Here is some text from the hydroxycut website:

Information on the old versions of Hydroxycut-branded products, voluntarily recalled May 1, 2009

On May 1, 2009, Iovate Health Sciences initiated a voluntary recall of certain Hydroxycut-branded products when FDA announced that it had received 23 reports over more than seven years about consumers having experienced liver-related problems coinciding with the time they were taking some Hydroxycut-branded products. Out of an abundance of caution, all of the products’ herbal ingredients and extracts have been replaced in the new formulas currently available. (from http://www.hydroxycutadvanced.com/update/)

Hydroxycut Products

What I find interesting is that these products were recalled after 7 years of use produced 23 reports of side effects and at least one death.  Wow.  Now a certain vaccine causes tens of thousands of side effects and almost 40 deaths and they still call it safe.

I’m trying to do the math.  Help me out?

Much hullabloo is raised by the opponents of Chinese medicine regarding the supposed lack of research and/or safety profile of Chinese materia medica.  I had often said that a) research does exist, b) Chinese materia medica are used in combination with each other precisely to reduce toxicity and enhance therapeutic benefit and c) I find myself distrusting pharmaceutical company-backed “studies”.  This news article (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123672510903888207.html?mod=loomia&loomia_si=t0:a16:g2:r1:c0.0270612:b22894832) from March only serves to strengthen my opinions.

Again, some significant excerpts:

Top Pain Scientist Fabricated Data in Studies, Hospital Says

By Keith J. Winstein and David Armstrong

A prominent Massachusetts anesthesiologist allegedly fabricated 21 medical studies that claimed to show benefits from painkillers like Vioxx and Celebrex, according to the hospital where he worked.

Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, Mass., said that its former chief of acute pain, Scott S. Reuben, had faked data used in the studies, which were published in several anesthesiology journals between 1996 and 2008…

…The hospital has asked the medical journals to retract the 21 studies, some of which reported favorable results from the use of painkillers like Pfizer Inc.’s Bextra and Merck & Co.’s Vioxx — both since withdrawn — as well as Pfizer’s Celebrex and Lyrica. Dr. Reuben’s research work also claimed positive findings for Wyeth’s antidepressant Effexor XR as a pain killer. And he wrote to the Food and Drug Administration, urging the agency not to restrict the use of many of the painkillers he studied, citing his own data on their safety and effectiveness…

…Dr. Reuben had been a paid speaker on behalf of Pfizer’s medicines, and it paid for some of his research….

…Jacques E. Chelly, the head of acute interventional postoperative pain service at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said he was “shocked” by the news of the retractions. Dr. Reuben “was very well respected,” Dr. Chelly said.

He added that the situation has prompted his hospital to review the protocols it uses to treat patients for pain, because Dr. Reuben’s work was so influential in establishing them. He said the hospital was now conducting its own study to verify the efficacy of drugs that Dr. Reuben claimed were effective painkillers….

Painkiller drug that was later withdrawn

Me, I’d rather take Zhang Zhongjing, Sun Simiao, Li Dongyuan, Li Shizhen, et al, whose motivation for researching their herbs and formulas was quite frankly, to cure patients that others couldn’t.  No drug company grants, no motivation to fake data, nothing.

I am not accusing drug companies of encouraging this sort of behavior.  However it is clear that the motivation of some scientists is not the benefit of humanity but the benefit of their own careers and bank accounts.  Bite not the hand that feeds you, and give the hand more reason to feed you.

I applaud the hospital for doing self checks and revealing the truth when found.  All researchers, even those in Chinese medicine, should be more than ready to admit such discrepancies.  (For the record, many Chinese researchers from the 60s admitted to faking acupuncture results.  Glad that that’s taken cared of also.)

