The Oestrogenic Properties of Fennel

Premature  thelarche is defined as isolated breast development with no other clinical signs of sexual maturation  in girls before the age of 8 years. The mechanism is unknown, although increased oestrogen levels can be detected in the serum. A Turkish study describes 4 cases of premature thelarche apparently linked to the long-term consumption of fennel tea.1

The 4 cases were observed between January 2001 and December 2007 in a paediatric department in Ankara. The first case was a 5-month-old infant girl with premature thelarche and elevated  oestradiol. Around the same time a 65-year-old postmenopausal woman was under investigation because her menstrual  cycle had recommenced. Her history revealed  the long-term consumption of fennel tea. This prompted  the authors to search for a link between fennel and the thelarche case and in 3 other subsequent cases (aged 3 to 5 years). All 4 girls had been given fennel tea 2 to 3 times a day for several months to eliminate colic. Physical and genital examination  of the girls were unremarkable.  However, serum oestradiol levels were 15 to 20 times higher than normal for their ages. After the fennel tea was stopped the premature thelarche resolved within 3 to 6 months and oestradiol levels returned  to normal.

Comment

The oestrogenic properties of fennel have been well- described in experimental models.2  This is presumably due to the anethole  content of the essential  oil, but other components  could be active. However, only recently has it been realised that the oestrogenic activity of fennel might be sufficiently strong to have an impact on human health. In a 2003 trial, topical use of a fennel cream successfully treated  idiopathic hirsutism in female patients3 (see e-Monitor No. 1 May

2004) and now there are these cases of premature thelarche. Perhaps the use of fennel tea as a galactagogue  also reflects an oestrogenic activity. Of particular interest is the observation that fennel appeared to increase oestradiol levels in the girls in a situation of absent  ovulation. This suggests that fennel might be valuable for menopausal  symptoms.

 From a safety perspective,  prolonged intake of fennel should be avoided by boys and girls. Clinicians should also be watchful for potential oestrogenic side effects from the use of this herb in either sex. 

REFERENCES

1     Turkyilmaz Z, Karabulut R, Sonmez K et al. J Ped Surg 2008;

43(11): 2109-2111

2     Mills S, Bone KM. Principles & Practice  of Phytotherapy: Modern

Herbal Medicine. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, 2000, p 380.

3     Javidnia K, Dastgheib L, Mohammadi Samani S et al.

Phytomedicine 2003; 10(6-7): 455-458

Insights and Novel Uses for Schisandra from Russian Clinical Research

Alexander Panossian and Georg Wikman, who lead the current investigations into herbal adaptogens, have recently published a 30-page  review of the Russian research on Schisandra chinensis, focussing on its adaptogenic  properties.1 Their review is extensive, dating from the 1940s and containing more than 200 references.  As a result of this research, Schisandra was recognised as an adaptogen in the official medicine of the USSR in the early 1960s and “has now secured an established  position within the medicine of Russia”.

One of the surprising and interesting  aspects of the review is the information about some novel uses for Schisandra supported by clinical evidence. While the clinical trials cited are often not to the level of modern standards  (they were largely open label trials without a placebo control), the evidence provided is still potentially useful to the herbal clinician. A few examples illustrate this point. In a study involving 56 healthy people, Belikina and Prokofjeva (1959) reported  that Schisandra increased blood coagulation, platelet  numbers and coagulation factors. In another study conducted in 1968, administration of the tincture to 70 pregnant  women for 10 days prepartum  resulted in a substantial reduction in postpartum  bleeding compared to untreated controls. Remarkable results were observed in patients  with thrombocytopaenia by Lapajev in 1965, where Schisandra fruit juice led to a 3- to 8-fold increase in blood platelets  and full recovery. 

In a series of clinical trials involving 60 patients  with mental disorders, Romas (1958, 1960, 1962) reported that Schisandra was effective in eliminating catatonic stupor in a group of 31 patients  diagnosed with various forms of schizophrenia, but was either not effective or had a negative  effect on the other forms of schizophrenia.

The same author also evaluated  the effects of a tincture of Schisandra berries on 41 patients  suffering from schizophrenia and 197 individuals presenting  with chronic alcoholism (Romas, 1967). In this study, vascular and papillary reactions were also measured.  It was concluded that Schisandra activates these reactions in normal individuals, while in patients presenting  with schizophrenia or chronic alcoholism, in whom the reactions are comparatively suppressed,  the levels are returned  to normal. As a result, the patients became  calmer, more sociable and gregarious, and free of emotional tension and anxiety. Furthermore, patients  with hallucinogenic-paranoid schizophrenia ceased to suffer from hallucinations, while fatty skin on the face disappeared  in patients  with catatonic stupor, accompanied by an augmentation of face mimicry and general activity. 

