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"Study highlights:

* Ginkgo biloba doesn’t prevent cardiovascular death, heart attacks or strokes, and should not be recommended as a way to prevent them.
* Further research should explore its potential benefit to people with peripheral vascular disease.

DALLAS, Nov. 24, 2009 — Ginkgo biloba didn’t prevent cardiovascular death or major events such as heart attack and stroke in people age 75 and older, but the herb may affect peripheral vascular disease, according to research reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association.

“Surprisingly, Ginkgo was associated with a reduction in peripheral artery disease, but the number of patients was small. The difference was statistically significant,” said Lewis H. Kuller, M.D., Dr.P.H., first author of the study and distinguished university professor of public health and professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh.

Gingko biloba contains a class of nutrients — flavonoids — found in fruits, vegetables, dark chocolate and red wine, which are believed to offer some protection against cardiovascular events. "

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2009 December americanheart news Ginkgo biloba Ginkgo_biloba CVD peripheral artery disease peripheral_artery_disease PAD herbs nutrition flavonoids

Ginkgo has many alleged nootropic properties, and is mainly used as memory[25] and concentration enhancer, and anti-vertigo agent. However, studies differ about its efficacy. The largest and longest independent clinical trial to assess ginkgo biloba’s ability to prevent memory loss has found that the supplement does not prevent or delay dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.[26] Some controversy has arisen over the conclusions drawn by some studies that were allegedly funded by a firm which marketed Ginkgo.[27]

In 2002, a long-anticipated paper appeared in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) titled "Ginkgo for memory enhancement: a randomized controlled trial." This Williams College study, sponsored by the National Institute on Aging rather than Schwabe, examined the effects of ginkgo consumption on healthy volunteers older than 60. The conclusion, now cited in the National Institutes of Health's ginkgo fact sheet, said: "When taken following the manufacturer's instructions, ginkgo provides no measurable benefit in memory or related cognitive function to adults with healthy cognitive function." ... The impact of this seemingly damning assessment, however, was ameliorated by the almost simultaneous publication of a Schwabe-sponsored study in the less prestigious Human Psychopharmacology. This rival study, conducted at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, was rejected by JAMA, and came to a very different—if not exactly sweeping—conclusion: There was ample evidence to support "the potential efficacy of Ginkgo biloba EGb 761 in enhancing certain neuropsychological/memory processes of cognitively intact older adults, 60 years of age and over."

According to some studies, in a few cases, Ginkgo can significantly improve attention in healthy individuals.[28][29] Allegedly, the effect is almost immediate and reaches its peak in 2.5 hours after the intake.[30]
[edit] In dementia

A 2004 conference paper[31] summarizes how various trials indicate that Ginkgo shows promise in the treatment of Alzheimer's disea

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Ginkgo biloba Ginkgo_biloba herbs wikipedia info reference nootropic memory concentration anti-vertigo vertigo EGb_761 dementioa cognition Alzheimer's_disease Alzheimer's Alzheimer beta-amyloid intermittent_claudication tinnitus platelet_aggregation

"Healthnotes offers comprehensive, science-based health and lifestyle information. Written with you in mind, Healthnotes answers the most commonly asked questions with credible, easy-to-understand information. Healthnotes' content is edited by physicians who review over 550 scientific and medical journals to keep content current, factual, and balanced. Articles include footnotes tied to over 14,000 references. "

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GNC HealthNotes info reference portal directory nutrition vitamins minerals herbs diet protein energy health_concerns diseases conditions remedies herbal_medicine herbal food_guide vitamin_guide guide interactions drug-interactions safety shop shopping

"Supplements of French maritime pine bark extract may improve the flow of blood in the tiny blood vessels of the retina, and enhance sight in diabetics with early stage eye problems, says a new study.

Visual acuity, or the clearness of vision, was found to improve from 14/20 to 17/20 in people with early stage retina damage associated with diabetes (diabetic retinopathy) following daily supplements of the pine bark extract, Pycnogenol, for two months.

