Marijuana smoking and reduced pressure in human eyes: drug action or epiphenomenon? (49/3177)

Normal pressure within the human eye was reduced after smoking a socially relevant dose of marijuana (12 mg. delta9-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), but only for light to moderate users who experienced a substantial "high" and a state of peaceful relaxation from the experimental dose. Analysis suggests an indirect effect of the drug associated with relaxation-a psychophysiologic state that can be produced by drug and nondrug means.  (+info)

Treatment of gastric ulcers and diarrhea with the Amazonian herbal medicine sangre de grado. (50/3177)

Sangre de grado is an Amazonian herbal medicine used to facilitate the healing of gastric ulcers and to treat gastritis, diarrhea, skin lesions, and insect stings. This study was designed to evaluate the gastrointestinal applications. Gastric ulcers were induced in rats by brief serosal exposure of the fundus to acetic acid (80%). Sangre de grado was administered in drinking water at 1:1,000 and 1:10,000 dilutions from the postoperative period to day 7. Guinea pig ileum secretory responses to capsaicin, electrical field stimulation, and the neurokinin-1 (NK-1) agonist [Sar(9),Met(O(2))(11)]substance P were examined in Ussing chambers. Sangre de grado facilitated the healing of experimental gastric ulcer, reducing myeloperoxidase activity, ulcer size, and bacterial content of the ulcer. The expression of proinflammatory genes tumor necrosis factor-alpha, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, and cyclooxygenase-2 was upregulated by ulcer induction but reduced by sangre de grado treatment, particularly iNOS and IL-6. In Ussing chambers, sangre de grado impaired the secretory response to capsaicin but not to electrical field stimulation or the NK-1 agonist. We conclude that sangre de grado is a potent, cost-effective treatment for gastrointestinal ulcers and distress via antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and sensory afferent-dependent actions.  (+info)

Randomized controlled trial of nettle sting for treatment of base-of-thumb pain. (51/3177)

There are numerous published references to use of nettle sting for arthritis pain but no randomized controlled trials have been reported. We conducted a randomized controlled double-blind crossover study in 27 patients with osteoarthritic pain at the base of the thumb or index finger. Patients applied stinging nettle leaf (Urtica dioica) daily for one week to the painful area. The effect of this treatment was compared with that of placebo, white deadnettle leaf (Lamium album), for one week after a five-week washout period. Observations of pain and disability were recorded for the twelve weeks of the study. After one week's treatment with nettle sting, score reductions on both visual analogue scale (pain) and health assessment questionnaire (disability) were significantly greater than with placebo (P = 0.026 and P = 0.0027).  (+info)

Food of the gods: cure for humanity? A cultural history of the medicinal and ritual use of chocolate. (52/3177)

The medicinal use of cacao, or chocolate, both as a primary remedy and as a vehicle to deliver other medicines, originated in the New World and diffused to Europe in the mid 1500s. These practices originated among the Olmec, Maya and Mexica (Aztec). The word cacao is derived from Olmec and the subsequent Mayan languages (kakaw); the chocolate-related term cacahuatl is Nahuatl (Aztec language), derived from Olmec/Mayan etymology. Early colonial era documents included instructions for the medicinal use of cacao. The Badianus Codex (1552) noted the use of cacao flowers to treat fatigue, whereas the Florentine Codex (1590) offered a prescription of cacao beans, maize and the herb tlacoxochitl (Calliandra anomala) to alleviate fever and panting of breath and to treat the faint of heart. Subsequent 16th to early 20th century manuscripts produced in Europe and New Spain revealed >100 medicinal uses for cacao/chocolate. Three consistent roles can be identified: 1) to treat emaciated patients to gain weight; 2) to stimulate nervous systems of apathetic, exhausted or feeble patients; and 3) to improve digestion and elimination where cacao/chocolate countered the effects of stagnant or weak stomachs, stimulated kidneys and improved bowel function. Additional medical complaints treated with chocolate/cacao have included anemia, poor appetite, mental fatigue, poor breast milk production, consumption/tuberculosis, fever, gout, kidney stones, reduced longevity and poor sexual appetite/low virility. Chocolate paste was a medium used to administer drugs and to counter the taste of bitter pharmacological additives. In addition to cacao beans, preparations of cacao bark, oil (cacao butter), leaves and flowers have been used to treat burns, bowel dysfunction, cuts and skin irritations.  (+info)

Inflammation and Native American medicine: the role of botanicals. (53/3177)

