The traditional Chinese medicine industry grew by 20% in China in the past year, according to the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SATCM).
Scientists in Japan have decode the genome of Chinese liquorice – a key ingredient in Traditional Chinese Medicine – raising hopes that it can be grown sustainably in the country for nutraceutical and medicinal use.
More clinical trials are needed to build up a catalogue of evidence-based findings to enable Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to play a bigger role in Singapore’s healthcare system.
By Ryan Gorman, brand director of Network Nutrition-IMCD
Through the gradual process of rationalisation, corporatisation and sophistication, the world’s supplements manufacturers are now bringing an unprecedented level of competitiveness to the industry.
The transformation of Rainbow Light mirrors that of the herbal industry as a whole, the company's new director of integrative science says. Christopher Hobbs, a fairly newly-minted PhD, has worked with the firm as a formulator from the beginning...
A review of the scientific evidence for over-the-counter herbal remedies that are often used to combat sleep disorders such as insomnia has revealed that ‘surprisingly’ little research backs up their safety and efficacy.
The UK complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) sector that includes purveyors of botanical extracts has come away from a meeting with UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) officers with heightened concerns about the watchdog’s methods.
Australians and Danes are being warned off contaminated, herbal food supplements with both countries highlighting grey or black market internet or overseas trade as the major source of the products.
European probiotic researchers are welcoming last week’s commitment to probiotic study by a major US government health and nutrition agency, with biomarker development a real possibility.
A pan-European healthy food and supplements trade group has
criticised the UK's "first professor of complementary
medicine", Edzard Ernst, for taking an "unscientific"
approach in a new book.
Safety concerns over saw palmetto supplements for prostate health
may be unfounded, according to a new study from the US that
reported no adverse effects.
Britain-based Phytopharm today announced a collaboration and
licence agreement with The Beijing Institute, for the development
of novel functional foods and pharmaceuticals.
The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has urged doctors
and healthcare practitioners to ask patients about their use of
herbs in an effort to foster communication on the issue.
A study into the use of complementary and alternative medicine
(CAM) to alleviate insomnia may provide supplement-makers with
useful data on consumers who may use their products, and serve as a
basis for future research on their effectiveness.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has
issued an opinion paper on the herbal alternatives for HRT, and
concludes that not only are they less effective than the regular
treatment, but some may be harmful.
Ginseng, one of the most well known traditional herbals, may
improve survival rates and quality of life for breast cancer
patients, suggests a study based in China, but experts have urged
caution over the results.
This week's warnings on the black cohosh and potential liver damage
may be the first time many general practitioners have heard of the
herbal, says complementary health expert, underscoring the need for
doctors to be aware of...
A letter sent by senior doctors in the UK to health care trusts
urging that NHS funds are spent only on evidence-based medicines
has sparked furious debate about the role of complementary and
alternative medicines (CAM) in the modern...
The standard of NCCAM-funded research looks set to rise, and the
funding approval procedure simplified, thanks to the formation of a
new working group specifically focused on quality.
A herbal trade organisation last week challenged two federal
agencies to correct past statements that used misleading
descriptions of dietary supplements and echinacea.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), including herbal
supplements, could make a cost-effective contribution to health
care in the UK, according to a report commissioned by the Prince of
Wales.
A new study into the ability of mistletoe to decrease the
reoccurrence of tumors in bladder cancer patients seems to show
that it is as effective as the most common conventional approach,
but without the side effects. But scientific...
More than a third of cancer patients in Europe use complementary
and alternative medicine (CAM), most often to increase their body's
ability to fight the disease, reveals the first Europe-wide study
of alternative medicine use.
The Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products - set up under the new
EU legislation designed to investigate the safety of herbal
medicines - is holding its inaugural meeting in London.
Significant investment in research and closer collaboration with
Chinese institutions could help unlock the huge potential of
natural traditional medicines to treat common Western diseases, UK
scientists on a recent trade mission...
Many Canadian health food stores have ignored a stop-sale order on
the herbal kava issued in August last year, shows a study, which
raises questions about the country's powers to regulate the natural
health industry, say researchers.
A homeopathic remedy made from arsenic oxide could ease the
suffering of the hundreds of millions of people at risk from
arsenic poisoning worldwide, suggests research published this week.
Trials on rats appear to disprove a possible...
Food is a major and underused anticancer weapon, according to a
group of British politicians, who are calling for the Government to
focus on diet to reduce cancer incidence in the UK.
UK doctors are being encouraged to support the use of herbal
remedies by the country's herbalists, currently trying to increase
understanding of the power of plant-based remedies during Herbal
Medicine Awareness Week.
The UK complementary medicines market has grown by almost 60 per
cent in the last five years to an estimated value of £130 million
(€187m), despite the impact of new legislation and negative
publicity regarding herbal remedies and...
Scientists attending a conference on complementary medicine last
week said a ban on the controversial herbal medicine kava may be an
an over-reaction to an uncommon side effect.
Researchers at Oregon Health Science University and the National
College of Naturopathic Medicine in the US are launching a clinical
trial to determine whether a dietary supplement, derived from
Bacopa monniera or Brahmi, a plant...
Britain's leading supermarket group Tesco opened a store geared
solely to health and natural alternative products in London last
week. The Nutri Centre chain, in which Tesco has a majority share,
is designed to meet growing consumer...
The US' National Center for Complementary and AlternativeMedicine
is to fund a $1 million study to investigate the implications of
complementary and alternative medicine used by the American public.
A US paediatrician has developed a way of educating healthcare
professionals on herbal and dietary supplements via the Internet,
without taking up too much of their time, according to a study
published in the September issue of Academic...
A survey of adult cancer patients in western Washington has found
that more than 70 per cent use alternative therapies and almost all
report substantial improvements in well-being as a result of the
treatments. Dietary supplements...
An increasing willingness to try alternative medicines, especially
among women, is set to drive sales of vitamin and mineral
supplements across Europe, according to a new report from market
analysts Datamonitor.
