HERBAL MEDICINE

It might not be a bad idea for people with overactive thyroids to supplement their standard treatment with Chinese herbal medicine, a new review suggests. But while some of the studies supported the combination of two types of medicine, the reviewers say the quality of the research was questionable.

“Unfortunately, we cannot find a well-designed and conducted trial at this stage,” said Taixiang Wu, an associate professor at Sichuan University in China.

Hyperthyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone, causing problems that can mimic the effects of a shot of adrenalin, said Jeffrey Sandler, M.D., an endocrinologist with Scripps Mercy Hospital and Whittier Institute in San Diego. “It stimulates the heart rate, can raise blood pressure, breaks down muscle and can cause weakness and weight loss.”

Increased thyroid hormone can lead to higher body temperatures and warm, moist skin as well. The cause of hyperthyroidism is typically Graves’ disease, where cells of the immune system work against the thyroid gland.

Hyperthyroidism is most common among women and the drugs used to treat it have been around for about 50 years, Sandler said. In extreme cases, doctors turn to surgery and radiation.

In this new Cochrane Library review, the researchers looked for studies that compared hyperthyroidism patients who took Chinese herbal medicine alone to those who took it in combination with Western treatments.Chinese Herbal Medicine Unproven As Overactive Thyroid Treatment read more »

The National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH) welcomes publication of the Department of Health (DH) public consultation document that reflects upon the recent recommendations of the Steering Group on the need for Statutory Regulation of practitioners of acupuncture, herbal medicine, TCM and other traditional medicine systems practised in the UK.

Statutory regulation of practitioners of herbal medicine and acupuncture has been advocated by a House of Lords’ Select Committee and by three subsequent DH working groups as well as the vast majority of respondents to a previous DH consultation on this subject. Having looked closely at all other options, the NIMH is strongly in support of statutory regulation of this sector. All other options considered, only statutory regulation of this sector can enable the public to identify qualified practitioners and maintain the availability of a full range of herbal medicines in herbal practice.

The Report on Extending Professional and Occupational Regulation published 16 July 09 said “Government has also agreed to extend regulation to practitioners of acupuncture, herbal medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine practised in the UK. ” It also reports that the Health Professions Council has recommended these groups of healthcare professionals for statutory regulation. Given this it seems clear that statutory regulation of this sector should now proceed without further delay.

The public are at risk of having a much reduced access to herbal remedies from herbal practitioners unless the Government is able to get statutory regulation in place before the EU Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products comes into force in 2011.” says Jane Gray, President of the NIMH. read more »

The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and the Morris Arboretum are jointly sponsoring a symposium on September 19-20, 2006 entitled Herbal Medicine: Perception, Practice and Rational Use. The symposium will bring together world-renowned experts in the field of herbal medicine. The broad range of topics to be addressed will include everything from a look at the history of herbal medicines and their potential role in future health care, to a discussion of the role that herbal medicines already play in today’s pharmaceutical industry. Among other topics the symposium will address: the use of plants in clinical practice; determining the benefits or potential harm of using various herbal remedies; rational approaches for proper use; informing the public about the possible risks and benefits of using herbal medicines; perceptions health care providers and the lay public have of herbal medicine; and the role of botanical research in drug development.

The use of herbal medicines in the United States is becoming increasingly popular. Yet, because most American health care providers receive little or no formal training in herbal medicine, physicians and nurses are often unprepared to answer questions patients have about the efficacy or dangers of herbal medicines, either as supplements to more conventional treatment methods or as a stand-alone therapy to treat or prevent disease. Furthermore, patients are not always aware of the potential side effects many of these herbal remedies may have, particularly when combined with more conventional forms of medication.

“This is an excellent chance to explore the advantages and disadvantages of herbal medicine in a scientific way,” said Dr. Arthur Rubenstein, MBBCh, Dean, School of Medicine, Executive Vice-President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System, and whose remarks will open the second day of symposium activities. read more »

Recent news of proposed regulations that will apply to herbal medicine practitioners has stimulated yet more debate over the safety of herbal medicines. According to an article in the Sunday Telegraph, a Department of Health report states complementary therapists offering herbal medicines will have to register with an official regulator or face prosecution.

In order to register, new practitioners will require a degree in herbal medicine, while existing practitioners will have two years to prove they have sufficient knowledge and expertise to receive a licence. The government, says the Sunday Telegraph, is expected to consider the report.

Regulation of herbalists – of whom there are thought to be around two thousand operating in the UK – has been on the cards for several years following fears that some herbal medicines are not safe. There have, for instance, been several reports of liver and kidney problems as a result of taking herbal medicines, as well as at least one death. In 2007, student Ling Wang, from Newcastle upon Tyne, died after using a Chinese herbal medicine.

The move aims to protect the public against unqualified practitioners and therefore make taking herbal remedies safer. However, some experts who are sceptical about the efficacy of herbal medicines claim the proposed regulation will simply endorse remedies that are at best ineffective and – at worst – could be dangerous. read more »

An herb used in traditional medicine by many Middle Eastern countries may help in the fight against pancreatic cancer, one of the most difficult cancers to treat. Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer at Jefferson in Philadelphia have found that thymoquinone, an extract of nigella sativa seed oil, blocked pancreatic cancer cell growth and killed the cells by enhancing the process of programmed cell death.

While the studies are in the early stages, the findings suggest that thymoquinone could eventually have some use as a preventative strategy in patients who have gone through surgery and chemotherapy or in individuals who are at a high risk of developing cancer.

