Scientific evidence of alternative treatments available.
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Scientific evaluation of herbal products has been limited, yet herbal products are the most commonly consumed health care products. Because of known pharmacological effects and potential interactions of many of these compounds with therapeutic drugs, a history of herbal and dietary supplement intake should be considered part of the routine medical history and should be evaluated before any changes in prescription drugs and before medical procedures.
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Among the recommendations for the maintenance of gingival and periodontal health, few have focused on the value of nutritional supplements. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of certain nutritional and plant-derived nutraceuticals and a placebo tablet in the reduction of gingivitis, bleeding, probing depths, and attachment levels in a 60-day two-cell, randomized, parallel clinical trial for patients with Type II periodontal disease. The vitamin therapy was introduced as an adjunct to patient homecare to determine if there was a quantifiable improvement to soft-tissue health and periodontal damage. Sixty-three patients were randomly divided into two groups of 32 and 31 subjects and given either a vitamin tablet containing seven active ingredients (experimental treatment) or a placebo tablet. The clinical parameters assessed were the gingival index (GI), bleeding index (BI), periodontal pocket depth (PD), and attachment levels (AL), and were recorded at baseline and 60 days. Patients took the assigned tablet at breakfast and at dinner after brushing their teeth twice daily. After 60 days, the data showed a clinical reduction in the GI, BI, and PD for the experimental group (P < .0001). There were no significant changes for AL with either the experimental or the placebo group. When the data were further analyzed for pocket depths of > or = 4 mm in patients receiving the experimental treatment, there were clinically significant improvements in the GI and PD from baseline to 60 days (P < .0001), but no significant differences in the BI and AL. There were no statistical differences in any of the indices when the data were compared between men and women. The results of the present study suggest that a multi-vitamin nutritional supplement might be a beneficial adjunct to the required established periodontal treatment.
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Immunosuppressive drugs have been developed from natural products such as soil and fungi, which are also the sources of some commonly used herbal products. However, the effect of herbal products on immune response has not been investigated. Because these products can affect the host immune system they can induce either rejection or tolerance after a transplant procedure. To investigate the effects of ten commonly used herbal products on transplant-related immune function we performed in vitro lymphocyte proliferation tests using phytohemagglutinin, mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) assay, and interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-10 production from MLC. Dong quai, ginseng, and milk thistle had nonspecific immunostimulatory effects on lymphocyte proliferation, whereas ginger and green tea had immunosuppressive effects. Dong quai and milk thistle increased alloresponsiveness in MLC, whereas ginger and tea decreased these responses. The immunostimulatory effects of dong quai and milk thistle were consistently seen in both cell-mediated immune response and nonspecific lymphoproliferation, whereas that of ginseng was not. The immunosuppressive effect of green tea and ginger were mediated through a decrease in IL-2 production, but the immunostimulatory effects of dong quai and milk thistle were not. We conclude that green tea, dong quai, ginseng, milk thistle, and ginger have effects on in vitro immune assays that may be relevant in transplantation in humans.
Grapefruit extract at dose 40 micrograms/cm3 inhibited Phytophtora cryptogea linear growth about 50% and almost completely suppressed zoosporangia formation. Drenching of gerbera plants with the extract at dose 165 micrograms/cm3 reduced population density of the pathogen about 70% and this high efficacy was noted at least one month after application. Treatment of gerberas with grapefruit extract resulted in protection of about 50% of plants against the pathogen. Biological activity of purple coneflower extract was lower than extract from grapefruit. Significant decrease of population density of the pathogen during the first 5 days and increase of gerbera healthy stand was observed, however, in peat treated with that extract.
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