The number of medicinal and aromatic plant (MAP) species in cultivation is dramatically higher than previously thought, according to a new global estimate, but not because they are all facing extinction in the wild.
The voluntary UK advertising watchdog has pulled up two Guernsey-based supplements manufacturers for making unsubstantiated claims about a host of mostly herbal products including ginkgo, ginseng, bilberry, St Johns Wort, milk thistle, valerian, soy isoflavones...
Leading supplements distributor Herbalife said yesterday that it
had stopped selling one of its products in Israel after an
investigation by health officials over complaints that it caused
liver problems.
Herbal companies looking for new products may not need to go far to
find new medicinal plants, according to a review, which finds that
weeds have produced more drugs and natural remedies than tropical
plants found in the rainforest.
Most dietary supplements do not have sufficient evidence to support
claims for weight loss, according to two UK experts, who reviewed
the evidence for a number of natural products including yerba mate,
chromium picolinate, ephedra...
A UK government body, charged with protecting the country's
wildlife and nature, is considering opening up more than 200 nature
reserves to bioprospecting, or the search for wild plants and
animals that could offer valuable resources...
More than half of cancer patients assessed in a new study were
taking herbal remedies and supplements alongside conventional
treatment but this may put them at increased risk of dangerous side
effects, say researchers.
Scientists have called into question the efficacy of herbal
remedies on menopausal symptoms after a review of randomised
clinical trials found only limited evidence that they worked.
The SupplySide West show in the US begins today with a packed
seminar schedule delivered by National Institutes of Health
researchers, ahead of the main exhibition opening tomorrow.
US scientists are to present research on botanicals as dietary
supplements as part of the expanded seminar programme at SupplySide
West taking place in Las Vegas in October this year.
Norwegian and Japanese scientists have confirmed several culinary
and medicinal herbs as important sources of dietary antioxidants.
But they say there is more than a 1000-fold difference among
antioxidant concentrations.
Linnea, the Swiss manufacturer and distributor of botanical
extracts for the dietary supplement, pharmaceutical and cosmetics
industries, has extended the range of products available to
customers in the US.
Experts on medicinal plants are to gather in London next month to
discuss the potential and current hurdles for the herbal market and
the development of novel medicines.
The growing importance of bottled water enriched with vitamins,
minerals and herbal ingredients means that the simplest of food
products has now become a major driver of growth in the
nutraceutical market.