Source:

Winstein, Keith and Armstrong, David.  “Top Pain Scientist Fabricated Data in Studies, Hospital Says” Wall Street Journal Online Edition 11 March 2009.  24 October 2009 <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123672510903888207.html?mod=loomia&loomia_si=t0:a16:g2:r1:c0.0270612:b22894832>

(above picture courtesy of http://luo-xue.com/HerbsandFormulas/thumbnails.php?album=17)

Yu Ping Feng San (Jade Screen Powder) is well known Chinese herbal formula used primarily to build up one’s resistance to environmental excesses.  In plain language, it helps people resist weather changes and thus get less allergies and flus.  Jade is long known in oriental culture as a material that preserves and was even used by some ancient chinese royalty as material for coffins – to prevent the body from decaying (supposedly).  Anyway now we know where the “Jade Screen” part of the name comes from.  The “screen” protecting us from environmental disease factors is reinforced, much like filling in the cracks in a hypothetical great wall of the human body.

Ingredients used in Yu Ping Feng San

The Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy of the Department of Health, Taiwan has an article in it’s 1997 yearbook about Yu Ping Feng San.  I am quoting the abstract here for our reference:

Research on Diagnosis and Treatment of TraditionalChinese Medicine(TCM) to Allergic Rhinitis
Jaung – Geng Lin
China Medical College

In order to explain the function of Yu Ping Feng San(prescription of TCM) for treatment on allergic rhinitis and from the action of the role of Yu Ping Feng San and its composition of Huangpi, Baizhu, Fangfeng, and Chingqi in the network of cytokine, Fifteen healthy youths and adults (average age, 23.13¡Ó5.15 years) were selected from the China Medical College Hospital for participation in this study, and each person is blooded 30cc to set in heparined-blood for test in mononuclear cell (MNC) and polymorphonuclear cell (PMN). Add in stimulator (comparison set) separately and five concentrations (5ƒÝ g/ml, 10ƒÝ g/ml, 100ƒÝ g/ml, 250ƒÝ g/ml, and 500ƒÝ g/ml) each of two different prescriptions of Yu Ping Feng San, each containing the same ingredients (Huangqi, Baizhu and Fangfeng) in different proportions and labeled G (1:1:1) and J (3:1:1), as well as the same five concentrations of the individual ingredients of Yu Ping Feng San, Huangqi (an authentic medicinal root used in traditional Chinese medicine), Baizhu, Fangfeng and Chingqi (a non-authentic substitute for Huangqi), totaling 30 samples(Experimental set), for testing and studying. Therefore, the subject of this research: the study of TCM for treatment on allergic rhinitis(1) Prescription of TCM for allergic rhinitis Yu Ping Feng San and its composition and Chingqi In Vitro test to study on their effect on the secretion of interleukin-4 (IL-4) from mononuclear cells and the secretion of histamine from neutrophils, in the test, makes use of Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) to get the concentration. From the data obtained, we use SAS statistic software for analysis.

¡@¡@Results indicated that Yu Ping Feng San prescription G effectively reduced histamine levels (3.22¡Ó0.61 ng/ml vs 1.33¡Ó0.46 ng/ml, P < 0.05 at concentrations of 100ƒÝ g/ml) as well as IL-4 levels (18.43¡Ó5.18 pg/ml vs 10.61¡Ó0.52 pg/ml, P < 0.05 at concentrations of 100ƒÝ g/ml). Yu Ping Feng San prescription J also effectively reduced IL-4 levels (18.43¡Ó5.18 pg/ml vs 6.57¡Ó0.97 pg/ml, P < 0.05 at concentrations of 500m g/ml), however, histamine release increased (3.22¡Ó0.61 ng/ml vs 4.44¡Ó0.77 ng/ml, P < 0.05 at concentrations of 250ƒÝ g/ml). By concentration, Yu Ping Feng San prescription G presented the best inhibitive effect on histamine and IL-4 at the concentration of 100ƒÝ g/ml. Further analysis showed that one component, Fangfeng, played a major role in inhibiting histamine and IL-4 (Dunnett¡¦s t test; P < 0.05); Huangqi actually increased the concentration of histamine (6.64¡Ó2.57 ng/ml vs 14.88¡Ó3.78 ng/ml, P < 0.05 at concentrations of 250ƒÝ g/ml). In addition, we also investigated the effects of Chingqi (a non-authentic substitute for Huangqi, now supplying over 90% of the Huangqi market in Taiwan). In vitro experiments demonstrated that Chingqi produced the least significant effect (LSD ; p< 0.05). Therefore, we believe that Yu Ping Feng San improves conditions of allergic rhinitis mainly by inhibiting the release of histamine and IL-4. This study also provides substantial evidence to support the use of authentic ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine preparations. The fact that among the two prescriptions of Yu Ping Feng San, prescription G, which contained a higher proportion of Fangfeng and a lower proportion of Huangqi than prescription J, effected greater inhibition of histamine and IL-4, can be used as a clinical guide for the effective treatment of allergic rhinitis We hope this investigation will provide a useful research model for the integration of Chinese and western approaches to medicine.

