By Cathy Margolin
on February 24, 2010
Asian countries commonly treat insomnia with Chinese herbs more affordably and without the side-effects associated with prescriptions. A study done in Taiwan showed patients complaining of insomnia were successfully treated with Chinese herbs. This study included 16,134 participants who received a total of 29,801 Chinese Herbal Medicine prescriptions. This large-scale study which used data assembled by the National Health Insurance of Taiwan, evaluated the frequency and patterns of Chinese herbs in treating insomnia. What’s unusual about this study is not just the sheer numbers of participants but the amount of data collected. Read the full study here.
The reason the study has such a large group of participants is simply because Taiwan has instituted a unique computerized data entry system as part of their health care system. Patients can choose to…
By Cathy Margolin
on February 16, 2010
A very important study was just released from Harvard School of Public Health by the National Institute of Health. This study on women’s health confirmed that combination hormone therapy used commonly for symptoms due to menopause increases a women’s risk for heart disease.
“New analysis from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) confirm that combination hormone therapy increases the risk of heart disease in healthy postmenopausal women. Researchers report a trend toward an increased risk of heart disease during the first two years of hormone therapy among women who began therapy within 10 years of menopause, and a more marked elevation of risk among women who began hormone therapy more than 10 years after menopause. Analysis indicate that overall a woman’s risk of heart disease more than doubles within the first two years of taking combination HT.”
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By Cathy Margolin
on February 11, 2010
The perfect follow up to my Chinese medicinal wine article is the topic of herbal aphrodisiacs. An aphrodisiac can be anything that arouses or intensifies sexual desire. Throughout the centuries Chinese emperors had concubines to keep happy, or was it the reverse? Either way preserving one’s stamina and sexual vitality was of the utmost importance to one’s health and herbs were considered a source for the proverbial “fountain of youth”. The Chinese have worked on perfecting herbal formulas for sexual enhancement over the last two thousand years.
Ginseng is probably the most well known of the herbs used throughout the centuries. Yet a Chinese herb formula with ginseng will often be more potent than any given single herb. A formula for sexual improvement is always designed to build both yin and yang energy from a Chinese medicine viewpoint. All natural aphrodisiac formulas
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By Cathy Margolin
on February 10, 2010
Two things I love to do are digging in the dirt and drinking good wine. So this article is a natural for me.
Digging and drinking don’t seem very compatible, but if you’re an archeologist digging in the dirt has an entirely different meaning. In 1972 a group of very fortunate Chinese archeologists were digging and uncovered one of the greatest finds in Chinese history, the Mawangdui Han Tombs dating back to the Han Dynasty dated 220 BCE to 220 AC. These tombs are one of China's most important archaeological discoveries.
One of thousands of artifacts recovered from these tombs was a book titled “52 Prescriptions". In this book more than 30 wine recipes were recorded. But not just any wine, medicated wines, formulated for both internal and external use to treat illnesses…
By Cathy Margolin
on February 6, 2010
Chinese herbs can play a role in oral cancer inhibition according to a study recently published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Febuary 2010. Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy have been the tri-fecta standard of care for oral squamos cell carcinoma (OSCC) yet the past 20 years survival rates have not improved.
This latest study reveals celastrol, a chemical found in Chinese herbs may help treat cancer by inactivating a protein necessary for cancer growth.
Oral cancer strikes men over 40 twice as often as women and tends to spread rapidly. Tobacco use is believed to be the cause of 70-80% of oral cancer cases, whether it be from smoking or chewing tobacco. Poor oral hygiene and alcohol abuse may also increase ones risk for cancers of the mouth, tongue, lips, and gums.
This recent
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By Cathy Margolin
on February 4, 2010
Labels on most herbal products in the US provide little to no information regarding the amount of fillers ie. starch, otherwise known as excipients. Excipients are inactive substance used as a carrier or any ingredient that is added to adjust the intended dosage. Often excipients are used to achieve a uniform 5 to 1 herb ratio. (Basically a diluents). Excipients are also used to improve administration such as making capsules or pressed pills.
Currently, there is no technology to make capsules or pressed supplements without using these fillers. Current FDA labeling requirements for dietary supplements do not require the manufacturer to list the amount of excipients. This leaves room for lots of speculation and ambiguity regarding the strength of the products. How much product in the bottle is filler and how much is vitamins and/or herbal extract? There…
