Can Cash Register Receipts Cause PMS?

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As women, our hormonal cycles can make us an emotional mess! From our first period to our last, we are dominated by our hormones.  These tricky little messengers can run around amuck in our bodies for years and are often never “on a short lease and house trained.”  This is my motto and the way I like my hormones.

 

In other words, I want some predictability.   I don’t want the unknown creeping into my day and then I blow a fuse without any warning.  I think my family appreciates this too, especially my kids!   But life is not always so predictable and neither are our hormones.  If you agree, then it’s time to do something about them!

 

Hormonal balance is possible, in fact it’s absolutely essential to maintaining our good health. This has become harder to do with all the chemicals we find everywhere and so many products we take for granted our safe to us.  The fact is our bodies absorb many chemicals through our skin that can throw our hormonal balance into a spiraling nose dive.  As you probably know hormonal imbalance is the precursor to PMS, menstrual cramps, peri-menopause and menopause symptoms. So keeping the balance is crucial no matter what your age.

  

Here's one tip on a chemicals you may have already heard about but didn't realize it could be sneeking into your body in ways you never considered.

The chemical is BPA’s (Bisphenol A)  a known endocrine disrupting chemical which acts like estrogen in our body. Did you know that cash register receipts are made from thermal papers that contain high amounts of BPA’s.  When you touch these receipts or even handle cash today, (much of the BPA’s are landing on our cash) you potentially have high amounts of BPA’s on your hands. The cumulative effect is the effect we are worried about here.  Your action step to prevent BPA’s entering your body is easy.

Wash your hands before you eat or touch you mouth.

It should be part of our daily hygiene anyway.  But often times we eat on the run, pick up fast food and have just touched the receipt of the food we bought.   Just be cognitive, that you may not really need that receipt.

Politely decline taking the receipt. Washing your hands may seem like a simple baby step to creating better health and healing for your body from PMS to menopausal symptoms.  But,  adding a whole lot of small healthy steps together takes you from a standstill to a full sprint in creating better health.  If you have more questions revisit the information on BPA’s in the book, Stop Your Bitching…naturally! or get "30 Days of Tips To Stop Your Bitching…naturally!  The book of tips is an easy to follow guidebook with one TIP for everyday of the month to help you bring balance back to your hormonal shifts..NATURALLY.  

Get 30 Days of Tips FREE from October 18-20th, 2013 on Amazon downloadable books. 

 

 

Natural Menstrual Cramp Relief fast with PMS Relief Herb Pack from Pacific Herbs

Chinese Herbs Reduce Hot Flashes Says American Menopause Society

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HT Hormone Therapy Risks

The American Menopause Society recently published the results of a study on the use of Chinese herbs as a menopause treatment.  It's always nice to see a clinical trial like this published in English (many are in Mandarin only)  and this study was completed in a manner consistent with top notch clinical protocol.  The study was double-blind, randomized and controlled…..ahhhh the gold standard for clinical research.

 

Chinese Herbal Formulas Can Reduce Menopausal Hot Flashes Safely and Effectively

The women in the study were experiencing menopausal hot flashes and were between the ages of 40 to 50 years old.  The participants drank either a concentrated extract of herbal granules twice daily for 12 weeks or a placebo, fake herbal tea.  The women who drank the Chinese herb remedy found their hot flashes dropped by 62%.  Most importantly, the dosage of herbs was discussed in this trial and the participants used 15 grams of concentrated extracts in a sachet each day.  (See Menopause Relief Herb Packet herbal granules here)
 
 
It is important to note the herbs were dried into granules and no pills or capsules were used in this trial. Pills and capsules always contain fillers. It is also very difficult to take 15 grams (15,000 milligrams) of herbal concentrate when taking pills or capsules because it requires a high number of pills to be swallowed.  In this case it would be 15-20 pills per dose.
 
 
THE TREND CONTINUED

Even three months after the study ended, the participants said their hot flashes did not increase after the study ended and they stopped using the menopause herbal remedy. This study shows, compared with Hormone Replacement therapy, Chinese herbs are a safe and viable alternative for menopause symptoms. 

 

Although previous studies have found that Chinese herbs can help reduce hot flashes, those studies were not of the same quality methodology as this study, according to the researchers at Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society.

 

SOURCE: Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society, online February 25, 2013.

