BACKGROUND StemSport (SS; StemTech International, Inc. San Clemente, CA) contains a proprietary blend of the botanical Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and several herbal antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances. SS has been purported to accelerate tissue repair and restore muscle function following resistance exercise. Here, we examine the effects of SS supplementation on strength adaptations resu...

A recent surge in the use of dietary supplements, including herbal remedies, necessitates investigations into their safety profiles. "Dream herb," Calea zacatechichi, has long been used in traditional folk medicine for a variety of purposes and is currently being marketed in the US for medicinal purposes, including diabetes treatment. Despite the inherent vulnerability of the renal system to xe...

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor dysfunction and early death. Despite years of research, the mechanisms responsible for chronic neurodegeneration of HD remain elusive. Chinese traditional medicines might provide new insights or new therapy for HD. The Chinese herbal formula B401 is a well-known Taiwan-US patent formula and a health supplement for p...

OBJECTIVE Over the last 50 years, there has been a surge of interest by both the public and medical practitioners in therapies and disciplines that are not considered part of mainstream medical care. The title given to these is complementary and alternative medicine. Of all these branches, our interest is the increasing use of herbal medicines, traditional medicines (such as Chinese or Indian),...

BACKGROUND We describe a rare case of severe rhabdomyolysis provoked by ingestion of a performance-enhancer herbal supplement containing ephedra. CASE REPORT A healthy 21-year-old Army soldier complained of "complete muscle failure" after collapsing at the end of Army Physical Fitness Test. The patient was found to be tachycardic and hypotensive, but his vital signs quickly stabilized after r...

A female at 28 weeks gestation was referred to pediatric cardiology for a fetal arrhythmia. The echocardiogram revealed premature constriction of the fetal ductus arteriosus. Her work up was unremarkable except for her use of an herbal supplement, grape seed extract, which is advertised as a potent anti-inflammatory medication, and has biochemical properties similar to other medications that ha...