Archive for December, 2006

Even Latin names can confuse

Tuesday, December 26th, 2006

In general, most of us use Latin plant names to minimize confusion as to which plant we are talking about. This, however, does not always work.

One of my favorite articles begins by noting that there is a fair amount of research on the use of Sanguinaria canadensis as a treatment for gingivitis. It then explains that there is “a high gingival index” in Mexico as well as a Mexican plant known as sanguinaria (Polygonum aviculare). Given this information, the logical next step was to sign on 60 male dental students with gingivitis to test a Mexican sanguinaria mouthwash.

These students agreed not to brush their teeth for two weeks and instead rinse their mouths twice daily with a Mexican sanguinaria extract. [I found it amazing that they could find 60 dental students who would offer to go without brushing their teeth for 2 weeks. In fact, 9 did not complete the study]

The mouthwash was made of triturated (dried & ground) Mexican sanguinaria (aka Polygonum aviculare) roots, stems or leaves & flowers dissolved in ethanol and diluted in water. In the end, it actually significantly reduced gingivitis. The dental students suffered an increase in plaque [need that mechanical brushing to fight plaque] but its composition did not seem to aggravate the gums and was easily removed.

The study explained that Mexican sanguinaria is astringent and has flavonoid components that may decrease capillary fragility but also merrily noted that their results agree “with those reported elsewhere in which a decrease in gingivitis with the utilization of Sanguinaria canadensis alone was demonstrated”. They also note that sanguinarine (an alkaloid from Sanguinaria) appears to prevent plaque and gingivitis.

I am tickled by this study because it shows that confusion can lead to insight. I suspect that the Mexican sanguinaria may be a better long term treatment for the gums than its harsher, completely unrelated friend, Sanguinaria canadensis.

Gonzalez Begne M, Yslas N, Reyes E, et al. Clinical effect of Mexican sanguinaria extract (Polygonum aviculare L.) on gingivitis. J Ethnopharmacol 2001; 74(1):45-51

Posted in Latin plant names, gingivitis, whole plants | 1 Comment »

Pure silliness

Saturday, December 23rd, 2006

Every so often, I use google’s automatic translations. The results are always funny. Here is a recent find:

    “That annoying pain in the hip that soon moved to the leg was the beginning of a stormy suffering for Alicia Of the Parra, a Mexican of 34 years. The annoyances began when it was in the third month of his second pregnancy and all the one that listened to its complaints said to him that it could be sciatic, a painful disease.
    It went to the doctor and the only thing who prescribed to him was Tylenol to calm the pain. They said to him that he was something fleeting and that it was probable that it arose by the weight that had won in the pregnancy.
Trying to find a solution, Of the Parra it tried of everything: homemade tricks – like throwing of the small finger of the foot, therapies with homeópatas, remedies of healers, pomadas, massages and acupuncture. Nothing had desired effect of permanent form.
    Rex Marco, professor of ortopédica surgery of the Health Science Center of UT in Houston, recommended that the patient only receives treatment when the symptoms are acute or the pain does not stop after several days to take medicines without prescription. ‘It is necessary to consider that in most of the cases of sciatic, the problem happens without having to do nothing’.”

Posted in Uncategorized, pure silliness | No Comments »

Grapefruit seed extract explained

Friday, December 22nd, 2006

A lot of people use grapefruit seed extract thinking it is a “natural” product. While it may be effective, it is not a natural product in the sense that it is something a plant produced on its own.

This is how it is made:

1. Grapefruit pulp and seed is dried and ground to a powder. I imagine this is an inexpensive by-product of the juice industry. No problem so far.

2. The powder is dissolved in purified water and distilled to remove the fiber and pectin. Fine so far; it is not used as a source of fiber.

3. The distilled slurry is spray died at low temperatures forming a concentrated flavonoid powder. This is good, we need flavonoids and grapefruit is a fine place to get them.

4. This concentrated powder is dissolved in vegetable glycerine and heated. Fine, glycerin is benign.

5. Food grade ammonium chloride and ascorbic acid are added, this mixture is heated under pressure. The amount of ammonium chloride remaining in finished Citricidal(r) (a commonly used grapefruit seed extract) is 15-19%; the amount of ascorbic acid is 2.5-3%. Ascorbic acid is vitamin C, a fine additive. Ammonium chloride?? It is a synthetic chemical that is harmful if swallowed in larger amounts. It is a skin irritant.

