Godhaer.co.uk :: Herbs and Aging

Herbs and Aging

Foods containing a variety of phytochemicals, including phytochemicals with antioxidant properties, may offer greater protection against, or reverse mental decline associated with, age-related disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Oxidative stress may be a key factor in both, recent findings suggest. Research also finds that supplemental doses of ginkgo biloba and other herbal antioxidants are more useful than individual nutrients. Antioxidants are in fruit and vegetables. They slow brain aging. A diet rich in fruit and vegetables may help prevent age-related mental decline, according to a US study published in the Journal of Neuroscience. It has been shown that an antioxidant-rich diet improves memory and slows the decline in nerve cell functions important in movement than a standard diet. "Our results show that these foods, particularly chlorophyl-rich foods, are beneficial in retarding age-related central nervous system and cognitive behavioral deficits," said lead author Dr. James Joseph of the US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts.

Resveratrol*
This anti-aging tonic contains the important constituent resveratrol which can provide nearly identical benefits as calorie restriction, as it activates the same genes as calorie restriction. You can also obtain resveratrol from natural sources such as bilberry, elder berry and sloe (our sources).
Resveratrol is also found in raspberries, mulberries, bilberry (also in SeeMore Tonic), whole grape skins and seeds and peanuts, and is known to have a number of beneficial health effects, including fighting cancer. It belongs to a family of compounds known as polyphenols, which are known to combat damaging free radicals in the body.

* Resveratrol. Experiments from the Harvard laboratory of David Sinclair published in 2003 the journal Nature demonstrated that resveratrol significantly extends the lifespan of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Dr. Sinclair then founded Sirtris Pharmaceuticals to commercialize resveratrol or related compounds as an anti-aging drug.
Later studies showed that resveratrol prolongs the lifespan of the worm Caenorhabditis elegans and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. In 2006, it also extended the maximum lifespan of a short-lived fish, Nothobranchius furzeri, by 59%, and extended its median lifespan by 56%. Also noted were an increase in swimming performance, an increase in cognitive performance (learning tasks), and a lack of neurofibrillary degeneration (found in a control group). The authors observed that "[resveratrol's] supplementation with food extends vertebrate lifespan and delays motor and cognitive age-related decline could be of high relevance for the prevention of aging-related diseases in the human population. Later in 2006, a report in the journal Nature from Sinclair's laboratory and the Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology at the National Institute on Aging showed that the compound improves health and survival of mice on a high-calorie diet.
The mechanisms of resveratrol's apparent effects on life extension are not fully understood, but they appear to mimic several of the biochemical effects of calorie restriction. This seems to function by means of lipase inhibition, reducing the absorption of fat through intestinal walls. A new report indicates that resveratrol activates SIRT1 and PGC-1α and improve functioning of the mitochondria.

Our Unique Combination of antioxidant medicinal herbs and fruits can be prescribed, which I call AgeLess Tonic.

Reversing Cognitive Decline

"Nutritional intervention with fruits and vegetables may play an important role in protecting against and possibly reversing the cognitive declines seen from aging," Joseph added in a statement released by the publisher of the journal, the Society for Neuroscience.

Free Radicals

"Free radical destruction is thought to be a contributing factor to the decline in memory and motor performance seen in aging."Fruit and vegetables are key sources of antioxidants, nutrients that disarm harmful molecules called free radicals. Free radicals - the undesirable byproducts of various metabolic functions - damage cells. Over time, this damage, called oxidative damage or oxidative stress, is believed to play a leading role in certain diseases and age-related changes. Although the body also produces antioxidants, over time production declines. "The brain may be particularly vulnerable to the damaging effects of free radicals because it is relatively deficient in antioxidants to begin with," Joseph said in a press statement. "Free radical destruction is thought to be a contributing factor to the decline in memory and motor performance seen in aging."

Tests to Prove Herbal Antioxidants

To determine whether an increase in antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetable consumption might offset these age-related declines in antioxidant production, and their consequences, Joseph and colleagues did tests with an array of "phytochemicals," or plant chemicals, that appear to have anti-oxidant properties.

Various tests designed to measure brain and mental functioning showed that the diets supplemented with greens saw the fewest age-related declines, followed by those fed fruit extract. Vitamin E also helped slow mental decline over time, but not to the same extent, Joseph and colleagues report. "Thus, phytochemicals present in antioxidant-rich foods, may be beneficial in retarding functional age-related central nervous system and cognitive behavioural deficits," they conclude. Specially formulated for each person and taken daily will serve admirably to help offset free radicals and subsequent mental decline.

Herbal medicines can have a unique blend of herbal anti-oxidants. Take on a low dose long-term basis.

