BACKGROUND Weight-loss medicines, including crude drugs and herbal supplements disguised as diet-aid products, are readily obtainable and distributed widely, especially in Southeast Asia. Even if such products are unapproved or prescription-only medicines, consumers can purchase them through an agency or directly on the Internet. We evaluated the quality and safety of herbal products purchased ...

widely known as a purgative and anti-inflammatory agent. In Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the official Dahuang is prescribed as the dried rhizome and root of Rheum palmatum L., R. tanguticum MAXIM. ex BALF., and R. officinale BAILLON of the family Polygonaceae. On the other hand, the Japanese Pharmacopoeia prescribes not only the above three species but also R. coreanum NAKAI, and their interspecific ...

Many living structures are coated by thin films, which have distinct mechanical properties from the bulk. In particular, these thin layers may grow faster or slower than the inner core. Differential growth creates a balanced interplay between tension and compression and plays a critical role in enhancing structural rigidity. Typical examples with a compressive outer surface and a tensile inner ...