ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Lung cancer has a high mortality rate and is often diagnosed at the metastatic stage. Gefitinib is a targeted molecular therapeutic drug used to treat patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Korean herbal medicines may also have therapeutic efficacy against lung cancer, reduce the side effects associated with chemotherapy, and improve patient quality of life (QOL)...

HISTORY Since the emperor Shen Nong tasted 100 herbs and taught the Chinese people how to use them in diet and therapy, herbal medicine has been an integral part of Chinese culture and medical practice. Descriptions of herbal therapy occur in the earliest texts that discuss Chinese medical practice. The traditional Chinese materia medica includes minerals and animal parts as well as herbs. Late...

Despite the great progress in modern medicine, traditional medicine has always been practised in the Arab-Islamic world. Cultural beliefs and practices often lead to self-care or home remedies in rural areas and consultation with traditional healers. Traditional therapies have been utilized by people in the Mediterranean region who have faith in spiritual healers, homeopaths or even many herbal...

The prevalence of herbal medicine use during pregnancy is between 7% and 55%, depending upon the geographic area surveyed and the surveyed group's socio-cultural aspects and ethnicity. Why are women taking natural health products (NHPs) in pregnancy? Women who learn they are pregnant are concerned about the safety of their fetus and may turn to NHPs rather than prescription medication. Use of N...

The scientific method is an affront to the advocates of the irrational, magical or pseudo-scientific belief systems that characterise " alternative " or " complementary " therapies such as homeopathy, craniosacral therapy and ear candling, to name but a few of the less credible varieties. Practitioners of these so-called therapies are unable to provide any verifiable explanations as to how thes...

Many factors underlie the growing popularity of herbal treatments for a variety of chronic conditions. Interestingly, people who use alternative therapies are not necessarily uninformed. If anything, they are more "culturally creative" (i.e., comfortable with cultural changes) and more highly educated. Many people using herbal medicines find the health care alternatives are more congr...

Herbal medicine use is thought to be linked to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) either through its ability to reactivate the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or through a direct promoting effect on EBV-transformed cells. To investigate this, 104 histologically confirmed NPC cases and 205 matched controls were studied in The Philippines. Blood was collected to assess antibody titers against EBV, and an in...

This series of working papers is intended to provide information and to generate fruitful discussion on key issues in the sustainable and equitable use of plant resources. A Af fr ri ic ca an n m me ed di ic ci in na al l p pl la an nt ts s Setting priorities at the interface between conservation and primary healthcare A A. .B B.. C Cu un nn ni in ng gh ha am m The designations employed and the...

BACKGROUND Fatty liver disease is potentially a reversible condition that may lead to end-stage liver disease. Since herbal medicines such as Crataegus pinnatifida and Salvia miltiorrhiza have increasingly been used in the management of fatty liver disease, a systematic review on herbal medicine for fatty liver disease is needed. OBJECTIVES To assess the beneficial and harmful effects of herb...

background: the most common symptoms experienced by women are hot flashes are around the time of menopause. many women are interested in herbal medicines because of fear of side effect of hormone therapy. objective: in this study, we seek to assess the effectiveness of herbal medicine on the recurrence of hot flash in menopausal women. methods: the database of medline, scopus, and the cochrane ...