6. The ammoniated mixture undergoes catalytic conversion using “natural” catalysts, including hydrochloric acid and natural enzymes. There is no residue of hydrochloric acid after the reaction. Thank goodness. Hydrochloric acid has its place in the stomach but is not something to be taken lightly.

7. The slurry is cooled, filtered, and treated with UV light. Ok.

The result: The main active components in the finished product are a group of quarternary ammonium chlorides including benzethonium chloride that make up 8-17% of the product.

Benzethonium chloride is not a substance that occurs naturally in grapefruit seeds. It is a manufactured chemical that is lacking in safety data but may be an endocrine and skin toxicant. Endocrine toxicants are chemicals that have the ability to disrupt our hormones. Commonly encountered endocrine toxicants include PCBs and DDT. “Not to worry,” assures the manufacturer of Citricidal: “Benzethonium chloride is a well-known synthetic antiseptic agent; it is not added to the grapefruit extract, but if formed from the orginal grapefruit flavonoids during the ammoniation process.”

Using grapefruit seed extract is about the same as going to a pharmacy and buying triclosan or any other synthetic antimicrobial chemical. They may work. They may be safe. Or they may not be safe.

My advice: Use whole plants the way they have been used traditionally. Do not adopt new uses for them based on what chemical manufacturers are able to do in their labs. And avoid grapefruit seed extract.

Posted in Grapefruit seed extract, Uncategorized, manipulated plants, whole plants | 5 Comments »

Taking drugs that do not work

Sunday, December 3rd, 2006

I was going to write a light hearted blog about TV ads that have caught my attention. Like the one that asks if I am hindered by my mobility. Apparently, if I am getting around too much, I might want a wheelchair. Or the ad where mom plunks down a bucket of fried chicken on the table and the kids run and get in the car. “It will take a while for them to get used to dinner at home,” she says. Yes, there is nothing quite as unexpected as dinner at home, even if not home cooked. But then I started exploring one of my favorite ads for a new antidepressant and got side tracked into more serious issues.

The ad begins by citing a government study showing that 70% of the people taking prescription anti-depressants remain depressed. That is amazing. Why are so many people ignoring cost and side effects and taking these ineffective drugs?

Probably patients and their doctors simply assume that the drugs are working “a bit” and that life would be worse off without them. This is a false assumption as people either respond or do not respond to a medication. In fact, close to 90% of prescription medicines only work in 30-50% of those who are prescribed them. It follows that, leaving aside the placebo effect of doing something about one’s state of mind and having someone (the doctor) identify it as a biochemical problem, one’s attitude toward life would remain the same with or without these antidepressants.

Another reason may be that it can be difficult to quit the drugs. Most of the antidepressants in question are SSRI (serotonin reuptake inhibitors), and one of their benefits is supposedly that they are not addictive. However, it turns out that they may make you feel absolutely miserable when you stop them, especially if you do so abruptly. One site claims that about 1/3 of those who stop taking SSRIs experience some or all of these effects: Stomach upsets, flu like symptoms, anxiety, dizziness, disturbingly vivid dreams (basically a euphemism for nightmares), and sensations in the body that feel like electric shocks. This is referred to as the SSRI discontinuation syndrome. It is said to be different from drug addiction although the distinction somewhat escapes me.

And those who have the hardest time quitting are apparently newborns and young infants. They are exposed to the drugs in utero and through breast milk, and can suffer very serious withdrawal symptoms when either their mom, or they at birth, quit taking the drugs.

So, for many (actually the majority), SSRIs are going to be expensive, ineffective, have numerous side effects, and be difficult and painful to quit. Nonetheless, the medical establishment favors SSRIs over St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum). The latter is often helpful in depression, has few side effects aside from changing the metabolism of other pharmaceutical drugs the patient may not be taking, and there is no “St. John’s wort discontinuation syndrome” for those cases where it is not the right choice for the patient. Go figure.

For more information on SSRI discontinuation syndrome see

http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/addiction-withdrawal.htm

The statistics on how often prescription medicines may not work are from http://www.ghchealth.com/glaxo-chief-our-drugs-do-not-work-on-most-patients.html

Posted in SSRIs, St. John's wort, antidepressants, prescription medicines | 1 Comment »