Herbal Supplements and Health

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Herbal Supplements and Health

• The physical and mental value of dietary herbal
  supplements.

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Origin of Herbal Medicine

• Primitive men and women treated illnesses using
  plants, animal parts, and minerals not part of a
  common diet.

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• Physical evidence goes back 60,000 years to the
  burial site of a Neanderthal man who was buried
  with 8 species of plants.
• Seven of these plants are still used in medicine
  today.

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Herbal Supplements Today

• A resurgence of interest in herbal medicine
  originated in the 1970s.
• This movement began with peoples disillusionment
  with modern medicine- its high cost and inability
  to cure everything.
• The partisans of this resurgence were more
  enthusiastic than knowledgeable. No laws were
  made about labeling products and outrageous
  claims were made about the abilities of herbal
  supplements.

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• Despite the importance of plants in medicine, the
  FDA considers some herbal remedies to be
  worthless or potentially dangerous.
• Now herbal products can only be marketed as food
  supplements and must have the FDAs approval to
  make specific health claims.

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Uses of Herbal Supplements

• Physical
• For the treatment of sickness and disease.
• Athletic and Weight-loss purposes.
• Mental
• For the treatment of memory loss, depression,
  sleep, and stress.

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Treatment of Sickness and Disease

• All herbal medicines can be prepared as a tea.
• Drink a glass 3 times a day, use the dried leaves
  of the plant, and usually use about half an ounce
  of the herb.

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Common Herbs

• Aloe Vera
• Claims Cure all tonic, for the treatment of
  acne, burns, minor wounds
• Effective for the topical treatment of wounds,
  burns, and frostbite.

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Aloe Vera

• Effectiveness varies with product.
• Advised not to use for internal uses.
• Could lead to abdominal cramping, diarrhea, loss
  of potassium, discoloration of urine.

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Garlic

• Claims Antibiotic, antiviral, general cure all,
  lowering of blood pressure, cholesterol, and
  regulation of circulatory system.

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Garlic

• Well studied herb.
• Shown to lower cholestreol by 9-12 in 8-16 weeks
  of use.
• May also possess antibiotic activities.
• Large doses may cause heartburn.

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Garlic

• Used in Europe as an approved remedy for
  cardiovascular conditions and for the use of the
  flu and colds.

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Ginger

• Claims Treatment of Arthritis, heart tissue,
  motion sickness and nausea.
• Proven to be effective in nausea, motion
  sickness, and arthritis.
• It is possible that it treats heart tissue but
  not likely.

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Ginger

• However, there are many precautions for the use
  of ginger.
• The use of ginger may inhibit the chemicals
  involved in platelet aggression.
• This leads to increased and prolonged bleeding.

15
Peppermint

• Claims
• Muscle Spasms
• Abdominal Pain
• Diarrhea
• Irritable Bowl Syndrome
• Chills and nausea
• Convulsions
• Headaches

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Peppermint

• Has only been proved to decrease muscle spasms.
• Overuse can lead to heartburn, esophageal
  sphincter relaxations, irritation of mucous
  membranes, and allergic reactions.

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Mental Supplements

• There are several very popular mental supplements
  designed to aid in memory, stress, depression,
  sleep, and other mental related problems.
  Although there are only a few of the herbal
  supplements they are widely used and accepted by
  the public. There are many claims regarding the
  effectiveness of these supplements, and the only
  difficult problem is discovering which claims are
  true and which are false.

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Ginkgo Biloba

• Claims and effects
• Improved memory
• Reduce Alzheimers effects
• Helps hearing loss
• Helps depression
• Helps calm asthma

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Ginkgo Biloba

• Ginkgo balboa extract increases blood flow to the
  brain by inhibiting blood platelet aggregation
  and by regulating blood vessel elasticity. It
  has also been shown to improve blood flow through
  major blood vessels and capillaries.

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Does It Work????

• NO!!!

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Ginkgo Biloba

• In extensive studies and various research
  experiments, ginkgo biloba has been shown to be
  completely ineffective against fighting memory
  loss, hearing loss, depression, and asthma.
  There is not enough well documented evidence to
  prove conclusively that ginkgo does not work when
  used in extremely large quantities.

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Ginkgo Biloba

• Side Effects
• Mild Gastrointestinal Upset
• Mild Headaches

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St. Johns Wort

• St. Johns wort has been used to
• Prevent depression
• Decrease Stress Levels
• Help nervous conditions
• Decrease severity of bacterial infection

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St. Johns Wort

• How it works
• Hyperforin is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor. It
  is the compound in the plant and suspected as
  having antidepressant effects.

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Does It Work????

• YES AND NO ????????