Visit our Wheatgrass page for more on anti-oxidants and SOD or our Detox page

Find out about herbal medicine for treatment of this condition

7 Deadly Things
Cambridge researcher Aubrey de Grey believes aging is a preventable phenomenon, much like a disease, stating that aging is merely a side effect of being alive.
He explains his belief that humans could live for centuries, if only we approach the aging process as “an engineering problem.”
He outlines the seven basic ways people age, and how to solve each one. And if we get to work now, he says, humans alive today could live to be 1,000.
According to de Grey, these “7 Deadly Things” are responsible for your physical aging, and are the basis of his “engineering approach” solutions:

1. Cell loss/atrophy
2. Death-resistant cells
3. Nuclear mutations and epimutations
4. mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA) mutations
5. Protein cross links
6. Junk inside cells
7. Junk outside cells

Essentially, de Grey’s hypothesis states that if you can keep these seven deadly cell-damaging processes below the threshold of pathology – the state where processes start to break cells down until your body dies from the cumulative damage – you will be able to extend your life indefinitely.
In other anti-aging news, published in Best Life magazine, two preeminent aging experts have placed a bet on whether or not someone living today will be alive in 2150.
Steven Austad, biologist and professor of cellular and structural biology at the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, believes someone alive today will still be alive in 2150. For the past 20 years, Austad has researched the fundamentals of aging, and has been able to drastically extend the lifespan of various animals by tinkering with their genes, or restricting their calorie intake.
Jay Olshansky, on the other hand, believes there are too many hurdles to be overcome, suspecting any benefit derived from anti-aging drugs will probably be wiped out by rising threats to public health, such as obesity and diabetes. In fact, the demographic models Olshansky and his colleagues have built project that obesity alone will cut the life expectancy of Americans by two to five years within the next 50 years.
Both experts agree, however, that science is making radical advances. Scientists now have a much more detailed understanding of how shutting down certain genes and restricting calories slow your aging process.
The shared factor between all long-lived animals is their superior capability to repair their DNA.
Edward Masoro, at the University of Texas, pioneered research in the 1990’s, showing that a low-calorie diet switches on a key gene called SIRT1 that controls a network of other genes, which in turn create proteins that protect cells from damage. The idea proposed by more than a dozen pharmaceutical companies working on anti-aging drugs, is that you may one day be able to simply take a pill that switches on SIRT1 in your cells.
One such molecule is resveratrol, produced by grapes and other plants. Sirtis Pharmaceuticals, Elixir Pharmaceutical, and about a dozen others are pursuing these kinds of molecular-based anti-aging drugs.
The current old-age record holder is Jeanne Calment, a Frenchwoman who died in 1997 at the age of 122.

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Our herbal tonic medicines are carefully prepared on a personal and individual basis for your healing by medical herbalist Alan Hopking MA MNIMH MRCHM FINEH. Only whole herbs are used in our herbal medicines. Nothing else is added. If you have symptoms which you consider might be helped with herbal medicine please contact herbal practitioner Alan Hopking for a friendly confidential professional consultation. Telphone using our freephone 0500 90 96 97.
Once you have received your herbal prescription you can contact Alan Hopking at any time for more free advice (preferably by email). When you have completed your bottle of herbal medicine and if you want a repeat prescription you are requested to phone or email so that your progress can be assessed and adjustments made if necessary so that there is no break in your treatment. To order or re-order, click here.

UK Government Dept - MHRA

General advice to consumers on the use of herbal remedies from the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

From the website of the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (www.mhra.gov.uk) Department of Health, UK

• Remember that herbal remedies are medicines. As with any other medicine they are likely to have an effect on the body and should be used with care.
• Herbal remedies may sometimes interact with other medicines. This makes it particularly important to tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking a herbal remedy with other medicines such as prescribed medicines (those provided through your doctor or dentist).
• Treat with caution any suggestion that a herbal remedy is '100% safe' or is 'safe because it is natural'. Many plants, trees, fungi and algae can be poisonous to humans. It is worth remembering that many pharmaceuticals have been developed or derived from these sources because of the powerful compounds they contain. Any medicine, including herbal remedies, which have an effect on the body should be used with care.
• Treat with caution any herbalist or other person who supplies herbal remedies if they are unwilling or unable to provide written information, in English, listing the ingredients of the herbal remedy they are providing.
• If you are due to have a surgical operation you should always remember to tell your doctor about any herbal remedy that you are taking.
• Anyone who has previously experienced any liver complaint, or any other serious health complaint is advised not to take any herbal remedy without speaking to their doctor first.

PRECAUTIONS:

Pregnant/Breast-feeding mothers
Few conventional medicines have been established as safe to take during pregnancy and it is generally recognised that no medicine should be taken unless the benefit to the mother outweighs any possible risk to the foetus. This rule should also be applied to herbal medicinal products. However, herbal products are often promoted to the public as being “natural” and completely “safe” alternatives to conventional medicines. Some herbal ingredients that specifically should be avoided or used with caution during pregnancy. As with conventional medicines, no herbal products should be taken during pregnancy unless the benefit outweighs the potential risk.

Volatile Oils

Many herbs are traditionally reputed to be abortifacient and for some this reputation can be attributed to their volatile oil component.(6) A number of volatile oils are irritant to the genito-urinary tract if ingested and may induce uterine contractions. Herbs that contain irritant volatile oils include ground ivy, juniper, parsley, pennyroyal, sage, tansy and yarrow. Some of these oils contain the terpenoid constituent, thujone, which is known to be abortifacient. Pennyroyal oil also contains the hepatotoxic terpenoid constituent, pulegone. A case of liver failure in a woman who ingested pennyroyal oil as an abortifacient has been documented.

