Herbal Treatment Effective For Recurring Urinary Tract Infections

A common herbal extract available in health food stores can greatly reduce urinary tract infections and could potentially enhance the ability of antibiotics to kill the bacteria that cause 90 percent of infections in the bladder. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center, in a series of experiments in mice, believe they have also discovered why many urinary tract infections in the bladder return even after treatment with antibiotics.

         They found that some bacteria hide in cells lining the bladder, where they cannot be reached by antibiotics. But they also found that forskolin, an extract from the Indian coleus plant, flushes out hiding colonies of bacteria, making them susceptible to antibiotic treatment. "After customary antibiotic treatment, the vast majority of the bacteria are either killed by the antibiotics or eliminated during urination," Abraham said. "However, there are small numbers of bacteria that survive antibiotic treatment because they sneak into the lining of the bladder, waiting for the opportunity, after antibiotic treatment, to come out and start multiplying again." The researchers found that forskalin has the ability to force the bacteria out of their niches and into the urine, where they can be killed by antibiotics. Abraham said that forskalin's action makes intuitive sense, since the herb is known to rev up certain cellular activity. This heightened activity in the bladder causes the specialized pouches to "flush out" their contents -- in this case, the hiding E. coli. "This herb has been used in Asia for centuries for a wide variety of ailments," Abraham said. "However, one of its constant uses has been for treating painful urination."

       Today, forskalin is added to bodybuilding products and marketed for its ability to increase lean body and bone mass, as well as to increase testosterone levels. The herb also has been claimed to be an effective weight-loss aid.

Latin Name : Coleus forskohlii Family : Lamiaceae Sanskrit Name : Makandi Common Name : Coleus, Mainmul, Karpuravali Parts Used : Roots Coleus forskohlii is part of the mint family of plants and has long been cultivated in India, Thailand and parts of SE Asia as a spice and as a condiment for heart ailments and stomach cramps. The roots of the plant are a natural source of forskolin, the only plant-derived compound presently known to directly stimulate the enzyme adenylate cyclase, and subsequently cyclic AMP.

Cyclic AMP levels cause several physiological and biochemical effects such as : - Inhibition of platelet activation and degranulation. - Inhibition of mast cell degranulation and release of histamine and other allergic compounds. - Increased force of contraction of the heart muscle. - Relaxation of the arteries and other smooth muscles, vasodilation. - Increased insulin secretion. - Increased thyroid function (and therefore metabolic rate). - Reduced adipose assimilation and increased lipolysis of fats.

ACTION : Anti-glaucoma, Anti-platelet, Bronchospasmolyltic , Cardiotonic, Hypotensive, Anti aging, Anti allergic, Smooth muscle and arterial relaxant, Antiasthmatic.

Popular (Ayurvedic) Herbal Supplement (Triphala) Hinders Growth Of Pancreatic Cancer Cells

A new study from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute suggests that a commonly used herbal supplement, triphala, has cancer-fighting properties that prevent or slow the growth of pancreatic cancer tumors implanted in mice. The study found that an extract of triphala, the dried and powdered fruits of three plants, caused pancreatic cancer cells to die through a process called apoptosis -- the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted or unneeded cells. This process often is faulty in cancer cells. Results of the study, are being presented in a late-breaking session at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, April 14-18, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

          Triphala, one of the most popular herbal preparations in the world, is used for the treatment of intestinal-related disorders. It is typically taken with water and thought to promote appetite and digestion and to increase the number of red blood cells.

"We discovered that triphala fed orally to mice with human pancreatic tumors was an extremely effective inhibitor of the cancer process, inducing apoptosis in cancer cells," said Sanjay K. Srivastava, Ph.D., lead investigator and assistant professor, department of pharmacology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "Triphala triggered the cancerous cells to die off and significantly reduced the size of the tumors without causing any toxic side effects."

Dr. Srivastava and colleagues fed mice grafted with human pancreatic tumors 1 to 2 milligrams of triphala for five days a week and then compared tumor size and levels of apoptotic proteins in the tumors to a control group of mice that received normal saline only. They found that the mice that received triphala had increased levels of proteins associated with apoptosis and significantly smaller tumor sizes when compared to the control group. Triphala-treated tumors were half the size of tumors in untreated mice. Further testing revealed that triphala activated tumor-suppressor genes, resulting in the generation of proteins that support apoptosis, but did not negatively affect normal pancreatic cells.

"Our results demonstrate that triphala has strong anticancer properties given its ability to induce apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells without damaging normal pancreatic cells," said Dr. Srivastava. "With follow-up studies, we hope to demonstrate its potential use as a novel agent for the prevention and treatment of pancreatic cancer," said Dr. Srivastava. Pancreatic cancer is the fifth-leading cause of cancer death in the United States and is one of the most aggressive cancers, with an extremely poor prognosis.