Forty-six diabetics participated in the randomised controlled study with the findings published in the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

“Our study suggests that Pycnogenol taken in the early stages of retinopathy may enhance retinal blood circulation accompanied by a regression of oedema, which favourably improves vision of patients,” said lead researcher Dr Robert Steigerwalt. “Pycnogenol may be particularly beneficial for preventing this complication in diabetic patients, based on the large number of individuals who were diagnosed when the disease had already significantly progressed"

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2009 December nutraingredients news French maritime pine bark extract pine_bark Pycnogenol diabetic eye health retinopathy diabetes retina vision nutrtion supplementation herbs eyes eyesight

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clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials clinical trials clinical_trials government berberine info nutrition herbs list

Traditional chinese medicine in treatment of metabolic syndrome.
Yin J, Zhang H, Ye J.
Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2008 Jun;8(2):99-111. Review.
PMID: 18537696

Berberine from rhizoma coptidis is an oral hypoglycemic agent. It also has anti-obesity and anti-dyslipidemia activities. The action mechanism is related to inhibition of mitochondrial function, stimulation of glycolysis, activation of AMPK pathway, suppression of adipogenesis and induction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor expression.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...PMC2467395 - Preview

2008 June study review traditional chinese medicine TCM metabolic_syndrome.treatment herbs ginseng berberine nutrition bitter_melon mitochondria hypoglycemic obesity dyslipidemia glycolysis AMPK adipogenesis protopanaxatriol insulin_sensitivity medline

Berberine.
[No authors listed]
Altern Med Rev. 2000 Apr;5(2):175-7.
PMID: 10767672

Berberine is a plant alkaloid with a long history of medicinal use in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. It is present in Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal), Coptis chinensis (Coptis or goldenthread), Berberis aquifolium (Oregon grape), Berberis vulgaris (barberry), and Berberis aristata (tree turmeric). The berberine alkaloid can be found in the roots, rhizomes, and stem bark of the plants. Berberine extracts and decoctions have demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against a variety of organisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoans, helminths, and chlamydia. Currently, the predominant clinical uses of berberine include bacterial diarrhea, intestinal parasite infections, and ocular trachoma infection

www.thorne.com/...175.pdf - Preview

2000 April study review monograph berberine herbs nutrition cam altmed thorne antimicrobial anti-microbial bacterial diarrhea parasites protozoans trachoma bacteria viruses fungi

Berberine--a novel approach to cholesterol lowering.
Doggrell SA.
Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2005 May;14(5):683-5.
PMID: 15926873

informahealthcare.com/...13543784.14.5.683 - Preview

2005 May study research in_vivo animal_study clinical_trial humans berberine cholesterol lowering cholesterol-lowering LDL herbs nutrition medline

Apigenin inhibits growth and motility but increases gap junctional coupling intensity in rat prostate carcinoma (MAT-LyLu) cell populations.
Czernik M, Sroka J, Madeja Z, Czyz J.
Cell Mol Biol Lett. 2008;13(3):327-38. Epub 2008 Feb 21.
PMID: 18292973
DOI: 10.2478/s11658-008-0003-z

This in vitro data indicates that apigenin may affect cancer development in general, and prostate carcinogenesis in particular, via its influence on cellular activities decisive for both cancer promotion and progression, including cell proliferation, gap junctional coupling and cell motility and invasiveness.

www.springerlink.com/...fwh63437750641k2 - Preview

2008 February study research in_vitro apigenin herbs nutrition prostate cancer prostate_cancer PCa cell motility gap junctional coupling growth-inhibitory anti-cancer medline

"NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who eat greater amounts of plant-based foods and drinks with the naturally occurring flavonoid, apigenin, may have a decreased risk for ovarian cancer, study findings suggest.

Apigenin, found in celery, parsley, red wine, tomato sauce, and other plant-based foods may be "particularly beneficial," said Dr. Margaret A. Gates, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Flavanoids are compounds with antioxidant properties that protect cells against damage by oxygen molecules. In a study that compared flavonoid intake among women with and without ovarian cancer, women reporting the highest apigenin intake had a "borderline significant decrease" in ovarian cancer risk over women reporting the lowest apigenin intake, Gates and her associates report in the International Journal of Cancer."

