A variety of dietary supplements are presently available as slimming aids, but their efficacy has not been proven. One such slimming aid is the bean extract, Phaseolus vulgaris. The aim of the present systematic review is to evaluate the evidence for or against the efficacy of P. vulgaris. Electronic and non-electronic searches were conducted to identify relevant human randomised clinical trial...

We have studied the effects of various Kampo medicines on P-glycoprotein (P-gp), a drug transporter, in vitro. The present study focused on Daiokanzoto (Da-Huang-Gan-Cao-Tang), which shows the most potent inhibitory effects on P-gp among the 50 Kampo medicines studied, and investigated the P-gp inhibitory effects of Daiokanzoto herbal ingredients (rhubarb and licorice root) and their components...

Christine, a 40-year-old white woman, suffered from acute gastrointestinal pain, diarrhea, malaise, and fatigue shortly after receiving oral herbal treatment and drank eight glasses of clear liquid in a clinic in California. On October 19, 2004 between 1540 and 1730, she was given Uro-well herbal supplement prescribed by her physician as a kidney-cleansing agent. Christine was transported by am...

OBJECTIVE To quantify patterns of Natural Health Product (NHP) use in Canada. METHODS The Food Habits of Canadians surveyed 1,543 Canadian adults using a 24-hour recall to record dietary supplements. Prevalence of use by user profile was examined. RESULTS Forty-six percent of women and 33% of men reported taking at least one Natural Health Product with a mean of 2.3 among users. The highest...

BACKGROUND Aster koraiensis extract (AKE) is a standard dietary herbal supplement. The aim of this study is to investigate the inhibitory effects of AKE on diabetes-induced retinal vascular dysfunction in Spontaneously Diabetic Torii (SDT) rats. METHODS AKE (50 and 100 mg/kg body weight/day) was administered for 16 weeks. The effects of orally administered AKE on blood glucose levels, retinal...

Herbal medications are being increasingly used by the American population especially for common conditions like arthritis. They have been reported to cause adverse effects, including significant hepatotoxicity, but reporting remains sporadic. We report here a patient who developed drug induced liver injury following the intake of Move Free, which is an over-the-counter arthritis supplement. We ...

BACKGROUND Impaired sleep quality is commonplace within industrialized societies, as evidenced by the increasing number of prescription sleep aids available. Certain herbal preparations have been suggested to provide a natural benefit to sleep; however, limited controlled data are available documenting this benefit. In the present study we tested the effect of an experimental dietary supplement...

Herbal and dietary supplement usage has increased steadily over the past several years in the United States. Among the non-bodybuilding herbal and dietary supplements, weight loss supplements were among the most common type of HDS implicated in liver injury. While drug induced liver injury is rare, its consequences are significant and on the rise. The purpose of this review is to highlight case...

Herbs are naturally rich in bioactive herbiceuticals or plant products with food value to keep energy balance in the body and promise substantial therapeutic value in several diseases. Major herbs have specific active ingredient(s) with cancer therapeutic effects. Herbs are now part of nutrition supplements at nonprescription counters and their selfprescription has increased at large scale in h...