The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point

Archive for the 'Chinese Medicine' Category

Acne: Recommendations are easy; data, scarce

Monday, July 11th, 2016

Herbalists recommend more than a dozen herbal remedies for acne and scarring, according to a recent article.

Unfortunately, only 1 of these herbals is supported by the results of a study in patients. (more…)

Review: CAM for ADHD

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) are frequently given to children and adolescents for reputed benefits for hyperkinetic and concentration disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Researchers in Arizona and Australia assessed the evidence based on the results of studies providing an acceptable standard of evidence. (more…)

Effect of EstroG-100 on menopausal symptoms

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

Researchers in Korea and the US studied EstroG-100 — a mixture of standardized extracts of Cynanchum wilfordii, Phlomis umbrosa and Angelica gigas. (more…)

Effects of herbals on warfarin therapy

Sunday, June 12th, 2011

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong, in China, studied the risk for an herbal:warfarin interaction in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. (more…)

Hemp Seed Pill to treat functional constipation

Saturday, April 30th, 2011

Functional constipation doesn’t have an anatomical or hormonal cause.

Researchers at Hong Kong Baptist University, in China studied ma zi ren wan (Hemp Seed Pill), which is a branded product. (more…)

Ten-Cha to treat house dust mite allergic rhinitis

Sunday, April 24th, 2011

In Japan and China, Ten-Cha is a commonly used complementary alternative medicine for allergic rhinitis.

Researchers in China studied Ten-Cha (Rubus suavissimus), which is commonly known as either Sweet Tea Extract or Chinese Blackberry Extract. (more…)

Traditional Chinese herbals to treat stable angina

Sunday, April 24th, 2011

Here’s a summary of a Cochrane review of herbals to treat stable angina — aka chronic angina.

In stable angina, chest pain occurs with activity or stress. The pain begins slowly and gets worse over several minutes before going away. (more…)

CAM for pediatric allergic disorders

Saturday, March 12th, 2011

Dr. Xiu-Min Lee (photo) is Director of Mount Sinai’s Center for Chinese Herbal Therapy for Allergy and Asthma, in New York.

She has reviewed the evidence and believes that traditional Chinese medicine can help treat food allergies and asthma. (more…)

Antiwei to treat influenza

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Antiwei is a traditional Chinese prescription used to treat influenza.

Researchers at Sichuan University, in Chengdu, People’s Republic of China report it is effective and well tolerated. (more…)

Interaction between Shengmai-yin and warfarin

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

Shengmai-yin (Sheng Mai Yin Pian) is a concentrated Chinese herbal medicine used to “treat a deficiency of vital energy and Yin, palpitation and shortness of breath, faint pulse, and spontaneous perspiration,” according to ActiveHerb.com.

Researchers at Zhejiang University, in Hangzhou, China report a patient who appeared to suffer from an interaction with warfarin (Coumadin). (more…)

Herbal formula fails to prevent menopausal vasomotor symptoms

Monday, November 22nd, 2010

menopauseResearchers from the University of Western Sydney, in Australia report no benefit after 16 weeks of treatment. (more…)

Food Allergy Herbal Formulation (FAHF-2)

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

During the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), researchers discussed how herbal treatments may be integrated into conventional allergy treatments, including this Chinese herbal formula.

Here’s what we know about FAHF-2, a Chinese herbal formula being tested to treat food allergies. (more…)

Traditional Chinese medicinal herbs to treat chronic fatigue

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

cochrane-symbolThis Cochrane review reports that flawed study design limits the usefulness of the data reported. (more…)

Risk of taking herbals in people with heart disease

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and Arizona collaborated to review the risks of herbal:drug interactions.

The abstract is a bit skimpy on details, but the American Pharmaceutical Association has a nice summary, which will be summarized further here. (more…)

Using Gausha to treat musculoskeletal pain

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

Guasha (aka Gha Sha) is used in Chinese medicine to control pain. It uses tools to scrape or rub the surface of the body to relieve blood (Xue) stagnation (video here).

Researchers from the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, in Daejeon, South Korea reviewed the supporting evidence. (more…)

Mercury, arsenic, and lead levels in herbals

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Researchers from the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, in The Netherlands measured levels in Asian traditional herbal preparations that are available on the Dutch market. (more…)

Traditional Chinese Medicine and stroke recovery

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

Researchers from China and Italy reviewed the evidence. (more…)

Is Duhuo Jisheng Tang safe?

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Duhuo Jisheng Tang “tones” the liver and kidney. It also tones Qi and blood.

I confess, I don’t know what that means, but researchers from Taipei, Taiwan studied its safety. (more…)

Prevalence of CAM use during HAART in HIV

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

HAART is the acronym for Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy — aggressive treatment used to suppress HIV viral replication and the progression of HIV disease.

Researchers from the Hospital San Pedro, in Spain surveyed the use of medicinal plants in HIV patients receiving HAART. (more…)

Research on Chinese herbals for asthma and allergy

Sunday, December 6th, 2009

Medscape has reported the results of 3 studies presented during the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting. (more…)