“A water-soluble, cinnamon extract has been shown to reduce fasting blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a new study from the University of Hannover in Hannover, Germany, published in a recent issue of the European Journal of Clinical Investigation.”

“According to new research, a plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, the antioxidant Pycnogenol, significantly reduces Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children when used daily for one month.”

“A study published in this month's issue of Angiology shows that supplementation with the pine bark extract Pycnogenol® improves blood flow to the muscles which speeds recovery after physical exercise. The study of 113 participants demonstrated that Pycnogenol significantly reduces muscular pain and cramps in athletes and healthy, normal individuals.”

“Folic acid supplements could help reduce the size of precancerous lesions in the larynx, or even protect against them, researchers claim.”

“A Gardenia fruit extract traditionally used in Chinese medicine to treat the symptoms of type 2 diabetes does indeed contain a chemical that reverses some of the pancreatic dysfunctions that underlie the disease, researchers report in the June 7, 2006, Cell Metabolism. The chemical, therefore, represents a useful starting point for new diabetes therapies, they said.”

“Short courses of hypnosis therapy or cognitive therapy can calm the distressing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome for the estimated 15 percent of adult Americans who suffer from the disorder, a new study finds.”

“The Prince of Wales has defended alternative therapies in an address to the World Health Assembly, after a group of leading U.K. doctors attacked complementary medicine.”

“Millions of women buy the herb black cohosh and use this dietary supplement to treat hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. Clinical trials are still relatively few in number. Some report that black cohosh helps relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, while others do not. A new study, scheduled for May 17 publication in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, reports for the first time that a significant number of black cohosh supplements sold in the United States did not contain black cohosh. Instead, these products contained a related Asian species of the plant that does not have the same chemical compounds or clinical uses as the native North American plant.”

“People taking warfarin to prevent blood clots should stay away from chamomile products, Canadian doctors caution. They describe the case of a 70-year-old woman, while being treated with warfarin, who developed severe internal bleeding after drinking chamomile tea to soothe a sore throat and applying chamomile lotion to relieve chest congestion and reduce foot swelling.”

“Joseph Roberts: Plant medicine has a major competitor out there called synthetic pharmaceuticals.
Chris Kilham: Well, at least in terms of the history of the world, synthetic pharmaceuticals are a very brief flirtation. They got rolling in the early 1900s and picked up after World War II, but, fundamentally, synthetic pharmaceutical medicine is largely unproven, experimental and very dangerous. Three hundred thousand Americans die every year from the "proper" use of over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Those are bad odds, and those numbers come from compiled reports in medical journals. It's very sobering.”