Month: October 2010

Stephania tetrandra

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Botanical Name :Stephania tetrandra S. Moore, (han fang ji, fen fang ji), Aristolochia fangchi, Wu; (guang fang ji, guang dong mu fang ji),Aristolochia westlandi, Hemsl.,Cocculus trilobus DC. (mu fang ji)
Family: Menispermaceae
Genus: Stephania
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ranunculales
Species: S. tetranda
Common Name: stephania
Common Chinese Name :Han-fang-chi or Fen-fang-qi.
Pharmaceutical name: Radix Stephania tetrandra (han fang ji), Radix aristolochiae fangchi (guang fang ji), Radix cocculus trilobus (mu fangji)
Japanese: boi
Korean: bang gi
Cantonese: fong ke

Habitat :Han fang ji (fen fang ji) is distributed in Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei provinces.
Guangdong mu fang ji (guang fang ji) is distributed in Guang Dong and Guang Xi provinces.

Description:
Stephania tetrandra S. Moore is a species of flowering plant. It is a herbaceous perennial vines growing to around 4 m tall, with a large, woody caudex. The leaves are arranged spirally on the stem, and are peltate, with the leaf petiole attached near the centre of the leaf.

CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURES.……...(1)..……..…(2).……..(3)....…….

Medicinal Uses:
Guang fang ji contains toxic amounts of aristolochic acid and can cause renal failure and even death; it is used in TCM only with great caution. In May of 2000 the FDA started detaining any plants or medicines suspected of containing aristolochic acid unless laboratory testing indicates the substances test negative for aristolochic acid. (Ony tests which use liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry [LC/MS/MS] method with a precision of less than 0.5 parts per million (PPM) are acceptable.) The traditional way of using guang fang ji is via water decoction. Since aristolochic acid has low water solubility this is believed to much safer than taking the herb as an uncooked powder.

Fen fang ji is of low toxicity (standard dose is: 4.5 to 9g, overdose can occur at 30-100g) and is traditionally used to dispel wind and dampness to relieve pain and to promote diuresis. It is acrid, bitter and cold. The part used is the root. The main active alkaloids are: tetrandrine (12 to 23 grams / kg) and fangchinoline (0.3-3 mg/kg). Also present are: cyclanoline, menisine, menisidine, oxofangchirine, stephenanthrine, stepholidine and bisbenzylisoquinoline

You may click to learn more :

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.fzrm.com/plantextracts/Fourstamen_Stephania_Root_extract.htm
http://www.digitalnaturopath.com/treat/T476745.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephania_tetrandra
http://alternativehealing.org/stephania_tetrandra.htm

Tags Anhui, Aristolochia, Chinese language, Death, Hertfordshire, Jiangxi, List of Latin digraphs, Social work

News on Health & Science

Vitamin B Found to Halve brain Shrinkage in Old Age

Post author By Mukul
Post date October 10, 2010
3 Comments on Vitamin B Found to Halve brain Shrinkage in Old Age

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High doses of vitamine B can halve the rate of brain shrinkage in elderly people with memory problems. It may slow their progression toward dementia.

A two-year clinical trial was the largest to date into the effect of B vitamins on “mild cognitive impairment,” a condition which is a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Reuters reports:
“[Researchers] conducted a two-year trial with 168 volunteers with MCI who were given either a vitamin pill containing very high doses of folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, or a placebo dummy pill …

[O]n average the brains of those taking the vitamin treatment shrank at a rate of 0.76 percent a year, while those taking the dummy pill had an average brain shrinkage of 1.08 percent.”

Resources:
Reuters September 8, 2010
Los Angeles Times September 9, 2010

Steve Joyce: B vitamins found to slow progression of dementia – Health – Diet and nutrition – msnbc.com (msnbc.msn.com)
B vitamins cut old age brain shrinkage in half (theglobeandmail.com)
B Vitamins Found to Halve Brain Shrinkage in Old (nlm.nih.gov)
B vitamins may slow brain shrinkage (cbc.ca)
B vitamins found to slow progression of dementia (reuters.com)
Vitamin B ‘puts off Alzheimer’s’ (bbc.co.uk)
Vitamin B ‘could slow Alzheimer’s’ (channel4.com)
Vitamin B ‘puts off Alzheimer’s’ (bbc.co.uk)
Vitamin Treatment ‘Could Delay Alzheimer’s’ (news.sky.com)
Vitamin B is revolutionary new weapon against Alzheimer’s Disease (telegraph.co.uk)

Tags Alzheimer's disease, Clinical trial, Folic acid, Health, Memory loss, Mild cognitive impairment, Old age, Placebo

News on Health & Science

Lethal Danger of CT Scans

Post author By Mukul
Post date October 10, 2010
No Comments on Lethal Danger of CT Scans

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CT scans yield very high-resolution images than regular medical X-rays. Unfortunately, they also expose the patient to hundreds and sometimes thousands of times the amount of radiation.

The routine use of CT scans has vastly increased. In 1980, there were roughly 3 million CT scans performed. By 2007, that number had increased to 70 million. CT scans are now being promoted to healthy people — even whole body CT scans.

According to Life Extension Magazine:
“The problem is that the explosion in unnecessary CT scans has been going on every year. If we carry this back just ten years, this means that 150,000 Americans are facing horrific deaths from CT scan-induced cancers.”

