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From expertvillage: Learn about herbal relief for menopause in this free medical video with Susan Jewell, MD.

Black cohosh’s properties for treating menopause naturally are discussed by a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and an ethnobotanist in this Healing Quest TV video

From Healing Quest TV : One of the world’s top herbal authorities, The American Botanical Council, advises us on how to get the most out of natural remedies ranging from aloe vera and ginger to slippery elm and elderberry.

From womenmenopauseaid Christine Marquette, Registered Dietitian, discusses some of the side effects of Black Cohosh

From [ACS via Consumerist]

This research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society

BOSTON, August 22, 2010 — The first measurements of healthful antioxidant levels in commercial bottled tea beverages has concluded that health-conscious consumers may not be getting what they pay for: healthful doses of those antioxidants, or “poylphenols,” that may ward off a range of diseases.

Scientists reported here today at the 240^th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) that many of the increasingly popular beverages included in their study, beverages that account for $1 billion in annual sales in the United States alone, contain fewer polyphenols than a single cup of home-brewed green or black tea. Some contain such small amounts that consumers would have to drink 20 bottles to get the polyphenols present in one cup of tea.

Many commercial bottled tea beverages contain little or no healthful antioxidants,
new research suggests. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Many commercial bottled tea beverages
contain little or no healthful antioxidants,
new research suggests. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

“Consumers understand very well the concept of the health benefits from drinking tea or consuming other tea products,” said Shiming Li, Ph.D., who reported on the new study with Professor Chi-Tang Ho and his colleagues. “However, there is a huge gap between the perception that tea consumption is healthy and the actual amount of the healthful nutrients — polyphenols — found in bottled tea beverages. Our analysis of tea beverages found that the polyphenol content is extremely low.”

Li pointed out that in addition to the low polyphenol content, bottled commercial tea contains other substances, including large amounts of sugar and the accompanying calories that health-conscious consumers may be trying to avoid. He is an analytical and natural product chemist at WellGen, Inc., a biotechnology company in North Brunswick, N.J., that discovers and develops medical foods for patients with diseases, including a proprietary black tea product that will be marketed for its anti-inflammatory benefits, which are due in part to a high polyphenol content.

Li and colleagues measured the level of polyphenols — a group of natural antioxidants linked to anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic properties — of six brands of tea purchased from supermarkets. Half of them contained what Li characterized as “virtually no” antioxidants. The rest had small amounts of polyphenols that Li said probably would carry little health benefit, especially when considering the high sugar intake from tea beverages.

“Someone would have to drink bottle after bottle of these teas in some cases to receive health benefits,” he said. “I was surprised at the low polyphenol content. I didn’t expect it to be at such a low level.”

The six teas Li analyzed contained 81, 43, 40, 13, 4, and 3 milligrams (mg) of polyphenols per 16-ounce bottle. One average cup of home-brewed green or black tea, which costs only a few cents, contains 50-150 mg of polyphenols.

After water, tea is the world’s most widely consumed beverage. Tea sales in the United States have quadrupled since 1990 and now total about $7 billion annually. The major reason: Scientific evidence that the polyphenols and other antioxidants in tea, may reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and other afflictions.

Li said that some manufacturers do list polyphenol content on the bottle label. But the amounts may be incorrect because there are no industry or government standards or guidelines for measuring and listing the polyphenolic compounds in a given product. A regular tea bag, for example, weighs about 2.2 grams and could contain as much as 175 mg of polyphenols, Li said. But polyphenols degrade and disappear as the tea bag is steeped in hot water. The polyphenol content also may vary as manufacturers change their processes, including the quantity and quality of tea used to prepare a batch and the tea brewing time.

“Polyphenols are bitter and astringent, but to target as many consumers as they can, manufacturers want to keep the bitterness and astringency at a minimum,” Li explained. “The simplest way is to add less tea, which makes the tea polyphenol content low, but tastes smoother and sweeter.”

Li used a standard laboratory technique, termed high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), to make what he described as the first measurements of polyphenols in bottled tea beverages. He hopes the research will encourage similar use of HPLC by manufacturers and others to provide consumers with better nutritional information.

from Lifehacker by Adam Pash

If you turn to tea for a healthy dose of antioxidants, keep in mind that the antioxidants, or polyphenols, found in commercially bottled tea is up to 20 times less than you’ll find in home-brewed tea.

Photo by Shandi-lee Cox.

Research presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society points out:

“Consumers understand very well the concept of the health benefits from drinking tea or consuming other tea products,” said Shiming Li, Ph.D., who reported on the new study with Professor Chi-Tang Ho and his colleagues. “However, there is a huge gap between the perception that tea consumption is healthy and the actual amount of the healthful nutrients – polyphenols – found in bottled tea beverages. Our analysis of tea beverages found that the polyphenol content is extremely low.”

Li pointed out that in addition to the low polyphenol content, bottled commercial tea contains other substances, including large amounts of sugar and the accompanying calories that health-conscious consumers may be trying to avoid.