In a study involving 289 patients  suffering from different forms of chronic sinusitis, 72% of the 89 patients  treated  with Schisandra and the antibiotic levamisole attained  a full clinical recovery compared with only 46% in a control group receiving the traditional treatment (Konoplev, 1989). The decreased numbers of circulating T-lymphocytes and increased levels of B-lymphocytes in the blood were normalised in 77% and 82.8% of patients  treated  with Schisandra and levamisole compared with only 14% and 68%, respectively, in the group receiving conventional therapy.

An interesting  study by Berdyshev in 1995 compared the effects of Schisandra and Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) in 357 sailors working under stress. One group of sailors acted as controls while the second group received either 3 mL of Schisandra tincture or 4 mL of Siberian ginseng tincture. Compared to the Siberian ginseng, a single dose of Schisandra increased body temperature by 0.3°C, decreased  sensorimotor response time, increased heart rate and blood pressure, increased respiration rate, diuresis and vitamin C and 17-ketosteroid  excretion, but decreased  the phagocytic index (all p < 0.05). Siberian ginseng increased the tone of parasympathetic nervous system, whereas  Schisandra increased the tone of the sympathetic  nervous system. Based on urinary nitrogen and vitamin C excretion, Siberian ginseng appeared to be anabolic, whereas  Schisandra was catabolic. It was concluded that the increase in working ability observed following Siberian ginseng occurred in parallel with improved endurance  to hypoxia and an enhancement of non-specific resistance. In contrast, the increased working ability with a single dose of Schisandra was accompanied by a poorer endurance  to hypoxia and decreased  non- specific resistance. It appeared that Schisandra had a gentle stimulating effect.

The authors of the review included some of their own research, which provides interesting  insights into the mechanism  of action of adaptogens. In a placebo- controlled, double blind study aimed at determining the effects of Schisandra on stress, athletes  (n=185) were administered  either placebo (n=48), or Bryonia alba root tablets (n=47) at a dose of two tablets daily for 7 days, or Schisandra tablets (n=90) containing 91.1 mg extract/tablet (standardised for schisandrins at a level of 3.1 mg/tablet) at a dose of 2 tablets twice daily for 8 days. 

It was found that the level of nitric oxide (NO) in saliva freshly collected from beginners was strongly increased after heavy physical exercise, while in well-trained top- level athletes  the level of salivary NO was not significantly altered following such exercise. Salivary

NO might therefore,  constitute a measure  of adaptation of an organism to heavy physical exercise. Treatment of athletes  with either Bryonia tablets or Schisandra extract led to increases in both physical performance and the basal level of salivary NO in comparison with those taking placebo. However, following a period of heavy physical exercise, no further increase in salivary NO was observed in athletes  treated  with the herbs, while salivary NO levels were increased in the control group of athletes.

In well-trained athletes,  the basal level of salivary cortisol was decreased  following administration of Bryonia tablets and Schisandra extract, and a further decrease  was observed following a period of heavy exercise. Moreover, the study revealed  that both herbs decreased  the neutrophil:lymphocyte  ratio and the monocyte:eosinophil ratio in treated  athletes  compared with the control group.

The authors of the review noted that, considering the role of NO and cortisol in terms of the “switch on- switch off” concept of the stress-system, it can be concluded that: (i) stress, in the form of chronic and acute physical exercise, activates the formation of mediators of NO activation and cortisol suppression in the neuroendocrine  system, (ii) phytoadaptogens exhibit a “pro-stressor effect” in that they activate the formation of NO and modulate  cortisol in blood plasma and saliva, and (iii) such changes adapt an organism to further heavy physical loading. In this respect, adaptogens increase the production of both activating and deactivating messengers of the stress system, and they are challengers of the defence response of an organism.

Comment

Hopefully this excellent review will stimulate  a greater interest in the adaptogenic  properties of Schisandra, which are probably underestimated in the West. Anyone interested in a more comprehensive understanding  of adaptogens at a scientific level, and in particular the remarkable  properties of Schisandra in this regard, should undertake  to read the full article by these experts in the field.