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2009 April reuters news apigenin plant-based flavonoid ovarian cancer ovarian_cancer risk nutrition herb herbs flavonoids food foods sources celery parsley red_wine tomato sauce tomatoes

Zingiber officinale (ginger). Monograph.
[No authors listed]
Altern Med Rev. 2003 Aug;8(3):331-5.
PMID: 12946242

www.thorne.com/...331.pdf - Preview

2003 August study review bGinger Monograph health herbal herbs medicinal cam nutrition food thorne medline spice spices

Berberine lowers blood glucose in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients through increasing insulin receptor expression.
Zhang H, Wei J, Xue R, Wu JD, Zhao W, Wang ZZ, Wang SK, Zhou ZX, Song DQ, Wang YM, Pan HN, Kong WJ, Jiang JD.
Metabolism. 2009 Sep 3
doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2009.07.029

Liver function was improved greatly in these patients by showing reduction of liver enzymes. Our results confirmed the activity of BBR on InsR in humans and its relationship with the glucose-lowering effect. Together with our previous report, we strongly suggest BBR as an ideal medicine for T2DM with a mechanism different from metformin and rosiglitazone.

www.sciencedirect.com/science - Preview

2009 September study research clinical_trial in_vitro humans diabetic patients berberine type_2 diabetes insulin receptor expression mechanism nutrition herbs medline glucose-lowering hypoglycemic

Efficacy and safety of berberine for congestive heart failure secondary to ischemic or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.
Zeng XH, Zeng XJ, Li YY.
Am J Cardiol. 2003 Jul 15;92(2):173-6.
PMID: 12860219
doi:10.1016/S0002-9149(03)00533-2

Thus, berberine improved quality of life and decreased VPCs and mortality in patients with CHF.

www.ajconline.org/...abstract - Preview

2003 July study research clinical_trial humans patients berberine efficacy safety herbs nutrition congestive heart failure heart:failure chf hf cardiomyopathy CVD mortality medline

Efficacy of berberine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Yin J, Xing H, Ye J.
Metabolism. 2008 May;57(5):712-7.
PMID: 18442638
doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2008.01.013.

Fasting plasma insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index were reduced by 28.1% and 44.7% (P<.001), respectively. Total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were decreased significantly as well. During the trial, 20 (34.5%) patients experienced transient gastrointestinal adverse effects. Functional liver or kidney damages were not observed for all patients. In conclusion, this pilot study indicates that berberine is a potent oral hypoglycemic agent with beneficial effects on lipid metabolism

In summary, that berberine is a potent oral hypoglycemic agent with modest effect on lipid metabolism. It is safe and the cost of treatment by berberine is very low. It may serve as a new drug candidate in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. However, this is a pilot study. The efficacy of berberine needs to be tested in a much larger population and characterized as a function of the known duration of the diabetes. Further studies are needed to evaluate the action of berberine on type 2 diabetes in other ethnic groups.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...PMC2410097 - Preview

2008 May study research clinical_trial rct humans diabetic patients type_2 diabetes berberine metformin comparison hypoglycemic HbA1c herbs nutrition medline efficacy safety lipids lipid_profile CVD

Berberine inhibits adipogenesis in high-fat diet-induced obesity mice.
Hu Y, Davies GE.
Fitoterapia. 2009 Oct 25. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 19861153
doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2009.10.010

Our previous studies illustrated that berberine inhibited adipogenesis in murine-derived 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and human white preadipocytes. In this study, the effects of berberine on the adipogenesis of high-fat diet-induced obesity (FD) or normal diet (ND) mice and possible transcriptional impact are investigated. The results demonstrated that in FD mice, berberine reduced mouse weight gain and food intake and serum glucose, triglyceride, and total cholesterol levels accompanied with a down-regulation of PPARgamma expression and an up-regulation of GATA-3 expression. Berberine had no adverse effects on ND mice. These encouraging findings suggest that berberine has excellent pharmacological potential to prevent obesity.

www.sciencedirect.com/science - Preview

2009 October study research in_vivo animal_study mice berberine herbs nutrition inhibits inhibitor adipogenesis obesity prevention high-fat diet high-fat_diet medline

