November 2001

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Contents

Quercetin Provides Relief for Prostate Pain

Licorice and Blood Pressure

Herbal Oils May Enhance Insulin Sensitivity And Lower Blood Pressure In Diabetic Rats

Fish Oil May Trigger Manic Episodes in Individuals with Bipolar Disorder

Calcium Helps Kids with Asthma

Herbal Profile: Bay (Formula: Traditional Bay Rum Cologne)

Recipes -

Potawatomi Pumpkin Bread

Getting to Know Fennel: Grilled Fish with Green Lemon, Fennel & Herbal Butter 

Site Reviews

Book Review: The Sacred Path Workbook: New Teachings and Tools to Illuminate Your Personal Journey

Book Recommendations

Music Selections

Marketplace

Herbal Conferences

Quercetin Provides Relief for Prostate Pain

Chronic prostatitis (CP) is marked by pelvic pain, painful ejaculation, and irritation or obstruction during urination, all unrelated to pathogenic bacteria. More than 2 million U.S. doctor office visits a year are prompted by such symptoms. One remedy may be the flavonoid quercetin, abundant in red grape juices and wines, apples, tea, and onions.

Recent studies have used the antioxidant quercetin for CP with noteworthy success. In the first placebo-controlled study, 30 men (ages 26­72) received either placebo or 500 mg quercetin twice daily for one month. Pain symptoms and overall quality of life improved in two-thirds of the men taking quercetin. Another recent study showed the combination of 500 mg quercetin and the plant enzymes bromelain and papain (twice daily) reduced free radical damage within prostatic fluid of men with prostatitis.

No data show bromelain and papain to have any antioxidant effect, and this combination has not been compared to quercetin. Pending further studies, it is probably just as effective, and cheaper, to take quercetin alone.

Source:  July 2001 Issue of Nutrition Science News

Licorice and Blood Pressure 

The herb licorice contains a substance called glycyrrhizin. When taken in high enough amounts, glycyrrhizin produces effects similar to the natural hormone aldosterone, causing fluid retention, increased blood pressure, and loss of potassium.

A recent series of studies found evidence that even licorice-containing candy can raise blood pressure. In one of these studies, 30 healthy volunteers consumed 100g of licorice candy daily for 4 weeks. The results showed that that after 2 weeks of licorice use, blood pressure levels increased significantly.

However, this was not a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. It’s possible that researchers found what they expected to find, a phenomenon called "observer bias." (For more information, see the article Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Studies: Essential, but Placebo Effect Itself in Doubt.) Nonetheless, there is no doubt that licorice does present health risks when taken to excess.

Source: The Natural Pharmacist

Herbal Oils May Enhance Insulin Sensitivity And Lower Blood Pressure In Diabetic Rats

(Washington, DC) – Research at Georgetown University Medical Center has found that a combination of naturally occurring edible oils may be effective in treating Type II diabetes. These findings were presented at the American College of Nutrition’s annual meeting October 6 and 7 in Orlando, Fla.

Harry G. Preuss, MD, MACN, CNS, professor of physiology and biophysics at Georgetown and the lead investigator of this study, and his research team, examined the effects of a combination of edible oils from fenugreek, cumin, pumpkin seed and oregano on rats that have been specifically bred to show many of the characteristics of type 2 diabetes. A single dose of the oils decreased the rats’ blood pressure, and daily doses kept the blood pressure at the lower level for the three-week study period. But when researchers stopped giving the oil mixture, blood pressure returned to its normal levels.

“Patients taking drugs to treat Type II diabetes mellitus, a disease that often accompanies obesity, can develop serious adverse drug reactions,” Preuss said. “For this reason, it is important to examine the potential of safe and proven natural products to treat this increasingly wide-spread condition.”

Additionally, the oils given to the diabetic rats enhanced their sensitivity to the insulin doses they received to keep their glucose levels stable, meaning that they needed less insulin to achieve the same effect.

“Our results suggest that combinations of various edible oils improve glucose metabolism in these diabetic rats, and may be important in the treatment of different forms of human diabetes as well as the high blood pressure that often accompanies it,” Preuss said. “We are encouraged by the results of this small study and plan to conduct more research to try to find new ways to treat diabetes with fewer side effects.”

This study was sponsored by Waukegan, Ill.-based North American Herb and Spice.

Source: Georgetown University Medical Center

Fish Oil May Trigger Manic Episodes in Individuals with Bipolar Disorder

Fish oil supplies omega-3 fatty acids, special fats that the body needs as much as it needs vitamins. Studies have found that fish oil offers promise for numerous medical conditions, including heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and menstrual pain.

Recent studies suggest that fish oil might also offer benefits for some psychological conditions, such as bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness) and depression. However, this may lead to risks with fish oil as well.

Individuals with bipolar disorder who take antidepressant drugs may experience an episode of mania or hypomania. A full-blown episode of mania involves such symptoms as compulsive spending, risky behavior, pressured speech, and prolonged inability to sleep. Milder symptoms of this type are called hypomania.

One case report (available only as a brief abstract) suggests that fish oil can also cause such episodes. A 35-year-old woman with a history of severe depression began taking a fish oil preparation and soon developed symptoms of hypomania.