Uteroactivity

A stimulant or spasmolytic action on uterine muscle has been documented for some herbal ingredients including blue cohosh, burdock, fenugreek, golden seal, hawthorn, jamaica dogwood, motherwort, nettle, raspberry, and vervain. Herbal Teas Increased awareness of the harmful effects associated with excessive tea and coffee consumption has prompted many individuals to switch to herbal teas. Whilst some herbal teas may offer pleasant alternatives to tea and coffee, some contain pharmacologically active herbal ingredients, which may have unpredictable effects depending on the quantity of tea consumed and strength of the brew. Some herbal teas contain laxative herbal ingredients such as senna, frangula, and cascara. In general stimulant laxative preparations are not recommended during pregnancy and the use of unstandardised laxative preparations is particularly unsuitable. A case of hepatotoxicity in a newborn baby has been documented in which the mother consumed a herbal tea during pregnancy as an expectorant. Following analysis the herbal tea was reported to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are known to be hepatotoxic.

Breast-feeding mothers

A drug substance taken by a breast-feeding mother presents a hazard if it is transferred to the breast milk in pharmacologically or toxicologically significant amounts. Limited information is available regarding the safety of conventional medicines taken during breast-feeding. Much less information exists for herbal ingredients, and generally the use of herbal remedies is not recommended during lactation.

Paediatric Use

Herbal remedies have traditionally been used to treat both adults and children. Herbal remedies may offer a milder alternative to some conventional medicines, although the suitability of a herbal remedy needs to be considered with respect to quality, safety and efficacy. Herbal remedies should be used with caution in children and medical advice should be sought if in doubt. Chamomile is a popular remedy used to treat teething pains in babies. However, chamomile is known to contain allergenic sesquiterpene lactones and should therefore be used with caution. The administration of herbal teas to children needs to be considered carefully and professional advice may be needed.

Perioperative use

The need for patients to discontinue herbal medicinal products prior to surgery has recently been proposed. The authors considered eight commonly used herbal medicinal products (echinacea, ephedra, garlic, ginkgo, ginseng, kava, St John’s Wort, valerian). On the evidence available they concluded that the potential existed for direct pharmacological effects, pharmacodynamic interactions and pharmacokinetic interactions. The need for physicians to have a clear understanding of the herbal medicinal products being used by patients and to take a detailed history was highlighted. The American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) has advised patients to tell their doctor if they are taking herbal products before surgery and has reported that a number of anaesthesiologists have reported significant changes in heart rate or blood pressure in some patients who have been taking herbal medicinal products including St John’s Wort, ginkgo and ginseng. MCA is currently investigating a serious adverse reaction associated with the use of ginkgo prior to surgery. In this case, the patient who was undergoing hip replacement experienced uncontrolled bleeding thought to be related to the use of ginkgo.

From the website of the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (www.mhra.gov.uk) Department of Health, UK

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Godshaer Herbal Clinic
Advanced Botanical Centre of Medicine
Ducking Stool Lane
Christchurch
Dorset
BH23 1DS
UK

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+44 (0) 1202 488122
Freephone UK 0500 90 96 97

alanhopking@godshaer.co.uk

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alanhopking

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Disclaimer and pledge

As a professional herbal practitioner I am in practice in conformity with the laws of England and the 1968 Medicines Act. The UK legislative provisions for herbal medicine are to be found in the Medicines Act 1968, Section 12, paragraphs 1 & 2, and Section 56, paragraphs 1 & 2.

Section 12:1 specifies exemption for herbal medicines from licensing provided that they are supplied subsequent to private personal consultation. Section 12:2 exempts herbal medicines provided that they are produced according to standard traditional, non-industrial methods. It also specifies that no written claims may be made for the use of the remedy.

Therefore at Godshaer Herbalist no claims about any medical condition regarding the herbal medicines prescribed by Alan Hopking are made. Indeed, be it a doctor, surgeon or herbal practitioner, the successful outcome of our treatments cannot with any certainty be predicted, let alone guaranteed. Further, following UK and EU law, the information on this web site attach no medical claims and no claims concerning the medicinal herbs mentioned relating to any medical conditions listed. All the herbal prescriptions are unlicensed and made by Alan N. Hopking at the address of Godshaer Herbalist for patients of Alan N. Hopking.

I pledge that, I shall do all I can, using my knowledge of herbal medicines and natural treatment, to help you regain your deserved health.
Alan Hopking MA MNIMH MRCHM FINEH

All our herbal medicines are made from the raw herb at our dedicated clinic and dispensary in Ducking Stool Lane. We collect the fresh herbs, or import the dry herb. They are organic if at all possible. We only use whole herbs. We are against the use of standardized extracts, or the concentration of herbs by adding more of the active constituent. We recommend you do not use such products in any form (dry, in capsules or as tincture extracts). To use our herbal tonics you should follow the prescribed dose. Any side effects or problems should be reported to us.