Wednesday, September 19, 2007 Herbal preparation, food supplements
(Part 3)
THE power of plants to heal has been recognized for centuries. Aspirin for fever and pain, digitalis for heart ailments and vincristine to treat cancer, all came from plants. Seventy to eighty percent of today's medicines are of plant origin.
Herbal therapists use herbs to treat illnesses. Herbs are preparations taken from plants such as the roots, trunk, barks, stems and leaf. They are made into extracts, tea, essential oils, powder, tablets or capsules, and marketed and solid as food supplements.
The problem with herbal preparations is the lack of standardization of the active elements of herbs. Many herbs have not been studied thoroughly and different preparations may vary in strength.
However, herbal practitioners believed that standardization of one active herb element might negate the principle of herbal medicine, as the healing power of herbs may result not from a single herb element but from combinations of several active ingredients in a plant.
The strength and potency are variable in herbal products. Variability in strength and potency can be dangerous. Low strength may not produce the desired effects while high strength may be toxic. Toxicity from herbs may occur when taken in large amounts specially when given to children, the elderly, the sick and the undernourished.
There is no accepted school or agreed upon training for herbal medicine. There is no institution to set standard of training and no board that certifies herb practitioners. As a result herbal medicine may vary from herbalist to herbalist.
Fish oils are food supplements used for a variety of ailments. It is a common fad therapy for arthritis, high blood pressure, heart ailments, psoriasis and others including the treatment of learning and behavior disorders in children.
A report showed that fish oil improved the visual processing and motor coordination in children with dyslexia (disorder affecting the child's ability to read and write) and dyspraxia (inability to make skilled movements with accuracy).
Subsequent well-controlled studies on fish oil conducted in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) failed to show significant improvement of behavior symptoms of ADHD.
The most commonly used fish oil is cod liver oil. Parents used to give their children cod liver oil to prevent sickness. Some still continue this fad therapy. Adverse effects of fish oil are flatus (intestinal gas), bad breath, bleeding disorders and the risk that the fish oil may be contaminated with mercury or other chemicals.
Zinc Supplementation
Zinc as a fad therapy is used in variety of illnesses from arthritis to common cold. Zinc is a trace metallic element, an essential micronutrient that promotes normal growth and development. It helps maintain an effective immune system.
In one study, one third of children receiving zinc supplements showed a reduction in the severity and duration of diarrhea. Reports also showed a 12 percent decline in the incidence of pneumonia in children.
Although lower levels of zinc in the blood were noted in children with ADHD, recommendations to use zinc as a treatment in children with ADHD is still being studied to determine the efficacy and safety of zinc in these children.
Zinc is not effective in the treatment of common cold as shown in a large study involving more than 500 subjects. The study showed no significant relief of cold symptoms. Zinc did not shorten the duration of symptoms nor rendered the symptoms of the colds less severe.
Herbal medicine is a lucrative business. It is a 3.5 billion dollar industry in the US. One has just to look at newspapers or magazines, listen to radio or watch TV to observe how one is encouraged to take care of oneself, to improve one's diet, and try some fad therapy to make the ailment disappear.
Most of these are herbal products or food supplements with health claims that can prevent, diagnose, treat or cure diseases without mention of potential harm.
These products are easily promoted and sold because they are not regulated like prescription drugs. Manufacturers of food supplements and herbal products are not required to prove evidence of safety and efficacy before marketing.
Thus, the consuming public has no protection against misleading claims.
Although some herb products have been used longer than others, historical claims is not an assurance that the products are safe nor the absence of toxicity with short-term use is a signal that the product can be used for prolong periods of time.
Products vary in contents. Some contain no active ingredient at all. Others are laced with pesticides or herbicides and sometime with potent pharmaceuticals such as phenacetin and steroids (F. Gardiner and K. Kemper: Pediatrics in Review, p. 44-57. February, 2001.) (To be continued)
