Herbal Supplements and the Brain: Understanding Their Health Benefits and Hazards (FT Press Science)
S.J. Enna, Stata Norton
Language: English
Pages: 272
ISBN: 0132824973
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Today, many manufacturers of plant-based "neuroceuticals" claim their products can offer powerful benefits in brain function. However, the US government does not require these manufacturers to demonstrate their products’ effectiveness, leaving it difficult for consumers and health professionals to make decisions about the benefits and risks. In Herbal Supplements and the Brain: Understanding their Health Benefits and Hazards, two leading researchers provide this crucial information in clear language any intelligent reader can understand and use. They begin by introducing the fundamental principles of pharmacology, explaining how drugs and natural products can affect the body’s organs and organ systems. Using examples, they show how to determine whether an ingested substance can enter the bloodstream and reach its target at a concentration sufficient to have an effect. They also explain how natural products may influence blood levels of other substances, and discuss whether such interactions may diminish the effectiveness of prescription medications or alter normal body chemistry. Throughout, the authors emphasize factors relating especially to neuroceuticals and the brain. Individual chapters are devoted to nutritional supplements which promise to enhance memory, relieve pain, safely promote sleep, and aid in the treatment of depression or anxiety. Specifically, readers will find research-based coverage of Ginkgo biloba; St. John’s Wort; Valerian; Lemon Balm; Kava; Lavender; Kudzu, Daffodil, Passion Flower, and Camellia Tea and other caffeinated beverages.
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placebo-controlled trials of kava extract concluded it is an effective treatment for nonpsychotic anxiety disorders.24 Not all clinical studies with kava have yielded positive findings. A review of six clinical trials indicates that kava extract was effective as a treatment for generalized anxiety disorder in four, but of no benefit in two.25 A separate review of 24 studies involving patients suffering from an anxiety disorder or depression and in some cases healthy volunteers exposed to anxiety
the ability of linalool to enhance brain GABA receptor function in a manner similar to that reported for established anxiolytic agents.57,58 However, others have been unable to detect an effect of linalool on GABA receptor activity.59,60 Together, these results suggest that linalool probably does not interact potently and selectively with the receptors associated with this inhibitory neurotransmitter. Various in vivo and in vitro studies have suggested the antianxiety, sedative, anticonvulsant,
beverage.6,27-29 In one study an attempt was made to measure brain levels of puerarin in alcohol-preferring rats after administration of the purified isoflavone at a dose that reduces voluntary alcohol intake by 50%.30 No puerarin was detected in the brain even though its administration had a significant effect on alcohol consumption. This suggests that the antialcohol effect of puerarin, and of possibly the kudzu extract as a whole, is due to an action outside of the central nervous system.
Today, passion flower is grown throughout the world. The name passion flower was not bestowed on this plant because it was thought to enhance sexual attractiveness or performance. Rather, to the Spanish missionaries the components of the complex flower symbolized items associated with the passion of Christ. For example, the radial filaments represented the crown of thorns, the tendrils Roman whips, and the pointed leaf the tip of a lance. There are hundreds of species of passion flower and a
emphasize the value of individual herbs as treatments for specific conditions. Nonetheless, in Europe the Hippocratic theory of disease and its treatment predominated through the Middle Ages. Alchemy The demise of the Hippocratic theory of disease can be traced to the rise of alchemy in the thirteenth century AD. Alchemy, which began as a philosophy, was practiced in Egypt, Babylonia, India, and China prior to its arrival in Europe in the late Middle Ages. Early alchemists were purported