipulate in vitro, or Petri dish, cell culture studies with human consumption. Some very outstanding scientists have been working on the anticancer effects of this herb, but it seems that their efforts…
terrasig | August 18, 2006I've stayed out of the Starchild Abraham Cherrix case, where a 16-year-old boy and his parents are trying to refuse known, effective, and life-saving chemotherapy for a curable cancer in lieu of a scientifically unproven alternative regimen that includes coffee enemas.
Orac of Respectful Insolence has been most prolific in commenting on the issues at hand and yesterday, The Cheerful Oncologist, weighed in. I'm happy about this because both fellas are MDs with highly-specialized oncology training in surgical and medical oncology, respectively. Hence, I defer to them on issues of life and…
terrasig | August 17, 2006Just cleaning out the day job e-mail account early this morning and came across something, I should've posted this a month ago when FDA sent me this release.
There are obvious problems with US federal regulation of dietary supplements related to lack of proven efficacy, bioavailability of purported active constitutents, and thinly-veiled medical marketing.
However, few people are aware of the fact that adulteration of dietary supplements is a real problem and, in the case below, potentially life-threatening:
From the FDA MedWatch adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting program:
MedWatch - The…
terrasig | July 17, 2006Get ready to be barraged by news of a proprietary pine bark extract exhibiting efficacy against attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Today's report by the French company that manufactures a maritime pine bark extract seems to be associated (see press release below fold) with Dr Steven Lamm, a clinical assistant professor at NYU Medical School, and based on results published in the journal, European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
I don't believe this is actually "news" as stories such as this one appeared about a month ago. Hence, I fear that today's press release and satellite hook…
terrasig | July 11, 2006For several years, various media outlets have asked my opinion about herbal medicine and dietary supplement issues. I've generally written several pages of responses only to find a few key quotes mined from my paragraphs of wisdom (in my mind). No problem at all; I just have trouble with churning out sound bites. So, I'd like to share with you stuff that never makes it to the so-called mainstream media. This is a repost of classic Terra Sigillata that first appeared on the old site on 8 May 2006.
Recently, I was asked by a US television network to comment on the value of the release of…
terrasig | July 7, 2006This link provides a truly lengthy diatribe on "11 Effective, Natural Strategies To Kill Your Cancer" that I found the other day while reading on ABCNews about Sheryl Crow's battle with breast cancer. It literally takes about 15 min to read and then ends with a list of links to purchase products mentioned in the "report," with nearly all being mail order supplements from one Robert Harrison of Homer, Alaska.
Before even getting into the inaccuracies and misrepresentations in the diatribe, I started to tally the cost of all the immune boosting supplements I should purchase, but grew weary…
terrasig | December 20, 2005If you Google, "Terra Sigillata," you'll get a number of hits for various clay pottery recipes. Very complicated stuff, requiring the use of a deflocculant to separate out large clay particles from the small ones. Terra sig, as it is known among pottery hipsters, is then used to coat finished pieces to produce a very smooth, high luster and waterproof finish.
What does this have to do with pharmacology and natural products?
Terra Sigillata literally means "sealed earth." In the common potter's vernacular, "seal" probably relates to the waterproof character of the product. But, in ancient…