Ginger: A Folk Remedy Put to the Test
Used in cooking and herbal medicine around the world, ginger is the rhizome (underground stem) of Zingiber officinale, which grows in warm climates. It contains many interesting compounds. The best...
View ArticleCan Garcinia Help You Lose Weight?
If only weight loss were as easy as popping a dietary supplement that’s natural and safe. Garcinia cambogia has long been touted as that panacea. This tropical fruit, grown in Africa and Asia, contains...
View ArticleCan Herbs Help an Enlarged Prostate?
It’s almost a given that as men age, they develop prostate enlargement and are increasingly plagued by a frequent need to urinate. A walnut-sized gland located below the bladder, the prostate is...
View ArticleAdaptogens: Herbs for All That Ails You?
We’re all under stress, whether at home or at work or due to illness. So who wouldn’t like to find something that could boost resistance to the adverse effects of stress? A wide variety of herbal...
View ArticleSt. John's Wort: What's Really in the Bottle
If you take the herbal supplement St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) for mild to moderate depression, be aware that many products are adulterated. Undeclared extracts from closely related plant...
View ArticleDoes Myrtol Help Treat Colds?
Q: Will the herbal remedy Myrtol 300 treat colds, as advertised? A: It probably won’t shorten a cold, but it may help reduce coughing and nasal congestion by thinning and loosening mucus and making it...
View ArticleKratom for Opioid Withdrawal
Q: Can the herbal product kratom help with opioid withdrawal? A: Anecdotally, people claim that it helps, but its safety is highly questionable, and both the FDA and CDC have strongly warned against...
View ArticleBest Ways to Protect Your Liver
Avoid heavy alcohol use, a major cause of cirrhosis and other liver damage. Death rates from alcohol-related liver disease have risen sharply in the U.S. since 2009, especially in younger adults. Heed...
View ArticleAre ‘Sunscreen Pills’ for Real?
Most of us would be delighted if we could take a pill, especially one containing “natural” ingredients, that would protect our skin from sun damage, instead of having to slather on sunscreen. With that...
View ArticleWill Boswellia Make You Well?
The herbal supplement boswellia is claimed by its proponents to treat, well, just about everything—from arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome to cancer, heart disease, and...
View Article