Interesting observations:

Fang Feng Guards against Wind

Fangfeng (Ledebouriella Root) is known for expelling Wind.  The name itself means to guard against wind.  In other words, it is a main herb in relieving symptoms.  This research shows it reduces IL-4 and histamine levels.

Huangqi (Astragalus Root) is an herb that we have mentioned in an earlier post.  It is known to increase immune function.  In this case, it actually increased histamine production. This is not unexpected because histamine triggers the inflammatory response to invaders.

What this study also does is that it helps clinicians make decisions as to how to modify prescriptions as needed.  I would assume that rhinitis caused by an allergy would treated with less huangqi and more fangfeng, whereas more huangqi can be used if an active microbiologic pathogen is suspected.

Source:

1997 Yearbook, Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy of the Department of Health, Taiwan.  23 October 2009 <http://www.ccmp.gov.tw/en/research/result_detail.asp?relno=51&selno=0&no=86&detailno=204>

From Channel News Asia: (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1013085/1/.html)

Thomson Medical launches TCM unit
By Mok Fei Fei, 938LIVE | Posted: 22 October 2009 1831 hrs

SINGAPORE: Mainboard-listed Thomson Medical Centre said on Thursday that it has launched a Chinese Medicine unit.

It said the unit will integrate traditional Chinese medicines and practices with conventional treatments aimed at treating women.

Services provided by the unit include acupuncture for assisted reproductive therapies, fertility wellness and cancer recovery.

The Chinese Medicine unit also aims to introduce a children’s care component in 2010.

Thomson last traded at 60.5 cents, down by half a cent. – 938LIVE/vm

Thomson Medical, is a 190 bed hospital in Singapore specializing in Obstetrics-Gynecology and In-vitro Fertilization.  The fact that it is integrating a TCM unit is a testament both to the recognition of Chinese Medicine’s efficacy in treating such conditions and to the growing trend of letting the two systems of medicine (east and west) go side by side.  The way some people talk, it’s as if east and west are mutually exclusive.

I’m hoping to visit someday so I can see just how this integration is done.  Perhaps a similar system can be put in place in the Philippine setting.

It has been reported in the media that Dr. Andrew Weil, MD has been critiqued by the US Food and Drug Administration for promoting astragalus root (huang qi) in general and his “Immune Booster” formula against Swine Flu.  My opinions on Whine, er Swine Flu aside, I would like to take this opportunity to discuss Huang Qi in general and it’s use against flus in particular.

But first I have to correct the online article as it showed the astragalus stem and leaves on the page.

Leaves of the astragalus plant

Actually the Huang Qi often used is the astragalus ROOT

Astragalus root sliced and ready for use

Some excerpts from the article:

In a stern warning letter, the Food and Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission told Weil Lifestyle LLC to stop marketing a dietary supplement called “Immune Support Formula” as a product that could “diagnose, mitigate, prevent, treat or cure the H1N1 Flu Virus in people.”

…The regulators go on to call out several other statements on the Web site about studies and scientific evidence to back the antiviral and immune-boosting power of the herb astragalus, an ingredient in Immune Support Formula.

…The NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine says, “The evidence for using astragalus for any health condition is limited.” Data from small and preliminary studies suggest the herb may help the immune system fight infections, the NCCAM says, and researchers funded by the center are studying astragalus’s effects on the immune system.

…On “Larry King Live” last month, Weil recommended some “interesting strategies” to combat swine flu, including taking capsules of astragalus, which he called “perfectly safe.”