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St. Johns Wort

• Has been proven to be mildly helpful in very mild
  to moderate cases of depression. The more
  serious the case, the less that St. Johns Wort
  helps. In the worst cases of depression, it can
  actually hurt the situation.

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St. Johns Wort

• Side effects
• In cases of major depression, it may worsen the
  case.
• Blurred vision, constipation, urinary retention,
  and excessive drowsiness.

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Sleep Aids

• There are many different herbal sleep aids that
  are considered safer than, and sometimes as
  effective as prescription sleep aids. These
  herbs can help sleep by using aromas or teas.

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Sleep Aids

• Claims and effects
• Helps Insomnia
• Helps all chronic sleep disorders.
• Helps with headaches and restlessness.

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Sleep Aids

• Some examples of herbal sleep aids are
• Chamomile
• Hops
• California Poppy
• Catnip
• Lemon Balm
• Lavender
• Passion Flower
• Skullcap
• Valerian Root

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Do They Work????

• YES!!!

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Sleep Aids

• Herbal sleep aids do work, and actually with
  little to no side effects. They are successful
  at calming and relaxing the body and assisting in
  the reduction of insomnia and other various sleep
  disorders.

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Exercise and Diet Supplements

• In Todays World, Many People Are Taking Herbal
  Supplements to Increase Their Energy and Weight
  Loss.

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How many of you have seen this?

• Magazines and tabloids often carry ads for herbal
  supplements, usually accompanied by a man with a
  body like Brad Pitt or a woman who looks like
  shes walked straight out of Baywatch.

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Do They Really Work?

• Despite these claims, some experts have serious
  doubts about the efficacy of these herbal
  remedies as answers for weight loss and energy.

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Exercise and Diet Supplements

• Common supplements
• Exercise
• Ginseng
• Bell pollen
• Weight Loss
• Ephedra

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Ginseng

• Most common form is Asian ginseng
• A perennial herb of northern China, Korea, Japan,
  and Russia
• Must be grown for 5 years before harvested

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Ginseng

• The root is the most widely used part
• Harvested in the fall just before defoliation

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Ginseng

• How it works?
• Not knownit is suggested that ginseng increases
  cerebrovascular flow
• Dosage
• Usual daily dose is 200mg

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Does it Work?

• In a 9-week, double blind, placebo- controlled
  trial of 30 highly trained athletes, treatment
  with ginseng produced significant improvements in
  aerobic capacity.
• But

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Does it Work?

• There were negative results in an 8 week, double
  blind trial that followed 31 healthy men in their
  twenties and another 8 week trial which showed
  that ginseng improved aerobic capacity in people
  who did not exercise, but gave no additional
  benefit to those who did.

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Bee Pollen

• Referred to as natures most complete food
• Praised in the Bible and ancient Chinese texts

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What is Bee Pollen?

• It is the male seed of a flower blossom which has
  been gathered by the bees and to which special
  elements from the bees has been added. The
  honeybee collects pollen and mixes it with its
  own digestive enzymes. One pollen granule
  contains from one hundred thousand to five
  million pollen spores, each capable of
  reproducing its entire species.

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Bee Pollen

• Bee pollen rejuvenates your body, stimulates
  organs and glands, enhances vitality, and brings
  about a longer life span. Bee pollen's ability to
  consistently and noticeably increase energy
  levels makes it a favorite substance among many
  world class athletes and those interested in
  sustaining and enhancing quality performance.

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Bee Pollen

• Bee Pollen contains
• -25 complete protein
• -18 amino acids
• -12 vitamins
• -28 minerals
• -11 enzymes

• -14 beneficial fatty acids
• -11 carbohydrates
• -Basically everything needed for human survival

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Bee Pollen and Exercise

• Produces an accelerated rate of recovery-normal
  heart rate and breathing
• It provides energy, stamina, and strength, and
  enhances performance levels.
• Improves second performances

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Does it Work?

• Numerous studies have shown that taking Bee
  Pollen does in fact increase your energy and
  stamina during exercise and repeated events

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Ephedra

• Also known as Ma Huang
• Popular diet supplement in the U.S.
• Has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands
  of years

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How Does it Work?

• Ephedrine alkaloids-naturally occurring compounds
  which act as a mild stimulant
• Enhances energy
• Similar to caffeine

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How Does it Work?

• Stimulates fat metabolism
• Burns fat and sugar more effectively
• Reduces appetite
• Mobilizes stored fat and carbohydrate reserves

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Does it Work?

• Numerous studies have shown that ephedra is
  effective for losing weight
• It is most effective when used with caffeine
• Popular diet supplements containing ephedra are
  Metabolife and MetaboMax