Richters HerbLetter
Date: 95/09/02
Contents
1. Herbs Block Alcohol Absorption
1. Herbs Block Alcohol Absorption
By Conrad Richter
GOODWOOD, Sept 2 -- A
series of chemicals extracted from plants have been shown to block the
uptake of alcohol into the bloodstream.
The research results were
presented at a recent meeting of the American Chemical Society by
Professor Masayuki Yoshikawa of Kyoto Pharmaceutical University. He
reported that compounds called saponins found in several different
medicinal herbs inhibit alcohol absorption from the gastro-intestinal
tract in rats.
Animals fed a carefully measured doses of herbs
absorbed into the bloodstream only a quarter or less of the alcohol
compared to a control group of rats.
Saponins are soap-like substances
that have attracted increasing attention from medical researchers.
Saponins are implicated in a wide variety of biological effects
including modulation of cholesterol and fat uptake by Agave spp. used
by the Masai in Africa and the adaptogenic effects of ginseng used in
the Orient.
Among the several herbs investigated by Prof. Yoshikawa
and his team was the senega snakeroot (Polygala senega var.
latifolia), a native of North America where the native Indians used it
as a diuretic, diaphoretic (sweat inducer) and for respiratory
conditions. Yoshikawa identified several senegasaponins and senegins
that inhibit alcohol absorption.
Similar saponins from the seeds of
the common camellia (Camellia japonica) and of horsechestnut (Aesculus
hippocastrum) and from the bark of the Japanese angelica tree (Aralia
elata) were also shown have an inhibitory effect. These and related
species are commonly used in Chinese medicine for a variety of
conditions but they were not known particularly for their effect on
alcohol absorption.
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