What probably happened here is that this woman's past history of depression actually represented the depressive phase of a manic-depressive cycle. Fish oil may have acted as an antidepressant, and therefore triggered the manic part of her cycle.

For this reason, individuals with a history of mood disorders such as depression should seek medical supervision before taking fish oil.

Both St. John's wort and SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine), natural therapies with antidepressant effects, have also been implicated in manic episodes.

Source: The Natural Pharmacist

Calcium Helps Kids with Asthma

Children with severe asthma should take an over-the-counter calcium supplement and a multi-vitamin every day to prevent bone loss associated with the disease, according to an article published this month in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

A study of 163 adolescents treated at National Jewish Hospital in Denver from 1993-1997 showed that the children suffered from bone loss because of inadequate dietary calcium rather than the side effects of steroid use, which was previously believed to be the culprit. Ini addition, girls were more likely to experience bone loss than boys. Children who took 1,000 mg/day of calcium had significantly lower rates of bone-density loss than children who did not take calcium supplements.

Osteoporosis causes brittle bones and can lead to bone fractures, especially in active children. Nearly 5 million children in the United States have asthma. Why asthma sufferers appear to require more calcium is not understood, though calcium researchers say asthmatic children often lag behind healthy children in physical development until they reach adulthood.

Source: Natural Foods Merchandiser

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Herbal Profile...

Common names: Bay Tree, Noble Berry Tree

Traditional Bay Rum Cologne

Have questions about using or preparing herbs? Let other members help!  Post in the Message Boards.

~ Recipes ~

Potawatomi Pumpkin Bread

Serves 8

1 1/2 cups organic, unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups mashed or purèed cooked pumpkin (canned may be used)
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon spiceberry or allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Whipped cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, pumpkin, honey, butter, eggs, baking powder, spices and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir just until combined; don't overmix. Stir in nuts and cranberries.

2. Pour batter into a greased 6'' x 9'' bread pan. Bake approximately one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove loaf from pan and let cool on a baking rack. Loaf can be tightly wrapped in plastic or foil and frozen or refrigerated. Top with dollop of whipped cream if desired.

Source: Delicious Living!

Getting to Know Fennel

by Christine Kerverdo

Fennel can be the pride of a clever gardener for its decorative and aromatic features. This plant is not only beautiful and full of uses (in the kitchen and as a healer) but it will also protect some parts of the garden if grown.

Native of Southern Europe in the Mediterranean area, fennel was cooked by the Romans. In England, people were fond of it before the Viking invasion. Cooked traditionally with fish, it was said that poor people were eating only fennel when starving.

Both leaves and seeds are used.

*A tea made from the seeds can cure flatulence and stomachache and is good for opening appetite. Moreover, they have a diuretic and anti-inflammatory action.

*Fennel leaf tea is good against sore throat and mild cough.

*Fennel tea can be taken by children and fennel syrup is good against infant toothache.

*Moreover, this plant stimulates breastfeeding.

In gardening fennel can be grown together with many other vegetables and herbs. It helps preventing aphids in the garden. But there are a few species which don’t like fennel in their surroundings :

              *carvi, coriander and aneth

              *peas and tomatoes.

 Warning : you must not use fennel essential oil whose delivery is controlled. Never take too many fennel seeds. Keep with the healer prescription. 

Grilled Fish with Green Lemon, Fennel & Herbal Butter  

Ingredients for four persons

       *3 tablespoons of butter

       *4 average fish or one big

       *1 teaspoon of fennel seeds

       *2 green lemons

       *a glass of mild red wine

       *fresh fennel leaves

       *salt, pepper to taste

Oven temperature : 240°C 

The subtle flavour of fennel and green lemon accompany tastefully fish such as mullet and salmon trout. To have a change, replace green lemons by oranges and red wine with vermouth.

Preparation

*Start the oven. Grease lightly a 10 ‘’ inch pan. Put the fish in and sprinkle a little butter and fennel seeds over it.

*Peel one of the lemon and add a few lemon skins over the fish. Pour in the juice of the two lemons and the wine.

*Salt and pepper largely. Put an aluminum sheet or any kind of cooking paper over the dish, then put it in the oven for 25 minutes.

*Serve the fish with more lemon juice, add some fennel leaves and a slice of herbal butter.

About this Contributor:  Christine is an energetic healer in France specializing in aromatherapy, holistic healing and geo-biology.  We welcome her expertise and look forward to learning more about her in subsequent issues of this newsletter.

~ Site Reviews ~

Vegetarian-Recipe.com answers the question, "What do I do with that hunk of Tofu?"  Here you'll find information about food additives, internal cleansing, "friendly" bacteria and much more.  And, with tons of tempting recipes to choose from on this site, you'll never have to ask the above question again.  Get great cooking tips, features and healthy recipes with their free newsletter!

The Celtic Connection - A place where followers of Wicca, Witchcraft, Shamanism, Druidry and Pagan beliefs meet to celebrate the magickal life.

United Plant Savers: United Plant Savers' mission is to protect native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada and their native habitat while ensuring an abundant renewable supply of medicinal plants for generations to come.