Global HIV-1 treatment would benefit greatly from safe herbal medicines
with scientifically validated novel anti-HIV-1 activities. The root
extract from the medicinal plant Pelargonium sidoides (PS) is
licensed in Germany as the herbal medicine EPs®7630, with numerous
clinical trials supporting its safety in humans. Here we provide
evidence from multiple cell culture experiments that PS extract displays
potent anti-HIV-1 activity. We show that PS extract protects peripheral
blood mononuclear cells and macrophages from infection with various X4
and R5 tropic HIV-1 strains, including clinical isolates. Functional
studies revealed that the extract from PS has a novel mode-of-action. It
interferes directly with viral infectivity and blocks the attachment of
HIV-1 particles to target cells, protecting them from virus entry.
Analysis of the chemical footprint of anti-HIV activity indicates that
HIV-1 inhibition is mediated by multiple polyphenolic compounds with low
cytotoxicity and can be separated from other extract components with
higher cytotoxicity. Based on our data and its excellent safety profile,
we propose that PS extract represents a lead candidate for the
development of a scientifically validated herbal medicine for anti-HIV-1
therapy with a mode-of-action different from and complementary to
current single-molecule drugs.
Read more: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0087487#sthash.nQigzu4r.dpuf
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Eight unique ways to use honey beyond the kitchen
Healing
Sanitize scrapes and cuts, soothe burns -- As a naturally antimicrobial substance, honey acts like an antibiotic cream. In fact, research published in this article found honey to possess superior antiseptic and healing properties. And manuka (the "King of Honey") has even been shown to knockout antibiotic-resistant MSRA bacteria.
Quiet a cough, ease sore throats -- As shown by clinical studies, honey has equal effectiveness in calming coughs as over-the-counter cough medicines. Mix 1 tablespoon or so of raw honey with warm water to tame a sore or dry throat and soothe nagging coughs.
Banish parasites -- Known as a backpacker's remedy for parasitic hitchhikers, a blend of honey, purified water and apple cider vinegar will help destroy the intruders. Mix 1 tablespoon each of honey and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar with 2 cups warm water. Drink several times a day for two months.
Relieve the agony of a hangover -- If you find that you have overindulged, try a teaspoon of honey dissolved in a glass of water to help speed up the metabolism of alcohol.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Marijuana Infused Oil Cures Child's Seizures
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The doctors were out of ideas to help 5-year-old Charlotte Figi.
Suffering from a
rare genetic disorder, she had as many as 300 grand mal seizures a
week, used a wheelchair, went into repeated cardiac arrest and could
barely speak. As a last resort, her mother began calling medical
marijuana shops.
Two years
later, Charlotte is largely seizure-free and able to walk, talk and feed
herself after taking oil infused with a special pot strain. Her
recovery has inspired both a name for the strain of marijuana she takes
that is bred not to make users high — Charlotte's Web — and an influx of
families with seizure-stricken children to Colorado from states that
ban the drug.
"She can walk,
talk; she ate chili in the car," her mother, Paige Figi, said as her
dark-haired daughter strolled through a cavernous greenhouse full of
marijuana plants that will later be broken down into their anti-seizure
components and mixed with olive oil so patients can consume them. "So
I'll fight for whoever wants this."
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Pesticide formulations up to 1000 times more toxic than active ingredients tested for safety
(NaturalNews) The same university academic whose controversial research
exposed the cancer-causing effects of genetically modified (GM) Bt corn
and the Monsanto crop herbicide Roundup (glyphosate) has made another
groundbreaking discovery, this time with regard to the understated
toxicity of pesticides in general.
Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini and his team from Caen University in France recently found that the vast majority of pesticides sold on the commercial market are far more toxic than we have all been led to believe. As it turns out, all those "inert" ingredients make these assumed-to-be-harmless formulas hundreds, or even thousands, of times more toxic than their approved active ingredients.
Published in the peer-reviewed journal BioMed Research International (BRI), Prof. Seralini's game-changing study looked at nine major pesticides currently available to farmers. Eight of these nine pesticides, or nearly 90 percent, according to the data, were determined to be significantly more toxic than what government regulators have assumed based on assessments of just their active ingredients.
Like vaccines, virtually all pesticide formulas contain so-called "inert," or inactive, ingredients that act as adjuvants in boosting the overall efficacy of their primary active ingredients. In practice, these extraneous ingredients have automatically been assumed to be safe, or at least mostly safe, which is why regulators typically avoid testing them as part of the approval process.
But in nearly every instance, tested pesticide formulas were identified as being orders of magnitude more toxic than just their active ingredients because of all the added "inert" ingredients, something that regulators have routinely failed to consider. And in at least one case, a pesticide formula was found to be 1,000 times more toxic than its active ingredient in isolation.
"[Pesticides] contain adjuvants, which are often kept confidential and are called inerts by the manufacturing companies, plus a declared active principle (AP), which is usually tested alone," reads the study's abstract. "Most importantly, 8 formulations out of 9 were several hundred times more toxic than their active principle."
Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini and his team from Caen University in France recently found that the vast majority of pesticides sold on the commercial market are far more toxic than we have all been led to believe. As it turns out, all those "inert" ingredients make these assumed-to-be-harmless formulas hundreds, or even thousands, of times more toxic than their approved active ingredients.
Published in the peer-reviewed journal BioMed Research International (BRI), Prof. Seralini's game-changing study looked at nine major pesticides currently available to farmers. Eight of these nine pesticides, or nearly 90 percent, according to the data, were determined to be significantly more toxic than what government regulators have assumed based on assessments of just their active ingredients.
Like vaccines, virtually all pesticide formulas contain so-called "inert," or inactive, ingredients that act as adjuvants in boosting the overall efficacy of their primary active ingredients. In practice, these extraneous ingredients have automatically been assumed to be safe, or at least mostly safe, which is why regulators typically avoid testing them as part of the approval process.
But in nearly every instance, tested pesticide formulas were identified as being orders of magnitude more toxic than just their active ingredients because of all the added "inert" ingredients, something that regulators have routinely failed to consider. And in at least one case, a pesticide formula was found to be 1,000 times more toxic than its active ingredient in isolation.
"[Pesticides] contain adjuvants, which are often kept confidential and are called inerts by the manufacturing companies, plus a declared active principle (AP), which is usually tested alone," reads the study's abstract. "Most importantly, 8 formulations out of 9 were several hundred times more toxic than their active principle."
Valentine's Day Warning! Cut Flowers—A Major Yet Little-Known Source of Toxic Pesticides
- Cut flower growers are among the heaviest users of agricultural chemicals, including pesticides that are suspected of being among the most toxic
- The pesticide problem is not restricted to cut flowers. More than half of garden plants attractive to bees and sold at Home Depot and Lowe’s are pre-treated with pesticides that could be lethal to bees
- My recommendation is to forgo both cut flowers and pesticide-treated plants from garden centers. The ideal solution really is to grow your own from organic, untreated seed
- To help you grow organic flowers, I will be sending out a free packet of organic flower seeds with every domestic order placed between February 10 and February 12
- If you have your heart set on cut flowers, resources are included that can help you find organically-grown and/or fair trade bouquets
- http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/11/cut-flower-pesticides.aspx?e_cid=20140211Z1_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20140211Z1&et_cid=DM40442&et_rid=424263005
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Industrial agriculture has reached its 'peak,' say scientists; time for a return to small-scale organics
(NaturalNews) The era of large-scale monoculture, with all of its toxic
pesticides and untested genetically modified organisms (GMOs), could
finally be coming to an end. Researchers from the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) discovered recently that yield expansion rates
for most major industrial food crops are plateauing or even declining in
many areas of the world, a fact that further supports the case for a
return to small-scale, diversified agriculture grown organically.
Published in a recent issue of the journal Nature Communications, these and other findings, including updated projections on future crop yields, help obliterate the myth that modern, industrial methods of food production (e.g., transgenic modification, pesticide use and single-crop cultivation) have led to dramatic advancements in agriculture, when it has actually accomplished quite the opposite.
Published in a recent issue of the journal Nature Communications, these and other findings, including updated projections on future crop yields, help obliterate the myth that modern, industrial methods of food production (e.g., transgenic modification, pesticide use and single-crop cultivation) have led to dramatic advancements in agriculture, when it has actually accomplished quite the opposite.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Superbugs are breeding, spreading drug-resistant genes at water treatment plants
(NaturalNews) What role does the current overuse of antibiotics play in encouraging the spread of new and invasive super bugs?
Why are water treatment facilities spreading super bugs even after the water has been treated?
Is chlorine an effective water disinfectant?
Experts are beginning to ponder these questions as water treatment plants are routinely found to be ineffective. New lab results show that specific infectious superbugs can now spread drug-resistant genes at water treatment plants.
Is it time to curtail the use of antibiotics? They are becoming worthless in the face of evolving superbugs. What natural antimicrobial substances could hospitals and doctors begin using to help patients fight infections without creating and spreading new superbug genes?
What ways can water filtration be improved?
These are the tough questions being asked on the cusp of new findings from Pedro J. J. Alvarez and researchers from Rice University.
Why are water treatment facilities spreading super bugs even after the water has been treated?
Is chlorine an effective water disinfectant?
Experts are beginning to ponder these questions as water treatment plants are routinely found to be ineffective. New lab results show that specific infectious superbugs can now spread drug-resistant genes at water treatment plants.
Is it time to curtail the use of antibiotics? They are becoming worthless in the face of evolving superbugs. What natural antimicrobial substances could hospitals and doctors begin using to help patients fight infections without creating and spreading new superbug genes?
What ways can water filtration be improved?
These are the tough questions being asked on the cusp of new findings from Pedro J. J. Alvarez and researchers from Rice University.
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