Is This A Trend? Breast Cancer Lawsuits Against HRT and Wyeth

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Breast cancer has climbed to 1 in every 8 women and now the finger is beginning to point to drug manufacturers. Wyeth and Pfizer have made combination hormone drugs for over 30 years and these HRT drugs (hormone replacement therapy) are commonly used for menopause treatments. About 10,000 cases against these pharmaceutical giants have already been filed and Pfizer has spent nearly $900 million to resolve about half of them.

 

Some go to trial, others settle more quietly out of court. Just last week, a Utah jury found Wyeth responsible for one woman’s breast cancer and awarded her $5 million in compensation.  Utah does not allow for punitive damages.

 

Studies, such as the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study, released this statement with it’s results:  “Women using Hormone Replacement Therapy (“HRT”) are more likely to develop breast cancer than those who are not using HRT.”

 

The National Institute of Health completed the Million Women Study in Britain a few years ago. Based on the results, the NIH concluded that the “Current use of HRT is associated with an increased risk of incident and fatal breast cancer; the effect is substantially greater for oestrogen-progestagen combinations than for other types of HRT.” 

 

One expert testified that his research showed as many as 15,000 cases of breast cancer per year occurred in women taking the combination hormone drug. Yet the “defense witnesses told you the same thing, the same story line, that Wyeth wanted them to tell you over and over — that no one knows what causes breast cancer,” said Russell T. Abney, another attorney representing Okuda. “We are not arguing that Ms. Okuda didn’t have an abnormal cell in her body. What we are arguing is that [estrogen plus progesterone] promoted that abnormal cell to grow.”

 

Women don’t have to choose between drugs and cancer for debilitating symptoms of menopause. There are other choices of menopause treatment.

References:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12927427

 

Fascinating Facts On Chinese Herbs

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Chinese herbs for sleep and menopauseWhat do I find most fascinating about Chinese medicine and Chinese herbs?  Maybe its because Chinese herbs are the oldest medicine on earth.  Practiced for nearly 5000 years. 

One of the oldest Chinese herbal text is the Shen Nong Ben Cao translated it is, “The Divine Farmers Materia Medica”.   This foundation book in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the book from which all others are derived.  

I love history.  The ability to read a 2000 year old book on the pharmacologocial activities of more than 365 plant, mineral, fish, shell fish, animal and insects is simply, AMAZING to me.   (This ancient herbal medicine text was written circa 30 AD.)  The use of plants and other pharmacologocial agents found in nature was explained with three key statements from the Shen Nong Ben Cao:

 

The highest level physician helps the patient fulfill their destiny.   “The upper class of medicines…..govern the nourishment of destiny and correspond to heaven…., If one wishes to prolong the years of life without aging, one should” use these. Sheng Nong Ben Cao 

Upper Class or superior drugs:

Superior drugs at the time of the Sheng Nong Ben Cao were those found to be nontoxic, and could be safely taken in large amounts for extended periods.  Today we know them as tonics. (Approximately 120)  Well-known superior drugs include:  ginseng, licorice, di huang (root of Rehmannia), huangqi (root of Astragalus), wu wei zi (fruit of Schisandra), gan cao, (licorice) sesame seed, magnolia flower, ling zhi (Ganoderma), fu ling or poria, Chinese date (fruit of Ziziphus jujuba.), Job’s tears [seed of Coix.) and duzhong (bark of Eucommia).  All of these superior herbs can be found in one or more of Pacific Herbs products.

“The mid-level physician treats constitution and helps the patient nourish their original nature.” Sheng Nong Ben Cao    

“The middle class of medicines govern the nourishment of one’s nature and correspond to man. …If one wishes to prevent illness and to supplement depletions and emaciations, one should” use these.

Middle Class Drugs:  (120 drugs) Middle class drugs are those that could be toxic or nontoxic, depending on usage. This included:  ginger, mahuang or ephedra herb (Ephedra), danggui (Angelica sinensis), jixuecao or gotu kola, kuandonghua or coltsfoot flower (flower of Tussilaqo), yinyanghuo (herb of Epimedium spp.), haizao (Sargassum), hehuan (bark of Albizzia julibriss), gaoben, and zhuling or polyporus [sclerotium of Polyporus umbellatus.

The lowest level physician treats symptoms only.