Offhand, I must say that while I admire Dr. Weil for having the courage to stand up for traditional medicine, I believe it is irresponsible to call astragalus, or any other medicinal plant “perfectly safe” and on Larry King Live yet!

I know that what he probably meant was that the amount of astragalus in his formulations were within accepted safety levels, but I believe that ordinary laymen who hear such statements as “perfectly safe” would interpret that to mean “I can take it like candy.”  Not the case.  Sure, it has a high theapeutic index, with a dosage range from 9-30 grams (relatively high) but still there is an UPPER LIMIT.

But what is Astragalus Root all about?  It’s common english name is milkvetch and it’s scientific name is Astragalus propinquus or Astragalus membranaceus according to some.  The component used in Chinese Medicine is the root and thus the herbal component is called Radix Astralagi.

It is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese medicine.  According to tcm-healthinfo.org it can be used:

Orally, Huang Qi/Astragalus is used for treating the common cold and upper respiratory infections; to strengthen and regulate the immune system; and to increase the production of blood cells particularly in individuals with chronic degenerative disease or in individuals with cancer undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy. It is also used orally for chronic nephritis and diabetes. Astragalus is also used orally as an antibacterial and antiviral; a tonic; liver protectant; anti-inflammatory; antioxidant; and as a diuretic, vasodilator, or hypotensive agent.
Topically, Huang Qi/Astragalus is used as a vasodilator and to speed healing.
In combination with Ligustrum lucidum (glossy privet), astragalus is used orally for treating breast, cervical, and lung cancers.

Let’s take a sampling of research articles about the effects of Astragalus

Shen et al.  “Differential Effects of Isoflavones, from Astragalus Membranaceus and Pueraria Thomsonii, on the Activation of PPAR-alpha, PPAR-gamma, and Adipocyte Differentiation In Vitro“  American Society for Nutrition J. Nutr. 136:899-905, April 2006

Our data suggest the potential value of isoflavones, especially biochanin A and their parent botanicals, as antidiabetic agents and for use in regulating lipid metabolism. – from abstract.

Here’s an article so good I have to quote the whole thing with some points highlighted…

Could an herbal therapy that’s been used for centuries in Chinese medicine to strengthen the immune system hold the key to an effective treatment for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, better known as AIDS? A new study by scientists at the UCLA AIDS Institute says that’s possible.

The research, set to be published in the Journal of Immunology November 15th (available on-line now at http://www.jimmunol.org/cgi/content…), concludes astragalus root contains a substance that could make it a powerful weapon in the fight against the HIV virus that causes AIDS. “This has the potential to be either added to or possibly even replace the HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy), which is not tolerated well by some patients and is also costly,” co-author Rita Effros, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and member of the UCLA AIDS Institute, said in a press statement.

So what specifically appears to make astragalus effective in treating HIV infection? The key finding in the UCLA study shows a substance in the herbal therapy prevents or slows down the progressive shortening of a part of immune system cells called telomeres.

A telomere is a region found at the end of each cell chromosome. It does not contain genes but does contain repeated DNA sequences. As immune cells age, telomeres gets shorter and shorter when the cells divide. Eventually, the cells change, can no longer divide and their ability to fight infections is compromised. This phenomenon is dubbed replicative senescence.

For a strong immune system to function correction, a great deal of cell division has to take place. For example, when a virus invades the body, killer T-cells (known as CD8 T-lymphocytes) have receptors that recognize the invader and begin to create versions of themselves to fight the virus — through division, they create more and more of an immune system “army” to knock out the virus. In most healthy people, the telomeres in cells are long enough to allow cells to divide many times without a glitch. What’s more, T-cells can switch on an enzyme called telomerase to prevent the telomeres from shortening and to boost the ability of the cells to divide.

“The problem is that when we’re dealing with a virus that can’t be totally eliminated from the body, such as HIV, the T-cells fighting that virus can’t keep their telomerase turned on forever. They turn off, and telomeres get shorter and they enter this stage of replicative senescence,” Dr. Effros explained in a statement to the press.

