A plant root used in Africa as a traditional remedy could hold the key to combating the potentially fatal Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infection, according to research findings presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester, 4 to 6 September, 2006.

Pharmacists at King’s College London have discovered that the roots of the shrub Paullinia pinnata possess anti-bacterial properties that are effective against MRSA.

MRSA infections are difficult to combat because the bacteria involved have developed complete resistance to certain antibiotics. Usually it is hospital patients with weakened immune systems who are most likely to become infected.

It appears that the herb Black Cohosh has come under fire by authorities again, this time in Canada. It is interesting to note that the alarm is being raised in markets where drug companies make -- and want to continue to make -- fortunes in profits from hormone replacement therapy (HRT). It may be that the large numbers of menopausal women in these places means that large amounts of black cohosh are consumed and therefore there is an incidence of the reported problems. However, knowing how the player work, I suspect there is drug company influence behind these alarms.

So now Canada, following similar recent moves in the UK and Australia, has issued an advisory about a possible link between black cohosh and liver damage. The herb is used widely in relieving menopausal symptoms, mainly because it works and increasingly women want to avaoid the serious risks associated with HRT. The US is notably missing from the growing list of countries which have flagged black cohosh.

Milk thistle (with active compound silibinin) could inhibit lung cancer growth and progression according to research from the University of Colorado published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Vol. 98, pp. 846-85). Silibinin, a flavanone compound in milk thistle, stopped lung cancer growth and spread in mice.

Lung cancer is the most common form of cancer worldwide with over 1.2m new cases diagnosed annually. It also has a poor survival rate, with approximately 75% of people diagnosed with the condition dying within 12 months.

Milk thistle extract is a widely used dietary supplement. It generally contain 80 per cent silymarin, a flavonolignan mixture which contains approximately 40 per cent silibinin. The research used pure silibinin, not silimarin.

Researchers from Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel have reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry (Vol 163, pp. 1098-1100) that omega-3 fatty acids could help children suffering from depression, a condition that “may be more common than previously thought”. Studies reporting positive effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation have been increasing recently. Hopefully this reflects genuine progress in scientific discovery and not merely increased funding from related industy sources. The studies have shown benefits for children with learning difficulties, behavioural problems or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Researchers led by Dr Ann Walker, senior lecturer in human nutrition at Reading University, have found that tablets made from hawthorn flowers and leaves significantly reduce blood pressure readings in patients already taking prescribed medicines for diabetes and hypertension. Significantly, the study showed it was safe to take a natural remedy at the same time as prescribed medication. The study, was published in the latest British Journal of General Practice.

Patients benefited after just four months of treatment with Hawthorn, as widely used herb for cardiovascular support. The anti-hypertensive effect worked in addition to the orthodox drugs being taken by patients.

Liver cancer is the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world, and third most common cause of death from cancer, according to Cancer Research UK. However, it is true to say the cancer remains relatively rare, with 18,500 new cases in the US every year, and about 3,000 in the UK. Researchers led by Hannu Mykkänen from the University of Kuopio claim a daily supplement of probiotics could reduce the risk of liver cancer caused by fungal toxins in foods.

The research, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Vol. 83, pp. 1199-1203), involved 90 male student volunteers from the Guangdong province where food ingested exposure to aflotoxins is said to be common. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial design was employed with two parallel groups including randomly assigned volunteers to either the control or intervention groups. The intervention involved two probiotic capsules per day containing a mixture of the strains Lactobacillus rhamnosus LC705 and Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii. The control subjects received a cellulose placebo.