“The lower (class of) medicines….govern the treatment of illness and correspond to earth. If one wishes to remove cold, heat and (other) evil influences (from the body), to break accumulations, and to cure illnesses, one should base (one’s efforts) on (drugs listed in) the lower (class of this) manual.” Sheng Nong Ben Cao 

Inferior drugs are toxic, and are used for treating diseases and should not be used for extended periods  .Inferior drugs (approx 125  include fu zi and wu tou, which are roots of aconite (Aconitum carmichaeli), rhubarb root (root and rhizome), bai tou weng (root of Pulsatilla chinensis), lian qiao or forsythia fruit (Forsythia), qing hao, croton seed (fruit of Croton), guan zhong (rhizome of Dryopteris), and lang dang zi (Hyoscyamus niger).

 

Many of the drugs in the Shen Nong Ben Cao are still being used today for the same medicinal reasons as the time the information was first written down.  Two thousand years, their rationale can be scientifically justified.  For example, the use of haizao (Sargassum) for the treatment of swelling of the neck (goiter) can be explained by its high content of iodine.  There are endless examples. More than enough for another blog.

Some things never change.  Even after a few thousand years.

Is The Chinese Herb Kudzu the Next Cash Crop?

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Some folks complain that Kudzu is an invasive weed, others call it a highly profitable cash crop.  In Asia it is a medicinal herb.

I was reading a story recently about kudzu taking over the backyard and destroying a fence on a homeowners property.  Funny and sad at the same time because kudzu is well known in Asia for its healing properties.

Michael Wyss, Ph.D., a Neuroscientist with the University of Alabama says kudzu contains healthy substances, called isoflavones. One particularly important isoflavone is puerarin, found only in kudzu. In fact, its the most abundant isoflavone in the plant.  Puerarin is important because it can help control insulin for diabetics and reduce cholesterol.

The Chinese have used kudzu, a prominent Chinese herb in Traditional Chinese medicine, for centuries.  It has been a proven mainstay for relieving muscular tension, reducing hypertension, dysentery and is commonly used for fevers due to the flu. Kudzu’s is full of health benefits and from my point of view could be the next cash crop.

Researchers  in the U.S. investigated the effects of kudzu in rats. Female rats were given an extract made from kudzu root for two months. Another group of rats were fed a standard diet.  At the end of the study, the rats given the kudzu extract had lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and lower blood sugar and insulin levels than the rats that ate the control diet. According to Wyss, only a very small amount of kudzu root extract was needed to achieve these results.

The study suggests that kudzu may be an effective alternative treatment that could be used in conjunction with traditional drugs to control insulin and cholesterol levels, and ultimately lower a patient’s risk for metabolic syndrome. In some cases, doctors may be able to give patients lower doses of other drugs, reducing the chance for side effects from the medication and making medications more affordable.

The root is the part of the kudzu plant or Pueraria lobata which holds the herbal medicine. It can grow to the size of a human body and is the source used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and modern herbal products. Kudzu grows in mostly in shaded areas of mountains, fields, along roadsides and thin forests, throughout most of China and many parts of the Southern U.S.

If your looking for kudzu as an individual herb supplement you will most likely have trouble finding it.  In TCM kudzu is always used in formulas or combinations with other herbs. If  your looking to lower your cholesterol  or balance your insulin levels using natural herbs, I suggest  finding a licensed Acupuncturist who is knowledgeable in Chinese herbal medicine. If you need help finding someone in your neighborhood we are happy to make recommendations. Just call or email us.

Kudzu Related Articles:

The Southern Weed Kudzu May Benefit Alcoholics

 

Breast Cancer Prevention Could Be In Green Tea

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For Breast Cancer Awareness Month:

 

Can green tea help reduce the risk factors for breast cancer?  A study recently published in Molecular Food & Nutrition Research examined the relationship between the consumption of green tea and breast cancer.  Green tea has been associated with lowering circulating estrogen levels and may be one of the many mechanisms to reduce cancer risks. Green tea is just one of hundreds of herbal remedies used in Chinese medicine and as part of a healthy lifestyle through out Asia.  Interestingly, Asian women have the lowest incident of breast cancer in the world.

 

Green tea has been evaluated for it's protective factors in connection with cancer in many studies. Tea polyphenols have been shown to prevent the binding of estrogen to its receptors in breast cancer cells. Green tea is rich in tea catechins―epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin (EC), and epicatechin gallate (ECG)―which possess cancer chemoprotective attributes. EGCG also has exhibited steroid hormone activities, which may influence breast cancer risk through hormonally mediated pathways. 