Keep in mind that some bottled teas did contain more significant levels of polyphenols than others, but they still “probably would carry little health benefit” due to the high sugar content of some of the brands, according to Li. Hit up the full article at the American Chemical Society’s site for more details. The plus side: You’re likely to save a lot of money and enjoy healthier drinks if you stick with doing it yourself.

Milk thistles are thistles of the genus Silybum Adans., flowering plants of the daisy family (Asteraceae). They are native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The name “milk thistle” derives from two features of the leaves: they are mottled with splashes of white and they contain a milky sap. However, it is the seeds of milk thistle that herbalists have used for 2000 years to treat chronic liver disease and protect the liver against toxins.

For many centuries extracts of milk thistle have been recognized as “liver tonics.” Milk thistle has been reported to have protective effects on the liver and to greatly improve its function. It is typically used to treat liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis (liver inflammation), toxin-induced liver damage (including the prevention of severe liver damage from Amanita phalloides (death cap) mushroom poisoning), and gallbladder disorders.

A compound called silmarin is responsible for the effect that milk thistle has on the liver. To understand why it’s so important, it may help to understand how the liver works. The liver is one of the most important organs in the body. Its job is to clean the toxins from your body. And when it’s working properly, it keeps toxins from building up in the bloodstream. When your liver isn’t working, you don’t have much time left to live before something must be done.

Many things can affect the way the liver functions. Sometimes people have liver problems due to viral infections such as hepatitis. For others, heavy use of alcohol and other drugs can cause liver ailments. It’s also possible to have liver damage because of exposure to pollutants and environmental toxins that the liver must attack.

Research suggests that milk thistle extracts both prevent and repair damage to the liver from toxic chemicals and medications. Workers who had been exposed to vapors from toxic chemicals (toluene and/or xylene) for 5-20 years were given either a standardized milk thistle extract (80% silymarin) or placebo for 30 days. The workers taking the milk thistle extract showed significant improvement in liver function tests (ALT and AST) and platelet counts vs. the placebo group.

The efficacy of silymarin in preventing drug-induced liver damage in patients taking psychotropic drugs long-term has been investigated . This class of drugs is known to cause liver damage from oxidation of lipids. Patients taking silymarin in the study had less hepatic damage from the oxidation of lipids than patients taking the placebo.

In a 2009 study published in the journal Cancer, milk thistle showed promise in reducing the liver damaging effects of chemotherapy in a study of 50 children. Read more

Did you know Mike Tyson drinks tea every morning?

Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa) is native to eastern North America from the extreme south of Ontario south to central Georgia, and west to Missouri and Arkansas. The plant grows in a variety of woodland habitats, and is often found in small woodland openings. The roots and rhizomes of black cohosh have long been used medicinally by Native Americans.

Native Americans used black cohosh to treat gynecological and other disorders, including sore throats, kidney problems, and depression. Black cohosh is used as dietary supplement as remedies for the symptoms of premenstrual tension, menopause and other gynecological problems.

If you’re suffering from menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep disorders, and mood swings black cohosh may be a good supplement to try. Women also report that black cohosh is a good supplement for treating problems such as anxiety and irritability.

If you’re looking for a way to deal with hormonal changes in your life naturally, black cohosh may be the answer for you. It’s an easy supplement that may allow you to have relief from symptoms without having to take artificial hormones.

No one wants to suffer from menopausal problems, but it’s also a difficult decision to take hormonal medications that come from unnatural processes. That’s why black cohosh can be a perfect companion to good nutrition in your menopausal years.

Many women have found menopausal relief with black cohosh. In fact, some European experts recommend using it instead of traditional hormone replacement therapy. By using cohosh as a daily supplement, you may find that it works for you as well. Read more

Equisetum arvense, commonly known as the Field Horsetail or Common Horsetail. Horsetail is the sole descendant of the giant fern like plants that covered the earth some 200 million years ago. The herbs creeping rhizome sends up hollow, jointed, virtually leafless, bamboo like stalks that reach 6 feet. At the ends of the stalks, spore-bearing structures (catkins) develop which resemble horsetails, corncobs, or bottle brushes, hence some of the herb’s names.

The plant contains several substances which can be used medicinally. It is rich in the minerals silicon (10%), potassium, and calcium, which gives it diuretic properties. It is prescribed to care for cartilage, tendons, and bones, and also polyps, epistasis, and bleeding. The buds are eaten as a vegetable in Japan and Korea in spring time.

In herbalism it is used to treat kidney and bladder problems, gastro-enteritis, and prostate and urinary infections, and is particularly indicated for enuresis (inability to control urination) in children.

Horsetail has an astringent effect on the urinary system proving especially valuable where there is bleeding in the urinary tract, and in cases of bladder or urethra inflammation, and prostate disease.

Cautions: horsetail breaks down vitamin B1 (thiamine) and should generally be taken long term only with a B vitamin supplement. Read more