DUIK - Driving Under the Influence of Kava?

If it wasn't so sad it would be funny:

California prosecutors are cracking down on kava-drinking motorists who are driving under the intoxicating influence of the herbal tea.

Following their first successful conviction in June, San Mateo County prosecutors have filed three other cases, after about a dozen motorists had been pulled over in recent years, said San Mateo Deputy District Attorney Chris Feasel.

Let me just say that driving impared is driving impared. Kava-kava (Piper mythesticum) can have an profound impact on some people. Kava is one of those herbs you want to learn before you super-size it.

Motorists under the influence of Kava had a "thousand-yard stare", Feasel said. "They're drooling on themselves sometimes, their motor function is so bad," he added.

He said that police had pulled over kava-addled motorists who were swerving, veering into other lanes and drifting onto the road's shoulder.

"Kava basically has the opposite effect of alcohol," Feasel said. "Kava affects your motor skills before it affects your mental abilities."

Let's back the truck up a second here. Feasle (rhymes with "weasel") is a deputy District Attorney, not an herbalist. Hey Weasel, I'll make you a deal. You don't go spouting off on the physio-psycho effects of herbal medicine, and I won't give out crappy legal advice, deal?

Kava is traditionally used to quite a chatty mind, sharpen focus and help with centering. In large doses, it can be soporific (helps you go to sleep). But this nonsense about the motor system affects before the mental is just goofy. Moron...

Story from New Zealand, of all strange places.

Hypericum and Vitex in clinical trials

I'm always skeptical of clinical trials on herbal medicines, but this one features leading medical herbalist Kerry Bone.

The researchers are seeking women aged between 40 and 60. The study focuses on women currently undergoing menopause, those approaching it and those in their early post-menopausal stage. Participants must be experiencing flushing and/or night sweats in conjunction with other menopausal symptoms such as anxiety, nervous tension, depression, mood changes or sleep disturbances.

Volunteers will be required to take either St John's Wort and Chaste Tree herbal tablets or identical dummy tablets for a period of 16 weeks, and complete short monthly questionnaires. Both herbs have a long tradition for treating menopausal symptoms and are widely prescribed by herbalists and naturopaths.

My only concern is that Vitex (Chaste Tree) can take up to three months before significant effects are noted. Sixteen weeks only gives a months breathing room. We'll see what happens

Big Tobacco pressures Universities

From the Say It Isn't So Department, researchers for the UCSF School of Nursing have uncovered secret (no more) document which show how Phillip Morris used what can only be compared to extortion on research schools and universities. The researchers said:

PM wanted to be seen to contribute to medical research to counter the image of harm caused by its cigarettes. It used a combination of carrots and sticks -- alternately offering or threatening the loss of research funding -- to avoid a public rejection by the medical schools. Johns Hopkins divested; Yale did not.

Raise your hand if you're surprised by this action. If not, The Science Blog has more info...

Pumpkins anti-pollution benefits

Yet another great bit of news from the Science Blog, and seasonal, too!:

While parents and youngsters are busy carving jack-o-lanterns in preparation for Halloween, Canadian scientists are hard at work on another way to use the popular yellow-orange plant. New research shows that pumpkins can clean up soil contaminated with DDT and other pollutants.

In a greenhouse study, members of the Cucurbita pepo species -- including pumpkin and zucchini -- demonstrated the ability to remove DDT from soil, suggesting a potential ''green'' technique for cleaning up sites contaminated with DDT, PCBs and other harmful compounds.

Sweeten with Honey for a healthy kick

It's official. I'm in love with the Science Blog, if for no other reason than reporting on the painfully obvious.

Soda, Halloween candy and other food products that contain high-fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners could one day get a fresh makeover using honey, one of the most ancient sweeteners, researchers say.

Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign say that honey may be a healthier alternative than corn syrup due to its higher level of antioxidants, compounds which are believed to fight cancer, heart disease and other diseases.

To which I can only say: "NO SHIT, SHERLOCK!" Think of it! An unprocessed natural substance which evolved along side of us just mightbe more healthy than something we cooked down and isolated in a lab? Say it isn't so!

Honey, which contains a number of antioxidant components that act as preservatives, also shows promise as a replacement for some synthetic antioxidants widely used as preservatives in salad dressings and other foods, according to Nicki Engeseth, Ph.D., associate professor of food chemistry at the university.

Dark-colored honey, such as buckwheat honey, is generally thought to contain higher levels of antioxidants than the light-colored varieties, according to the scientists. Previous studies by the researchers suggest that honey may have the same level of disease-fighting antioxidants as that of some common fruits.

Howdy fellas. How does the world around you look now that your head has been pulled out of your ass the sand?

Bad breath vs. cancer?

I love stories in the main-stream press that support what us wacky-hippy-herbalists have been saying for years:

Researchers at Cornell University have found, in preliminary lab studies, that members of the onion family with the strongest flavor -- particularly New York Bold, Western Yellow and shallots -- are the best varieties for inhibiting the growth of liver and colon cancer cells.

Not to mention their antimicrobial, hypotensive and anit-inflammatory properties, just to demonstrate a few.

Researchers have known for some time that onions may help fight cancer, but the current study is believed to be the first to compare cancer-fighting abilities among commonly consumed onion varieties.

But why tell the public in advance when you can do more and more and more research studies! Pay no attention to those thousands of years of recorded beneficial use...

While popular as fried ''rings,'' onions are known mostly for their ability to add flavor to a variety of food dishes, including meats, pizza, soups and salads. But they are increasingly becoming known for their potential health benefits. Onions are rich in a flavor compound known as quercetin, a potent antioxidant that has been linked to protection against cataracts and heart disease as well as cancer. They are also sodium, fat and cholesterol free.

Right. What I said ealier... Link from Science Blog.

Fern may help treat Alzheimer's

(Oh yeah, this website needs some attention...)

A BOTANIST'S relentless search of north Queensland's rainforests has paid off with the rediscovery of a fern species that could help in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

On a rainy day in January this year, James Cook University researcher Ashley Field fell over in amazement when he looked up into the rainforest canopy to see the fern that was believed to be extinct.

In China, another member of the species is cultivated to extract the compound Huperzine, believed to help in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

The full story is on News.com.au.