Goji Berries

Hi
I've been looking at the other health plants and now Goji Berries

Goji Berry is also known as wolfberry, Goji Berry’s proper scientific name is, “Lycium Barbabarum”. Goji berry is a rediscovered gift of nature to mankind that is making inroads in the herbal medicine sector and health care industry. Botanists inform that Goji Berry shares its lineage with numerous other plants including potato, tomato, eggplant and tobacco.

Wolfberries have long played important roles in traditional Chinese medicine where they are believed to enhance immune system function, improve eyesight, protect the liver, boost sperm production and improve circulation, among other effects.

Goji Berry has two boxthorn species in the Solanacenae Family. Botanical classification of Goji Berry places them in the botanical division named to the upper right, Magnoliophyta, which identifies plants that flower and the class Magnoliopsida represents flowering plants (Dicotyledons) with two embryonic seed leaves called cotyledons appearing at germination. Making waves in healthcare industry The World and American healthcare product market is slowly realizing the benefits of Goji Berries as herbal healthcare professionals and the public at large are now having more and more scientific information about the benefits of Goji Berries. Therefore health care professionals and culinary experts around the world are using increasing amounts of Goji berries.

Botanists classify Goji Berries as perennial woody plants which are deciduous in natural growth patterns. Goji Berry plants of Chinese origin are generally classified in three levels of height.

The height is dependant upon the climatic conditions as well as environmental conditions of the area, that a Goji Berry is plant grown in. The smallest plants originate from the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. However those Gold Berry plants which grow in Southern China stand the tallest and those grown in other regions are considered of average height levels.

In Asia especially Tibet, Goji Berries have always been well known and regularly grown and used. In Tibet alone, more than 40 kinds of Goji Berries are known and cultivated. Expert herbalists inform us that the Goji Berries of Himalayan origins have all the qualities of a truly balanced polysaccharide profile. All Goji Berry plants bear a bright red berry, 1-2 cm in length and ellipsoid in nature. Each Goji Berry contains roughly 10-30 tiny seeds yellow in color

Echinacea can cut risk of colds by 50 per cent

A popular herbal remedy can cut the risk of catching a cold by more than a half, according to a scientific assessment of the supposed health benefits of the echinacea plant.

Scientists reviewed 14 previous trials of echinacea to assess whether the herb really works against the common cold virus and concluded that it can reduce the risk of infection by 58 per cent. The researchers also found that echinacea remedies can reduce the time that a person, once infected, is affected by a cold virus by an average of 1.4 days - a statistically significant reduction.

Echinacea, a group of native North American plants, has long been considered to have medicinal properties but the latest study, published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, appears to justify its reputation when it comes to the common cold.

"Echinacea is one of the most commonly used herbal products, but controversy exists about its benefits in the prevention and treatment of the common cold," according to the scientists, led by Craig Coleman of the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy in Hartford, Connecticut.

"An analysis of the current evidence in the [scientific] literature suggests that echinacea has a benefit in decreasing the incidence and duration of the common cold," they say.

However, the researchers stopped short of recommending the prescription of echinacea to prevent or treat the common cold until further research based on larger-scale trials can show which doses and preparations are the most effective.

St John's Wort

What is St John’s Wort?

St John’s Wort is a herbal remedy which has been known for thousands of years, but has recently been produced in tablet form and extensively marketed as a treatment for depression. Many people are under the impression that as herbal remedies are ‘natural’, this means that they are completely safe and free of side effects. This is not the case: many herbs are very poisonous (hemlock is an obvious example), while other plants are poisonous in some parts and safe in others (e.g. the potato). Extracts from poisonous plants may make very useful medicines when used in the right way (e.g. digitalis, a heart drug which comes from foxglove). And of course there are some herbs that are both harmless and useful as medicines.

St John’s Wort is a plant named after St John the Baptist, whose feast day, June 24 ^th, occurs when
daylight in Europe is longest and the plant is in full bloom. Its five yellow petals resemble a halo, and its red sap symbolises the blood of the martyred saint. The name Hypericum comes from the Greek, meaning ‘greatest health’.

St John’s Wort has been known used as a folk medicine for many hundreds of years, particularly for healing wounds. Its antibacterial properties were reported scientifically in 1959 and 1971, when the active antibacterial substance, called hyperforin, was extracted and analysed. In medieval times St John’s Wort was used for ‘driving out the inner devil’. Paracelcus (c1525) recommended it for hallucinations and ‘dragons’, as well as for healing wounds.

Tablets made from a standardised extract of St John’s Wort have been extensively researched in Germany since the early 1980s, and in recent years it has come on to the market as a herbal remedy, available from health food shops, to be used for mild to moderate depression. It was not found helpful for severe depression, and this was confirmed in more recent reports in America.

Scientific studies of the herb suggest that it acts to increase the activity and prolong the action of the neurotransmitters serotonin and noradrenaline, in a similar manner to standard antidepressants, but with many fewer reported side effects.

The German trials appear to have used a daily dose of total extract, ranging from 0.4 mg (400 micrograms) up to 1000 mg (1 g). Currently the recommended daily dose is about 900 mg of total extract.

As with other antidepressants, St John’s Wort may take two to four weeks to begin to take effect.

There is also a product available combining St John’s Wort with other herbs as Hypericum Complex. This contains lemon balm (Melissa officianalis) and hops (Humulus lupulus) which are both sleep-inducing herbs. The complex is therefore suggested for people with depression who have difficulty sleeping.

Is it always safe to take St John’s Wort?

There are no listed contraindications for St John’s Wort (situations when it should not be used). It should be used with caution during pregnancy and while breast-feeding because there is no information on its safety in these conditions. Patients with a diagnosis of manic depression should use it with caution, since, as with all antidepressants, its use is associated with ‘switching’, or moving rapidly from a low to a high mood.

Is it safe to take St John’s Wort with other drugs?

St John's wort has significant interactions with a large number of prescribed medicines which are in common use, in addition to those mentioned below. These are listed in the British National Formulary (BNF). People who are taking any other medicine should always seek professional advice from a doctor or a pharmacist before combining it with St John’s Wort.

You should not take St John’s Wort at the same time as SSRI or MAOI antidepressants. (It has been made a prescription-only drug in the Irish Republic because of anxieties about its possible similarity to MAOI antidepressants.)

St John’s Wort may prolong the effects of some sleeping pills and anaesthetics. If you are to receive an anaesthetic you should tell the anaesthetist if you are taking St John’s Wort.

It also reduces blood levels of oral contraceptives , increasing the risk of pregnancy and breakthrough bleeding.

Are there any side effects?

The most commonly reported side effects include gastrointestinal symptoms (such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea), allergic reactions, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, and dry mouth in a small percentage of patients. Another rare side effect is photo-sensitisation – increased sensitivity to sunlight. This is associated with high doses, but people taking it should increase their sun protection and avoid strong sunlight.

This text taken from http://www.mind.org.uk/