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Archive for the ‘Phytotherapy’ Category
CENTELLA (Centella asiatica).
FAMILY: Apiaceae.
Habitat: original of the East, being diffused in a range that goes from Madagascar to Indonesia.
PART USED: leaves.
PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS RECOMMENDED: dry sprayed and titrated in total triterpene derivatives (acid and acid madecassico Asian asiaticoside 40% and 60%) 60%, whose daily dose is 90 to 120 mg in two divided doses, preferably between meals.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION: is a plant rich in saponosidi, which are the Asiatic acid, the acid madecassico el’asiaticoside.
PROPERTY ‘Therapeutic protective action on veins is particularly indicated for the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency and complications of varicose veins and varicose ulcers which varicoflebiti and for the treatment of cellulite, both topically and for general terms. The usefulness of Centella the treatment of cellulite is due to the fact that the extract of this plant improves venous capillary circulation in skin, whose failure is a major cause of occurrence of the cells.
Centella stimulates the production of collagen by human fibroblasts, and in this way can improve the strength and elasticity of the walls of veins.
There have been 5 controlled trials to evaluate the effect of Centella in patients with diabetic microangiopathy or venous insufficiency, for a total of 361 patients. Patients treated with Centella had significant increase in skin capillary blood flow, with increase in oxygenation of the blood. Moreover, they showed reduced symptoms present before treatment, the swelling of the ankles and venous distensibility measured by mercury plethysmograph. In none of these works have been reported side effects.
SIDE EFFECTS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS: Allergic reactions skin extract of Centella occur in humans in about 1% of subjects after oral administration, but are rather moderate. Conservatively not be used during pregnancy and lactation.
MILK THISTLE (Sylibum marianum).
FAMILY: Asteraceae.
HABITAT: original and frequent in countries around the Mediterranean and the Middle East, especially in places fallow and sunny.
Parts Used: the flowering tops and seeds.
PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS RECOMMENDED: dry extract silymarin in min.1, 0% (Italian Pharmacopoeia X), whose daily dose is 10 to 15 mg. / kg, divided into two doses preferably between meals.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION: The main components are flavonolignani, isolated in the form of a mixture of condensation products is called silymarin and represent between 1, 5 to 3% of the plant. It also contains large amounts of mostly poly-unsaturated lipids (from 20 to 30%) and even moderate amounts of beta-sitosterol. It also contains proteins, simple sugars and complex and flavonoids.
PROPERTY ‘Therapeutic hepatoprotective action is known to have a valid hepatoprotective action, linked to silymarin. In fact it can protect hepatocytes (which are the cells of the liver) damage caused by alcohol, carbon tetrachloride, by galactosamine, the tioacetamida and Phalloidin. In the latter case the effect is only partial if the extract of this plant is administered after Phalloidin. It ‘been shown that silymarin has a stabilizing effect on the cell membrane of hepatocytes and inner membranes of cytoplasmic organelles, which is not unrelated to its inhibitory action on lipid peroxidation, which is mainly caused by free radicals. The silymarin also protects the liver from damage caused by drugs and toxic substances such as insecticides and pesticides. It increases the levels of liver glutathione, which is a valuable antioxidant, but the mechanism by which this occurs is still unknown.
One study evaluated the existing literature on the protective effects of silymarin in the liver. Were found 65 clinical trials, only 19 of them of good quality. The results of these studies indicate that the efficacy of silymarin sull’epatopatia hepatitis, especially that hepatitis C is not tested sufficiently. Nell’epatopatia alcohol the silymarin reduced the transaminase (which are important enzymes in the liver) in a statistically significant but not alkaline phosphatase compared to placebo. In total liver cirrhosis mortality was 16.1% with silymarin and 20.5% without it. Mortality from causes liver generally was 10% with silymarin and 17.3% with placebo, and this figure was statistically significant. The safety of silymarin has always been reported as very good. The meta-analysis shows that silymarin may be useful in treating alcoholic dell’epatopatia and may reduce overall mortality from causes liver.
SIDE EFFECTS: None worthy of note.
Contraindications: should be used with caution in patients with hypertension, because of its non-negligible tyramine content. There are no data on its use during pregnancy and lactation.
Drug interactions: may reduce the intestinal absorption of nifedipine, a drug for cardiovascular protective action.