 

REFERENCE

1     Panossian A, Wikman G. J Ethnopharmacol 2008; 118(2):  183-

212

Ginkgo Eye Drops for Allergic Conjunctivitis

Greetings folks, the following is an article distributed to practitioners from Mediherb and Dr Kerry Bone, one of the Australia’s and possibly the worlds leading professors of herbal medicine and manufacturers of the finest quality herbal products. This is supposed to be information for practitioners only but due to the constant smear campaigns and misinformation distributed by some medical doctors and pharmaceutical companies, mainly idiotic American based, I am going to publish the articles sent to me so that you, the discerning public, have more accurate and honest information upon which to base your decision to use herbal therapies.

Many but not all, mainstream pharmaceutical companies and some doctors have their heads in the sand when it comes to herbal medicine and the real threat it poses to their “Illness Industry”. Much of the so called science behind pharmaceuticals is questionable as are the side effects whilst
much of the science behind herbal medicine is very sound indeed. Modern science is even proving more and more that natural therapies, herbal medicine and energetic medicine is the way forward. The ones who stand to lose the most profits would have you believe otherwise!

Enjoy the articles!

Craig Hitchens. B.HSc. NESCP. Dip. Massage. Dip. Reflexology.

Ginkgo Eye Drops for Allergic Conjunctivitis

The standardised  extract of Ginkgo biloba leaf has been shown in clinical studies to be quite versatile and its proven uses now extend well beyond its role in improving peripheral circulation and cognitive function. But the utilisation of standardised  Ginkgo extract in a topical preparation  for the eyes is truly novel. Such a use was recently proposed and tested  in an Italian clinical trial involving patients  with seasonal allergic conjunctivitis.1 This condition is a highly prevalent inflammation of the conjunctiva caused by aeroallergens that trigger a hypersensitive  type I reaction mediated by IgE and mast cells. Earlier pharmacological research suggested  that Ginkgo might be favourable for the eye by re-establishing  normal tear secretions via its action on the innervation of the lachrymal gland.2

 A total of 60 patients  with symptomatic allergic conjunctivitis were enrolled and randomly assigned to the two treatment regimens. After a washout period of 15 days, treatment with a Ginkgo biloba and hyaluronic acid (GB-HA) eye drops or hyaluronic acid ophthalmic solution (HA) alone was initiated and continued for one month. Clinical symptoms such as conjunctival hyperaemia  (redness),  conjunctival discharge and chemosis (swelling or oedema  of the conjunctiva), and subjective signs as itching, photophobia, stinging and lacrimation were evaluated before and after the treatment. A 0 to 4 score was used by an independent clinical observer to quantify each of the above parameters.

Patients treated  with GB-HA, compared to patients treated  with HA alone, showed a significant decrease in the appearance of conjunctival hyperaemia, conjunctival discharge and chemosis. Hyperaemia was particularly responsive to the GB-HA eye drops, dropping by 85%. In addition, all patients  treated  with GB-HA showed a significant improvement  in subjective symptoms compared to the HA patients.  Itching was substantially reduced. Compared to baseline values, patients  treated  with HA alone showed a small but nonsignificant improvement  in only some of the clinical and subjective symptoms. The authors concluded that their results suggest Ginkgo extract may exert a therapeutic  activity in the treatment of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis. Hyaluronic acid did nothave any valuable effect on this pathology. No adverse effects were observed.

Comment

Since the hyaluronic acid component  of the eye drops was largely inactive, the observed benefits can be mainly assigned to the Ginkgo extract. The eye drops used in the trial contained 0.15% hyaluronic acid and 0.05% of the 50:1 standardised  Ginkgo extract. A similar concentration of Ginkgo can be achieved by adding 2 to 3 drops of a 2:1 liquid extract to 5 mL of sterile saline. The eye can then be bathed  in this solution using an eye bath. When applied this way, the alcohol in the liquid extract will be sufficiently diluted and should cause no irritation of the eye. (Concentrated liquid extracts should never be applied directly to the eye.) Given the effect on lacrimation mentioned  above, the topical use of Ginkgo may prove to be valuable in the management of dry eye syndrome.

 

REFERENCES

1     Russo V, Stella A, Appezzati L et al. Eur J Ophthalmol 2009; 19(3):

331-336

2     Thiagarajan G, Chandani S, Harinarayana RS et al. Exp Eye Res

2002; 75(4): 421-430

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