Neuroprotective effects of berberine on stroke models in vitro and in vivo.
Zhou XQ, Zeng XN, Kong H, Sun XL.
Neurosci Lett. 2008 Dec 5;447(1):31-6. Epub 2008 Sep 30.
PMID: 18838103
doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2008.09.064

Findings of this study suggest that berberine protects against ischemic brain injury by decreasing the intracellular ROS level and subsequently inhibiting mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

www.sciencedirect.com/science - Preview

2008 December study research in_vitro in_vivo animal_study berberine ischemia-reperfusion ischemia reperfusion neuroprotective neuroprotection apoptosis mitochondria nutrition herbs medline hypoxia mechanism

Berberine reduces the hypoxic-ischemic insult in rat pup brain.
Benaissa F, Mohseni-Rad H, Rahimi-Moghaddam P, Mahmoudian M.
Acta Physiol Hung. 2009 Jun;96(2):213-20.
PMID: 19457765
DOI: 10.1556/APhysiol.96.2009.2.6

Pathologic review of the samples obtained from rats treated with different doses of berberine in comparison with samples from pups treated by normal saline showed that there was a significant reduction of brain injury and edema in the rats treated with berberine. Our study also demonstrates that berberine reduces brain ischemic-hypoxic injury dose-dependently. Therefore, beberine may be considered as useful anti-stroke agent.

www.akademiai.com/...vl0x7428413344n1 - Preview

2009 June study research in_vivo animal_study hypoxic-ischemic insult injury brain edema anti-stroke stroke hypoxia herbs nutrition medline

Berberine: a plant alkaloid with therapeutic potential for central nervous system disorders.
Kulkami SK et al.
Phytotherapy Research, Published Online: 8 Dec 2009

This review attempts to discuss the pharmacological basis of the use of berberine in various central nervous system
and related disorders. Its protective effect in Alzheimer’s, cerebral ischemia, mental depression, schizophrenia
and anxiety are highlighted. However, more detailed clinical trials along with a safety assessment of berberine
are warranted for positioning the alkaloid in the treatment of neurological disorders.

www3.interscience.wiley.com/...PDFSTART - Preview

2009 December study review berberine plant alkaloid herbs central nervous system disorders CNS diseases brain nutrition safety toxicity Alzheimer's_disease Alzheimer's Alzheimer AD depression schizophrenia anxiety pharmacokinetics

A preliminary study of the safety, feasibility and cognitive efficacy of soy isoflavone supplements in older men and women.
Gleason CE, Carlsson CM, Barnet JH, Meade SA, Setchell KD, Atwood CS, Johnson SC, Ries ML, Asthana S.
Age Ageing. 2009 Jan;38(1):86-93. Epub 2008 Dec 2.
PMID: 19054783
doi:10.1093/ageing/afn227

Conclusions: these data suggest that administration of 100 mg/day of isoflavones was well tolerated. Plasma genistein and daidzein levels, but not equol, increased with isoflavone administration. Finally, data support the potential cognitive effects of soy isoflavones in older adults.

ageing.oxfordjournals.org/...86 - Preview

2009 January study preliminary research clinical_trial rct humans elderly older old soy isoflavone isoflavones supplementation cognition nutrition genistein daidzein equol aging cognitive function efficacy safety feasibility phytoestrogens herbs

"ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A new study finds that compounds derived from the spices turmeric and pepper could help prevent breast cancer by limiting the growth of stem cells, the small number of cells that fuel a tumor's growth.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that when the dietary compounds curcumin, which is derived from the Indian spice turmeric, and piperine, derived from black peppers, were applied to breast cells in culture, they decreased the number of stem cells while having no effect on normal differentiated cells.

"If we can limit the number of stem cells, we can limit the number of cells with potential to form tumors," says lead author Madhuri Kakarala, M.D., Ph.D., R.D., clinical lecturer in internal medicine at the U-M Medical School and a research investigator at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System."

www.eurekalert.org/...uomh-shg120709.php - Preview

2009 December eurekalert news spices halt growth stop breast stem cells turmeric curcumin piperine black pepper black_pepper nutrition herbs cancer breast_cancer stem_cells