According to Hwyda Arafat, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, nigella sativa helps treat a broad array of diseases, including some immune and inflammatory disorders. Previous studies also have shown anticancer activity in prostate and colon cancers, as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. read more »

A new study suggests that a growing segment of patients are turning to complementary and alternative medical therapies to help treat the symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

In a paper presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in San Diego, researchers sought to explore the pattern of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in patients with a prior diagnosis of CRS at a rhinology outpatient clinic in Aberdeen, Scotland.

CRS is defined as a group of disorders characterized by inflammation of the mucosa of the nose and paranasal sinuses of at least 12 weeks duration. The group of CRS disorders annually accounts for as many as 22 million office visits and more than 500,000 emergency department visits in the U.S., according to some estimates.

Questionnaires were provided to 75 patients over a two-month period. The questionnaire consisted of demographic information and whether they had ever used CAM from a list of 49 herbal and non-herbal alternative therapies (such as acupuncture, massage, aloe vera, and cod liver oil). Subjects were also asked why they used CAM, where they learned of CAM, whether they found it efficacious, and whether their general practitioner was aware they were using it.

Sixty-five percent of patients had used CAM. Thirty percent of patients used it for chronic rhinosinusitis. Women were significantly more likely to use CAM than men, according to the statistics. Patients who were employed, married, and had university degrees were also more likely to use CAM. Only 43 percent of CAM users had informed their doctor about the use of the therapy. read more »

An herbal medicine used to treat cardiovascular diseases in China may improve symptoms of chest pain when used in conjunction with traditional treatments, according to a new systematic review.

In several studies included in the review, taking tongxinluo improved angina patients’ electrocardiogram results. Overall, though, the review did not provide solid evidence that the medicine routinely benefits cardiac patients with angina.

“Tongxinluo is one of the most successful traditional Chinese medicines on the market in China,” said lead author Wu Taixiang.

Tongxinluo, widely used in parts of Asia, is composed of eight herbs and insects, which are mixed together, ground to a fine powder and enclosed in capsules. Patients taking it for cardiovascular conditions typically consume three to four capsules, three to four times daily, for four weeks.

Because of the medicine’s popularity, Taixiang, an associate professor at Sichuan University, West China Hospital, in Chengdu, Sichuan, and his coauthors say they felt a “social responsibility” to investigate possible clinical benefits.

The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates research in all aspects of health care. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing trials on a topic.

The meta-analysis compiled data from 18 randomized controlled trials, all conducted in China, comprising 1,413 patients ranging in age from 25 to 88. Most of the trials examined the effect of tongxinluo when used in conjunction with traditional angina treatments compared to traditional treatments alone. read more »

The herbal medicine Dan Shen, a standard treatment for ischemic stroke in China, lacks strong scientific evidence to support such use, according a new review of studies.

Nevertheless, based on the available data, Dan Shen treatment showed a tendency to improve short-term neurological deficits in stroke patients, say researchers at Sichuan University in Chengdu, China.

However, the short-term result “should be interpreted cautiously because of the poor methodological quality of included trials and the small numbers of patients,” said review co-author and neurology professor Ming Liu.

The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates research in all aspects of health care. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing trials on a topic.

Obstruction of a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain can result in ischemic stroke, which accounts for about 83 percent of all strokes.

In China, post-stroke use of herbal medicine is part of standard care in both Western-style hospitals and in traditional Chinese medicine hospitals. Dan Shen, in various pill, tablet and injection formulations, is the herb most commonly given for ischemic stroke; its use in that context spans more than three decades.

However, few researchers have tested the herb’s effectiveness in rigorous clinical trials that approach current international standards.

The reviewers found six studies that met inclusion criteria for the review randomized or quasi-randomized and controlled involving 494 acute ischemic stroke patients. read more »

A consultation on whether, and if so, how, practitioners of acupuncture, herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine should be regulated was launched today by the Department of Health.

At present, there is no statutory regulation of practitioners who offer acupuncture, herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine in the UK.

The consultation will seek views on whether a regulatory system should be established to govern the practice of these complementary and alternative therapies. The three Health Ministers for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have agreed that this consultation should be UK-wide.

Once the consultation responses have been considered, a decision will be made on whether or not to move towards statutory regulation of these professions. Any final decision will be based on an assessment of the likely risk of harm to patients and the public, and consideration as to whether this harm could be reduced or avoided by other means. These factors are all taken into account in the consultation as well as looking at alternatives to statutory regulation. read more »

A traditional Chinese herbal medicine consisting of five herbs may benefit people with eczema, new research in the British Journal of Dermatology will reveal.

Scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong evaluated the effects of ‘pentaherbs formulation’ on patients aged between five and 21 with atopic eczema, the most common type of the disease which affects at least one in ten children.

The pentaherbs formulation capsules contain extracts of five raw herbs based on a widely used ancestral Chinese concoction – Flos lonicerae (Japanese honeysuckle), Herba menthae (peppermint), Cortex moutan (root bark of peony tree), Atractylodes Rhizome (underground stem of the atractylodes herb) and Cortex phellodendri (Amur cork-tree bark).

The first study was a clinical trial of 85 patient divided into a control group receiving a placebo, and a group taking the pentaherbs formulation. Using a questionnaire index that measures how much a skin problem affects a patient, the scientists found that the quality of life improved by a third in the group taking the herbs, compared to no improvement in the placebo-treated group.

The researchers also found that the herbal remedy reduced patients’ needs for the conventional treatment of topical steroids, with the duration of use reduced by an average of four days per month in the herbal group, compared to one day per month in the placebo group. read more »