Source:: Life Extension Magazine August 2010

CT Scans Increase Threefold in Emergency Rooms, Raising Costs (businessweek.com)
Has Your Doctor Ordered a Cancer-Causing Procedure? (lewrockwell.com)
Radiation risks of CT scans need to be taught to patients (kevinmd.com)
Clear CT Scans with Less Radiation (technologyreview.in)
Advanced imaging use in US emergency rooms triples (reuters.com)
Highlights from Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource September 2010 (eon.businesswire.com)
Orbit CT scan – All Information (umm.edu)
Highlights from Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource September 2010 (eon.businesswire.com)
Can Medical Scans Cause More Harm Than Good? (thedailygreen.com)

Tags Computer Tomography Scanning, Health, Imaging, Medical Specialties, Medicine, Radiology, United States, X-ray computed tomography

Featured

H1N1 Pandemic Flu Even Milder Than Seasonal Strains

Post author By Mukul
Post date October 9, 2010
No Comments on H1N1 Pandemic Flu Even Milder Than Seasonal Strains

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According to a new study Swine Flu H1N1 is milder than Seasonal strains. Children & young adults are disproportionately affected by H1N1 virus, but the symptoms and risk of complications were similar to those of seasonal influenza viruses.

For the study, researchers compared the H1N1 pandemic flu with the seasonal H1N1 flu, as well as the H3N2 seasonal flu. H1N1 pandemic flu was not linked to substantially more hospitalization or pneumonia compared with either H1N1 seasonal flu or H3N2 seasonal flu.

Reuters reports:
“This year, it is doubtful H1N1 pandemic flu will be noticed … most people are now immune to this strain, because it spread so far and wide.”

Resources:
Business Week September 7, 2010

JAMA September 8, 2010; 304(10): 1091-1098

FoodConsumer.org September 8, 2010

Rollout of seasonal flu shot starts next week (healthzone.ca)
CDC Says Flu Season Looks Normal … But Everyone Should Be Vaccinated (blogs.wsj.com)
Most U.S. doctors plan to have flu shot, survey finds (nationalpost.com)
Survey: Most U.S. docs getting flu shots (msnbc.msn.com)
Most US doctors plan to get flu shots, survey finds (reuters.com)
Most doctors plan to get flu shots, survey finds (reuters.com)
Experts: New H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic Unlikely (webmd.com)
“MMWR: US & Global Influenza Activity June – Sept 2010” and related posts (afludiary.blogspot.com)
H1N1 Pandemic Flu Even Milder than Seasonal Strains (nlm.nih.gov)
H1N1 Swine Flu No Worse Than Seasonal Flu (webmd.com)

Tags 2009 flu pandemic, Flu season, Infectious disease, Influenza, Influenza A virus subtype H1N1, Influenza A virus subtype H3N2, Journal of the American Medical Association, Swine influenza

Herbs & Plants

Stemona Tuberosa

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Botanical Name:Stemona sessilifolia Miq.; Stemona japonica (Bl.) Miq.; Stemona tuberosa Lour.
Family: Stemonaceae
Genus: Stemona
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Pandanales
Species: S. tuberosa

Synonyms: Roxburghia gloriosoides Roxb., R. viridiflora Smith, R. stemona Steud.

Common names: Pai Pu [Hsu]; Bai Bu in Chinese [Geng et al], the name translates to “hundred parts” (so named because its roots are over one hundred in number) [Lu]. Wild Asparagus (English) [Lu]. Sessile Stemona Root, Japanese Stemona Root, Tuber Stemona Root.

Part used: Tuberous roots cropped all the year round, especially in autumn. After being well washed and docked at each end, the roots are steam-cooked, then dried in the sun or in ovens at 50-60°C.

Habitat :It is found in Asia (China, Taiwan, Yunnan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, North-East India, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam). Hi, warm, slightly shade, and more growth in the hillside forest, roadsides, stream. Appropriate soil deep, fertile, moist, sandy loam.

Description:
Stemona tuberosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Stemonaceae.Leaves many of the students, whorled, sometimes alternate, was ovate or broadly ovate lanceolate. A fleshy root, showing spindle. Flowers yellow-green, solitary or 2-3 flowers arranged in racemes, more axillary. Capsule obovate. May between the flowering, in July of fruit ripening.
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You may click to see more pictures:

Landscape Uses:
Big 100 in the green space that can be implanted in the garden corner, it could be climbing on the fence for vertical greenery, but also for being implanted in the understory plants. Roots used as medicine.

Cultivation:
Soil:   Mix
Water:   Medium
Sun:   Minimum-Medium
Reproduction:   Seeds/Dividing of the centre

Medicinal Uses:
Stemona tuberosa (Chinese: pinyin: bai bù) is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine.

To moisten the lungs and stop cough, to kill lice and parasites [Lu; Geng et al]. Also to bring down energy, and destroy worms [Lu].
Cough in common cold. Stemona root (Bai Bu) is used with Schizonepeta (Jing Jie), Platycodon root (Jie Geng) and Aster root (Zi Wan). Whooping cough. Stemona root (Bai Bu) is used with Glehnia root (Bei Sha Shen), Tendrilled fritillary bulb (Chuan Bei Mu) and Swallowwort rhizome (Bai Qian). Cough due to tuberculosis. Stemona root (Bai Bu) is used with Ophiopogon root (Mai Dong) and Fresh rehmannia root (Sheng Di Huang).
It is recommended for cough due to deficiency fatigue, pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis, and whooping cough [Lu]. Also indicated for colds, phthisis

You may click to learn more in detail of Stemona tuberosa

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stemona_tuberosa
http://www.bihrmann.com/Caudiciforms/subs/ste-tub-sub.asp

Click to access Stemona_tuberosa.pdf