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

  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

  • Recent Posts

  • Recent Comments

    Archive for the 'Coneflower' Category

    Seizures associated with guarana in energy drinks

    Thursday, December 13th, 2007

    Recently, 4 patients experienced seizures multiple times following heavy consumption of energy drinks. The authors proposed that energy drinks rich in caffeine, taurine, and guarana seed extract could have provoked these seizures.

    Here’s what we know about guarana thanks to researchers from the University of Florida at Gainesville and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) in Amazonas, Brazil. (more…)

    Basil, Bee Pollen, Caffeine, Coffee, Coneflower, Creatine, Dong Quai, Echinacea, Ginger, Ginkgo, Ginseng, Goji Berries, Guarana, Kava, Obesity, Vitamins, Ylang-Ylang Oil, Yohimbine, Zinc | Comments Off on Seizures associated with guarana in energy drinks

    The continuing search to discover medicines from plants

    Saturday, February 10th, 2007

    In her book, The Natural History of Medicinal Plants, Dr. Judith Sumner states, “Now, about 40% of all medicinal prescriptions in the United States contain at least one plant-derived ingredient, and European physicians routinely recommend to their patients herbs such as chamomile and coneflower.”

    Here’s a report from India that gives insight into the extensive work being done by just one group of researchers to identify new drugs from plants.

    (more…)

    Chamomile, Chaparral, Coneflower | Comments Off on The continuing search to discover medicines from plants