There is a growing interest in medicinal botanicals as part of complementary medicine in the United States. In particular, both physicians and consumers are becoming aware of the use of herbals by Native American societies; many botanicals sold today as dietary supplements in the United States were used by Native Americans for similar purposes. Yet, these supplements represent only a small number of the >2500 different plant species from vascular taxa, and >2800 species from all taxa, known to have been prized for their medicinal properties by the indigenous inhabitants of the North American continent. We review some of the studies of the immunomodulatory activities of botanicals used by native peoples of North America, the bioactive constituents responsible for those activities, and the mechanisms by which these constituents might modulate the immune system. We focus particularly on 3 species of purple coneflower (ECHINACEA:) because of the widespread use of purple coneflower in the United States to boost immunity and prevent upper respiratory infections. Seven of the 10 most common botanicals sold in the United States were used extensively by Native Americans. However, there are very few data to support such use and even less information about drug toxicity or interactions.  (+info)

Is there a metabolic basis for dietary supplementation? (54/3177)

To be efficacious, dietary supplements must either provide a nutrient that is normally undersupplied to cells or exert a pharmacologic effect on cellular processes. In the first case, optimal function is achieved when a nutrient required by the organism reaches a specific concentration within the cell. A supplement has benefit only when the normal intake of a bioavailable form of a nutrient is lower than the amount that would provide maximum benefit as judged from all biological perspectives. Metabolic, environmental, and genetic factors can make individual nutrient requirements differ from the estimated needs calculated from population-based data. For example, under certain circumstances intracellular antioxidants may be depleted and a dietary supplement might restore optimal antioxidant protection. In the second case, the dietary supplement contains a constituent that is normally not required by the cell, but this substance is capable of altering normal cell function. For example, herbal preparations may contain ephedrine (a drug), which might alter heart rate so that the amount of blood pumped by the heart is enhanced. An understanding of how the variation in nutrient requirements comes about and of the pharmacologic actions of nutrient supplements can help to identify which individuals are most likely to benefit from dietary supplements.  (+info)

Selected herbals and human exercise performance. (55/3177)

Herbs have been used throughout history to enhance physical performance, but scientific scrutiny with controlled clinical trials has only recently been used to study such effects. The following herbs are currently used to enhance physical performance regardless of scientific evidence of effect: Chinese, Korean, and American ginsengs; Siberian ginseng, mahuang or Chinese ephedra; ashwagandha; rhodiola; yohimbe; CORDYCEPS: fungus, shilajit or mummio; smilax; wild oats; Muira puama; suma (ecdysterone); Tribulus terrestris; saw palmetto berries; beta-sitosterol and other related sterols; and wild yams (diosgenin). Controlled studies of Asian ginsengs found improvements in exercise performance when most of the following conditions were true: use of standardized root extracts, study duration (>8 wk, daily dose >1 g dried root or equivalent, large number of subjects, and older subjects. Improvements in muscular strength, maximal oxygen uptake, work capacity, fuel homeostasis, serum lactate, heart rate, visual and auditory reaction times, alertness, and psychomotor skills have also been repeatedly documented. Siberian ginseng has shown mixed results. Mahuang, ephedrine, and related alkaloids have not benefited physical performance except when combined with caffeine. Other herbs remain virtually untested. Future research on ergogenic effects of herbs should consider identity and amount of substance or presumed active ingredients administered, dose response, duration of test period, proper experimental controls, measurement of psychological and physiologic parameters (including antioxidant actions), and measurements of performance pertinent to intended uses.  (+info)

Brassica vegetable consumption shifts estrogen metabolism in healthy postmenopausal women. (56/3177)

Previous studies suggest that the estrogen metabolite 16alpha-hydroxyestrone acts as a breast tumor promoter. The alternative product of estrogen metabolism, 2-hydroxyestrone, does not exhibit estrogenic properties in breast tissue, and lower values of the ratio 2-hydroxyestrone:16alpha-hydroxyestrone (2:16) in urine may be an endocrine biomarker for greater breast cancer risk. Vegetables of the Brassica genus, such as broccoli, contain a phytochemical, which may shift estrogen metabolism and increase the 2:16 ratio. Adding 500 g/day of broccoli to a standard diet shifts 2:16 values upward in humans; however, it is unknown as to whether healthy women are able to consume a sufficient quantity of Brassica to affect breast cancer risk through this mechanism. In this study, 34 healthy postmenopausal women participated in an intensive intervention designed to facilitate the addition of Brassica to the daily diet. The diet was measured by repeated 24-h recall, and estrogen metabolites were measured by enzyme immunoassay in 24-h urine samples. In a crude analysis, there was a nonsignificant increase in the urinary 2:16 ratio associated with greater Brassica consumption. With adjustment for other dietary parameters, Brassica vegetable consumption was associated with a statistically significant increase in 2:16 values, such that for each 10-g/day increase in Brassica consumption, there was an increase in the 2:16 ratio of 0.08 (95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.15). To the extent that the 2:16 ratio, as measured in urine, is associated with breast cancer risk, future research should consider Brassica vegetable consumption as a potentially effective and acceptable dietary strategy to prevent breast cancer.  (+info)