Previous studies have shown that injecting the telomerase gene into T-cells can keep the telomeres from shortening so they fight HIV longer than they normally would be able to. However, this complicated and expensive gene therapy isn’t a practical way to treat the millions of people infected with the HIV virus. Good news: the current study shows that treatment with a natural substance called TAT2 found in astragalus could be a far better approach.

The reason? Not only did the researchers find that the astragalus-derived TAT2 slowed the shortening of telomeres, but it also boosted the CD8 T-lymphocytes production of soluble factors called chemokines and cytokines. And these substances have been shown in other research to shown to block the replication of the HIV virus.

“The ability to enhance telomerase activity and antiviral functions of CD8 T-lymphocytes suggests that this strategy (using TAT2 from astragalus) could be useful in treating HIV disease, as well as immunodeficiency and increased susceptibility to other viral infections associated with chronic diseases or aging,” the researchers wrote in their research paper.

According to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center web site (http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/691…), astragalus has no reported adverse effects. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to support and enhance the immune system and for heart disease. Currently, the herb is widely used in China for chronic hepatitis, colds and upper respiratory infections and as an adjunctive therapy in cancer. The remarkable herbal therapy has also shown promise in animal experiments as a way to prevent dementia.

WOW.  “Possibly replace HAART”.  THIS is the Huang Qi that is they doubt has an effect against a FLU?

Some other research cited by this article from the University of Maryland Medical Center website

Chen KT, Su CH, Hsin LH, et al. Reducing fatigue of athletes following oral administration of huangqi jianzhong tang. Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2002;23(8):757-761.

Duan P, Wang ZM. [Clinical study on effect of Astragalus in efficacy enhancing and toxicity reducing of chemotherapy in patients of malignant tumor]. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi.2002;22(7):515-517.

Hao Y, Qiu QY, Wu J. [Effect of Astragalus polysaccharides in promoting neutrophil-vascular endothelial cell adhesion and expression of related adhesive molecules]. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2004;24(5):427-430.

Hei ZQ, Zhang JJ, Lin SQ, et al. [Effects of Astragalus membranaceus injection on nitric oxide and endothelin concentration of intestinal mucosa after hemorrhage shock-reperfusion in rats]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2004;29(5):444-447.

Kim SH, Lee SE, Oh H, et al. The radioprotective effects of bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang: a prescription of traditional Chinesemedicine astragalus. J Chin Med. 2002;30(1):127-137.

Mao SP, Cheng KL, Zhou YF. [Modulatory effect of Astragalus membranaceus on Th1/Th2 cytokine in patients with herpes simplex keratitis]. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2004;24(2):121-123.

Shao BM, Xu W, Dai H, et al. A study on the immune receptors for polysaccharides from the roots of Astragalus membranaceus, a Chinese medicinal herb. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2004;320(4):1103-1111.

Shi FS, Yang ZG, Di GP. [Effect of Astragalus saponin on vascular endothelial cell and its function in burn patients]. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2001;21(10):750-751.

So the evidence IS there.  But why the need to bash it?  Like I said, if properly used, the commonly found and inexpensive Astragalus root (btw, it’s also used in contemporary asian cooking) can REPLACE expensive drugs that are money-makers for Big Pharma… maybe.

Sources:

Hensley, Scott.  “FDA and FTC Slam Swine Flu Claims For Dr. Weil Supplement” http://www.npr.org 16 October 2009.  20 October 2009 <http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2009/10/fda_and_ftc_slam_swine_flu_cla.html>

tcm.health-info.org “Huang Qi – Astragalus Root”. 20 October 2009 <http://tcm.health-info.org/Herbology.Materia.Medica/huangqi-properties.htm>

Shen et al.  “Differential Effects of Isoflavones, from Astragalus Membranaceus and Pueraria Thomsonii, on the Activation of PPAR-alpha, PPAR-gamma, and Adipocyte Differentiation In Vitro“  American Society for Nutrition J. Nutr. 136:899-905, April 2006

University of Maryland Medical Center. 20, October 2009 <http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/astragalus-000223.htm>

Baker, Sherry. NaturalNews.com 13 November 2008. 20 October 2009 <http://www.naturalnews.com/024799_HIV_astragalus_AIDS.html>