Herb Profile:
Psyllium (Plantago spp.)

Feature:
Systematic Review: Ivy Leaf Extracts

Research Review:
Korean Red Ginseng & HIV

Book Review:
Medicinal Plants of the World

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Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, Volume 1, was written by Jill Stansbury and published in 2018 by Chelsea Green Publishing. The excerpt includes the title page, table of contents, and the introduction, "Capturing the Wisdom."

 This text is the first in a five-volume set of formularies, organized by body system, to serve as a reference manual for health professionals. Volume 1 focuses on digestion and elimination, including the gastrointestinal system, liver, and gallbladder, urinary system, and the skin. The formulas include combinations from Western folklore, traditional Chinese medicine, and Stansbury's own recipes from her years of practice. Bursting with detail, each chapter allows physicians, herbalists, and other naturopathic practitioners to develop the intuition and ability to create safe, effective herbal formulas for many conditions.

 This excerpt is adapted from Dr. Jill Stansbury's book Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, Volume 1. (©2018 Chelsea Green) and is printed with permission from the publisher.

Orangutans Use Plant Extracts to Treat Pain. Scientific American. April 6, 2018. After observing orangutans for more than 20,000 hours, researchers reported the animals' topical use of Dracaena cantleyi to relieve pain — the first example of such behavior seen in an animal.

Genomics: Riding the Future Wave of Supplements. New Hope Network. April 4, 2018. New Hope provides video highlights of a presentation from Expo West that explores the up-and-coming field of personalized nutrition.

Gherkin Extract Improved Exercise Performance Compared to Placebo, Says Manufacturer-Backed Study. NutraIngredients. April 3, 2018. Authors of a randomized, controlled clinical trial found that subjects taking a cucumber extract had significantly improved exercise performance compared to those taking a placebo.

Brain-Health Nootropic Supplements Growing in Sports Nutrition. Nutritional Outlook. April 4, 2018. Increasingly, sports nutrition supplements are being marketed not only for improved physical performance, but also for enhanced cognitive function.

FACT CHECK: Calif. Judge Rules Coffee Must Come With A Cancer Warning, But Should It? NPR. March 30, 2018. Critics are pushing back against a judge’s ruling that coffee companies should warn consumers about acrylamide, a potentially carcinogenic compound in coffee that is produced during the roasting process.

The Medicine Woman: Emory Researcher Takes Up Fight Against Superbugs. WABE Atlanta. March 28, 2018. Emory ethnobotanist Cassandra Quave is leading the search for plant-based compounds that may help treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

Pot and Politics: Investigating Barriers to Medical Marijuana Legalization. Harvard Political Review. March 27, 2018. Bureaucratic barriers, “big pharma,” and law enforcement lobbying are three of the main barriers hindering medicinal cannabis research in the United States, according to the author of this review.

The Erosion of Predictability: Climate Change and the Botanical Supply Chain. NutraIngredients-USA. March 22, 2018. Shifting harvest periods, chemical changes in plants, and reduced yields are just a few ways in which climate change is impacting  botanicals.

 

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