 

In addition, two Japanese studies suggested that  women with stage I and stage II breast cancer who  drank 4 oz of green tea daily had lower risk of recurrence of breast cancer.

 

Even though the evidence is inconclusive for many women who are at high risk for breast cancer drinking a cup of green tea each day is one simple, inexpensive option.   Changing life styles to prevent breast cancer is clearly one answers all of us should consider. Green tea has so many other benefits, why not add it to your diet?

 

Another option.. Check into DIM!

 

Wu AH, Butler LM. Green tea and breast cancer. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2011 Jun;55(6):921-930.

Stress Relief Herbs, Grab the Adaptogens

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Stress Relief herb teaScience can split an atom, create nuclear fusion and clone Dolly the sheep, but it can't copy the chemical compounds in adaptogenic herb teas.

How is that possible?  Stress relief herbs contain such a complex number of chemicals  that modern pharmacology has yet to be able to reproduce what nature can make.

Whole plant/herb remedies are very different than single compounds which is what Western medicine primarily uses. Discovering how the chemical compounds in these now very expensive herbs, also known as adaptogens, work inside our bodies is yet to be unraveled. Adaptogenic herbs adapt to what our body needs.  They can calm us if we need calm and the same herb stimulates us, if we need a stimulant. They help the body to adapt to physiological and psychological stress.

Need some of this around holiday time?  Yes, it is really possible that plants can do this.   

Where did the term adaptogenic come from?  It started  with a Soviet doctor who first coined the term in 1947.  Nikolai Lazarev, was examining psychotropic drugs, specifically stimulants such as amphetamines and cocaine which were used in the military. Lazarev saw the powerful short-term gain along with the long term side-effects from these drugs.  He recognized these drugs lead to addiction and was looking for a better solution. He needed something that worked both in the short term and long term.  In  other words, he needed adaptogenic herbal compounds. He found the answer in plants such as  American ginseng, Asian ginseng, Schisandra,  Astragalus, Cordyceps, Eleuthero, Licorice, GoJi berries, Dang Shen and Reishi mushroom and coined this term.

 

Ultimately, what he found were herbal remedies that can boost the body's resistance to stress, whether the stress is from physical exertion, infection or emotional and environmental stressors.  (The relatives coming over may fall into that last category.)

 

Adaptogens stimulate the immune system positively creating a healthy environment.  These plants such as Ginseng, Cordyceps, GoJi berries and Reishi all have two things in common, they have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries and they are rich in polysaccharides.  Polysaccharides are complex carbohydrates that act as energy stores and boost the immune system. These natural stress relief remedies increase vital energy and are also known as Chinese herbal qi tonics.

These herbal remedies are all much more than the sum of their individual parts.  Which is exactly why modern science has not been able to copy them.  They continue to become more popular as the Western world discovers the benefits of these incredible, edible, Chinese herbs.

You can find herbs for stress relief on our product page. Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

Prevent Hypertension with Watermelon, A Natural Botanical Medicine

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watermelon a chinese herb call xia gua for heat and hypertensionThe first documentation of it's kind (in the U.S.), watermelon is shown to be an effective natural herbal alternative for high blood pressure, a precursor to heart disease. Even though watermelon has been used in Traditional Chinese herbal medicine for centuries it is not well known in the West as a medicinal food or herb.

Scientists at The Florida State University have been studying watermelon, a fruit also use in Traditional Chinese Medicine.  It is both a functional medicinal food and herb with vasodilatory effects.  This means the properties of watermelon extract may help reduce the risks of  pre-hypertensions from progressing to heart attacks and strokes.   

"FSU Assistant Professor Arturo Figueroa and Professor Bahram H. Arjmandi found that when six grams of the amino acid L-citrulline/L-arginine from watermelon extract was administered daily for six weeks, there was improved arterial function and consequently lowered aortic blood pressure in all nine of their pre-hypertensive subjects (four men and five postmenopausal women, ages 51-57)."

"Given the encouraging evidence generated by this preliminary study, we hope to continue the research and include a much larger group of participants in the next round," he said.

Why watermelon?

