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Nutraceutical Herbs and Insulin Resistance
Published in Robert E.C. Wildman, Richard S. Bruno, Handbook of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, 2019
Giuseppe Derosa, Pamela Maffioli
The cactus opuntia, also known as nopal, is native to Central Mexico and the pads are eaten as a vegetable. Cactus plants have long served as a source of food for people, and they have long been used in traditional Mexican medicine for treating diabetes. Nopal is considered a functional food because it is a proven source of dietary fiber and bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity, such as flavonoids, flavonols, carotenes, and ascorbic acid, in addition to being low in calories.62–64
Choosing Herbal Treatments
Published in Scott Mendelson, Herbal Treatment of Major Depression, 2019
In a recent review it was noted that the herbs most frequently cited in the literature as being useful in the treatment of diabetes type II were Momordica charantia (bitter melon), Trigonella foenum graecum (fenugreek), Gymnema sylvestre (gurmar), Coccinia indica (ivy gourd), Opuntia spp. (nopal), Panax ginseng (ginseng), Artemisia dracunculus (Russian tarragon), Cinnamomum cassia (cinnamon), Plantago ovata (psyllium), and Allium sativum (garlic).108 The mechanisms of action for these herbs were described as including regulation of insulin signaling pathways, translocation of GLUT-4 receptor and/or activation the PPARγ. All of those mechanisms have been associated with anti-depressant effects.109–111
The Rational Use of Dietary Supplements, Nutraceuticals, and Functional Foods for the Diabetic and Prediabetic Patient
Published in Jeffrey I. Mechanick, Elise M. Brett, Nutritional Strategies for the Diabetic & Prediabetic Patient, 2006
Consumption of broiled stems from the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia streptacantha [nopal]), a popular treatment for diabetes among the Mexican population, was associated with decreased fasting blood glucose (about 50 mg/dL) and insulin levels (about 50%) based on 6 short-term metabolic trials of patients with T2DM (evidence level 3) [66–71]. This botanical has a high soluble fiber and pectin content that can decrease intestinal glucose absorption, and no significant adverse effects have been reported (grade C).
Effects of Phyllanthus amarus PHYLLPROTM leaves on hangover symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2019
Annie George, Jay K. Udani, Ashril Yusof
Alcohol elimination was faster in the active group (p < 0.0001) at hour 12. It would have been helpful to have had additional BAL time points between hours 1.5 and 12, especially at hour 10, to evaluate the rate of alcohol detoxification since it was at hour 10 that the placebo group reported the highest complaints of nausea, headache, anorexia, tremulousness, diarrhoea and dizziness. This appears to be the time where alcohol was still present at a higher amount in the placebo group while 2 h later, the active group no longer had any alcohol in the bloodstream whereas the placebo group still did. This implies that PHYLLPRO™ improved hangover symptoms through the efficient clearing of alcohol from the bloodstream. This was the case for the fruit extract of Evodiae rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth (Rutaceae) and Xeniji™ (a trademarked fruit- and vegetable-based preparation) which reduced alcohol concentration in blood plasma in vivo and upregulated the relative expression of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and antioxidant Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn SOD), suggesting the removal of alcohol by hepatic alcohol metabolizing and antioxidant enzymes (Cho et al. 2005; Zulkawi et al. 2017b). Other alternative therapies such as artichoke extract have been examined in a randomized controlled trial, but no benefit was found (Pittler et al. 2003). Nopal cactus [Opuntia ficus-indica L. Mill (Cactaceae)] was found to reduce some of the symptoms associated with hangover (Wiese et al. 2004).
Migraine: Between headache, pomegranate, seed of cochineal, and unidentified fish
Published in Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, 2019
The link between scarlet and migraine can be found in an hemiptera insect named cochineal of nopal, a Mexican cactus (Diguet, 1909). A scarlet dye can be extracted from this insect: “graine de cochenille” [seed of cochineal]. When a dyer used only half a dose of the grain, it was logically called “mi-graine” (half-seed). And over time, the hyphen disappeared.