Herbal Update

There seems to be almost no limit to the growing interest in herbal remedies. Some studies are confirming the positive effects of certain herbs.

As malaria continues to affect people around the world, an herbal remedy seems to be effective in fighting the disease. Reports say that a drug made from sweet wormwood cured ninety per-cent of the patients within a three day period. Whether this would be affordable for people in developing countries is another question. Also, there may not be enough of the plants available to fill the expected demand. Researchers found the active ingredient is a substance called artemisinin. One promising thing about this herbal remedy is that it is effective even when the malaria parasite has become resistant to most other anti-malarial drugs.

One of the problems with buying herbal products, such as pills, is that the label doesn't necessarily state the percentage of the herb or quantity per dose. In addition, there is also the question of determining what a proper dose would be. These issues have been addressed by various consumer watchdog groups and others, which will often analyze the commercially available herbal products. One such test examined over a dozen sleep remedies that were labeled as valerian, and found that the labels either listed the wrong dosage or didn't contain as much of the herb as they stated.

For those plagued with frequent migraines, an herbal remedy may be the solution. Several recent studies found that butterbur did reduce the number of migraines as well as their severity.

Recently, a new report on ginger recommended that pregnant women affected by morning sickness benefited from ginger. Though the researchers said the data was still preliminary, six studies found that supplements made from ginger did seem to help.

If you're tired of the children in your neighborhood selling candy for their school door-to-door, there is hope. Herb Herbert is an herb marketing program in Australia that hopes to combat obesity by making the herbs available to schools and civic organizations for fundraisers.

Though aloe is usually seen as a remedy for burns and skin problems, a recent dentistry report concluded that this herb can be useful for various mouth and tooth problems. It apparently is good for treating cold sores, and sore gums following tooth extractions.

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