Interestingly, Chinese herbal medicine classifies watermelon as a cooling food/herb to clear heat, (hypertension is an example of excess heat) and to drain fire (heat)  from the body.  This Chinese herb is known as Xi Gua,  and typically the rind is used, but the ripe fruit may also be used and even the seeds. 

Watermelon frost has also been used as a traditional herbal remedy for mouth ulcers (sores), open wounds, sore throats, gum infections, toothaches… you get the idea.  What is watermelon frost?  Well, you remove the fruit part or insides of a watermelon,  then pack it with salt, put it in a bowl, seal well and after a few days, a ‘frost’ appears on the skin. This is the active ingredient  that can be used as an herbal medicine.

"Watermelon is the richest edible natural source of L-citrulline, which is closely related to L-arginine, the amino acid required for the formation of nitric oxide essential to the regulation of vascular tone and healthy blood pressure," Figueroa said.

Once in the body, the L-citrulline is converted into L-arginine. Simply consuming L-arginine as a dietary supplement isn't an option for many hypertensive adults, said Figueroa, because it can cause nausea, gastrointestinal tract discomfort, and diarrhea.  In contrast, watermelon is well tolerated. Participants in the Florida State pilot study reported no adverse effects.  Watermelon also provides an abundant amount of vitamin A, B6, C, fiber, potassium and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. Watermelon may even help to reduce serum glucose levels, according to Arjmandi.  "The optimal dose appears to be four to six grams a day" according to Figueroa.

Findings from Figueroa's latest pilot study at Florida State are described in the American Journal of Hypertension. A copy of the paper ("Effects of Watermelon Supplementation on Aortic Blood Pressure and Wave Reflection in Individuals With Prehypertension: A Pilot Study") can be accessed online.

http://www.sciencecodex.com/florida_state_study_finds_watermelon_lowers_blood_pressure

Celebrating John Lennon and His Visits to a Chinese Herbal Medicine Doctor

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When John Lennon was shot, the world lost a hero.  If you are like me, you remember where and when you heard this news.  It was a sad day.   In honor of what would have been John's 70th birthday,  I celebrate his brilliance. 

John Lennon was always ahead of his time, even in the 1970's.  John and Yoko visited "a practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture for spiritual and physical cleansing and healing" acording to an article in the New York Times today.   This news has apparently never before been made public.  The doctor,  originally from Shanghai China was an immigrant and  living with his family in San Mateo, CA.   It was reported that Keith Moon, the drummer for The Who, also came to Dr. Hong for treatments and may have been the liaison that brought John and Yoko to him. 

Years later, it was reported that John sent the family money and saved them from poverty.  Barbara  Hong, the daughter of the Chinese herbal doctor said,  "Lennon liked to joke ..and play his harmonica, and one day he shared a new tune. “He played it on our piano,” Barbara Hong said. “He said, ‘This is a song I’m going to release soon.  It was “Imagine.”

Imagine that happening in your living room.   Thank you John for your vision to see the value in Chinese Medicine  when it wasn't even a licensed health modality in the 1970's.  We wish you were alive to see the state of Acupuncture and herbal medicine today.  I know you would be pleased to see how treatments like what you received  from Dr. Hong are now available from coast to coast and Chinese herbs are on every continent in the world.   Imagine what another 30 years will bring us!

 

New York Times article here:   http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/us/08bcjames.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss


2000 Year Old Herbal Remedies Found in Greek Shipwreck

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Picture a Roman merchant vessel sailing 2000 years ago in the Mediterranean. It’s nearly to it’s destination when a storm blows in, the ship is slammed into rocks near the shore and sinks to the ocean floor. The ship and it’s cargo sits at the bottom of the ocean until just recently when Archeologists excavate it, under water.  Then several years after glass jars holding 2000 year old pills were excavated, analysis  finally reveals their content.  The pills are herbal medicine.  It is believed they were part of a medical kit, assumed to be used by sailors to stay healthy on long voyages.  DNA analysis has now proven several herbs and vegetables were the components of these pills.

But the pills are only part of the story.  A sort of medical chest was found, maybe a physician was on the ship. The archaeologists found a cup used for bleeding, a surgery hook and 136 drug vials made of wood and several tin containers holding flat green tablets.  The herbal pills were sealed and completely dry even though they have been on the sea floor for 2000 years. (That is absolutely mind blowing.)

It took an international authority on medicinal plants of antiquity Alain Touwaide, at the Smithsonian Institution and the Institute for the Preservation of Medical Traditions in Washington, D.C.  to identify the ingredients.  (I didn’t even know we had a Medical Traditions Preservation institute, need to check that out.)


The findings were presented last week at the Fourth International Symposium on Bio-molecular Archaeology in Copenhagen, Denmark.  The herbal remedies were a combination of many plants including  carrot, radish, parsley, celery, wild onion and cabbage, alfalfa, yarrow and some hibiscus were also part of the mix.

“The plants match those described in ancient texts such as those by the ancient Greek physicians Dioscorides and Galen. According to Touwaide,  “Preliminary analysis of these tablets seems to confirm that the ancient doctors used common plants for their treatments.” Whatever they were used for or however they were ingested or used topically it is certainly incredible to have a specimen that is in tact 2000 years later.  

We have always been able to read about herbal remedies in ancient manuscripts but to hold them in our hands and be able to analyze them must be unbelievable.  Finding this ancient herbal medicine reminds us of our reliance on herbs throughout history.  As the saying’s go, history repeats itself and what goes around comes around.

More on this story here:  http://greece.greekreporter.com/2010/09/10/2000-year-old-pills-found-in-greek-shipwreck/

 

Can A New Diabetes Drug Come From Chinese Herbs?

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My friends father has diabetes, you also probably know someone dealing with excess body weight and a lack of exercise that has resulted in diabetes.  The numbers are staggering, something like 21 million people currently have diabetes or pre-diabetes. For some countries that would be the entire population and then some.  Scientist are studying just about ever possible angle to discover new drugs to improve insulin levels for diabetics. This recent research published in the British Journal of Pharmacology studies various Chinese herbs. 

“If repeated in humans, all of these changes would be beneficial for people affected by type 2 diabetes or other metabolic diseases associated with insulin resistance,” says lead author Dr Ying Leng, who works in the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China.  Many countries have used herbal medicine much longer than America.  When it comes to the use of Chinese herbs and herbal medicine in fact, in both Germany and Japan, herbs and herbal formulas are only prescribed by doctors.  Hmm, why don’t we have this? That’s certainly another blog, back to diabetes.  

“Our work showed that this natural extract from Chinese herbs could point the way to a new way of helping people with type 2 diabetes as well as other metabolic disorders.” says Dr Leng.  There are already many Chinese herb formulas that improve digestion and can help with over eating. Check out Sugar Control Herb Pack here.  

See the study here:

www.brjpharmacol.org/SpringboardWebApp/userfiles/bjp/file/FINAL%20PR%20-%20Leng%20Emodin%20-%20BPH.pdf

Chemo Side Effects Reduced With Chinese Herbs, Says Yale

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Chemo patients helped with Chinese herbsThis remarkable research conducted at Yale University is incredible news for Americans.  Asian societies, on the other hand, have used these Chinese herbs for generations and understand that boiling peony root, with licorice root, red dates and skullcap root can help the gastro-intestinal tract especially when one is suffering from diarrhea.

The recently announced research proved a drug made from four traditional Chinese herbs, dubbed PHY906, countered the side effects of chemo in rats.  The researchers decided to give the mice, who were on a chemotherapy drug which has side effects of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, this blend of natural herbs.   Not only did the four Chinese herbs improve the mices symptoms of diarrhea but it simultaneously cut the cancerous tumors growth.

 “This combination of chemotherapy and herbs represents a marriage of Western and Eastern approaches,” said lead researcher Dr. Yung-Chi Cheng.

A study such as this and so many others, are slowly beginning to open up American minds to the incredible health benefits of Chinese herbs. I found it interesting to listen to the interview with Dr. Cheng. He states that the four herbs must be used in combination and cooked together.  Used individually, they did not perform the same function. He says, “deletion of any of those herbs, you have a different impact on three biological endpoints.”  This is exactly what Chinese medicine textbooks have told us for years. It is the combination of herbs cooked together that create the synergy and provide the valuable healing medicinal action.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has become a core component in  treating cancer patients. Diarrhea is one of the major side effects of the cancer drug irinotecan.  According to  Dr. Yung-Chi Cheng this herbal remedy is based on the formula which was first established 1,800 years ago and is also known as Huang Qin Tang. It was historically used and still is used today for treatment of diarrhea and GI disorder[s].  The popularity of natural herbal medicine has been expanding each year in America as more studies like this are published.