Natural Alternatives

The term cinnamon refers to the genus Cinnamomum, which belongs to the family of Lauraceae and comprises over 250 species of evergreen trees and shrubs [65], Cinnamon is a spice native to Sri Lanka and Southern India used for thousands of years [58]. The first recorded use of cinnamon was by the father of Chinese medicine, Emperor Shen Nung circa 2800 B.C.E. Cinnamon was used in Eg5q)t as an ingredient in embalming fluid for the mummification process and was mentioned 

Although ciimamon has neuroprotective properties that demonstrate promising benefits in the treatment of AD and PD, there are several limitations. Questions regarding its bioavailability, ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, and its biotransformation remain unanswered [60]. The majority of studies done are in vitro or in animal models and there is limited information on the most effective dose of cinnamon. Additionally, the actions of cinnamon are much broader than neuroprotection as such, determining the intracellular targets and specific pathways modulated by cinnamon is imperative to realize its therapeutic potential. 

and Zhu, X. 2013. Mitochondrial defects and oxidative stress in Alzheimer disease and Parkinson disease. Free Radic Biol Med, 62 90-101. 

Dexter, D.T. and Jenner, P. 2013. Parkinson disease from pathology to molecular disease mechanisms, 62 132-144. 

and Tarazi, F.I. 2012. Pharmacotherapies for Alzheimer s disease beyond cholinesterase inhibitors. Pharmacol Ther, 7i4(l) 8-25. 

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There is much interest in the possible hormonal effects of phytoestrogens in both men and women. The majority of studies conducted in women have examined the ability of phytoestrogens to alleviate menopausal symptoms. Whilst hormone replacement therapy is recommended for women experiencing menopausal symptoms, there remains some uncertainty as to whether HRT can increase the risk of breast cancer. As a result of these concerns, investigations into natural alternatives such as phytoestrogens have received considerable attention. 

I did a lot of thinking about my cancer treatment options while I was there. The surgeon called me as soon as I was back from our trip. I told her my decision was to try natural, alternative treatments, and to keep an eye on the tumor. I told her I would be really concerned if it grew to the size of an egg. She said, When it gets to the size of an egg it will be terminal and there will be nothing I can do for you. I said, Okay, but Pm going to try alternative programs. ... 

The use of DPH lifetimes for the analysis of phase separations and membrane properties has been described for mode) systems.n fl) In the case of both parinaric acids and DPH, one of the motivations for examining phase separation in a model lipid bilayer is the possibility that phase separations might be detectable in natural membranes. However, this technique has not been able to satisfactorily resolve lateral phase separations in natural membranes, either because they do not exist or because they are much more complex and even possibly transient in nature. Alternatively, it could be argued that if a probe could be found with the characteristics of trans-parinaric acid but perhaps with an even greater phase partitioning ability, then this approach might be reevaluated. 

Enviromnent and health-related problems Bio varnishes , i.e. varnishes based on natural, renewable raw materials, were developed as close-to-nature alternatives (substitutes) i.a. as a reaction to the so-called German wood preservative scandal and indoor pollution due to chemical solvents. Nevertheless, they have until now had a relatively high content of volatile bio-organic solvents, which may cause irritations, allergic and neurotoxic reactions, and contribute to the formation of tropospheric ozone. 

To exploit the heat stored in the rock, it is important to have cooler water recharging the reservoir. The recharging water gains heat by flowing through the hot reservoir rock towards producing wells and it extracts heat from this rock in the process. The recharge of the water may be natural. Alternatively, it may be injected waste fluid. 

A very recent development is encapsulation of actives in colloidosomes [16, 41]. The method is analogous to liposome entrapment. Selectively permeable capsules are formed by surface-tension-driven deposition of solid colloidal particles onto the surface of an inner phase or active ingredient in a water-in-oil or an oil-in-water emulsion composed of colloidal particles. Initially synthetic polymer microparticles were used but more recently a natural alternative has been described based on small starch particles. After spray-drying, redispersible emulsions can be formed. 

ACE inhibitory peptides have been separated from the skin of skate by Lee et ah (2011). The purified peptides showed IC50 values of 95 and 148 M, respectively, for both peptides isolated from the skin of skate. Further, Lineweaver-Burk plots indicated that the peptides act as noncompetitive inhibitor against ACE. Recently, many inhibitory peptides against ACE are reported (Table 15.2) as natural alternative biofunctional peptides that are safer than that of the existing artificial ACE inhibitory compounds in the market that show some side effects. Various peptides have been isolated from seafood by-products from the fisheries industry such as backbones from tuna (Lee et al., 2010). Tuna backbone has hydrolyzed using various proteases such as alcalase, a-chymotrypsin, neutrase, papain, pepsin, and trypsin to obtain an antioxidant peptide (Je et ah, 2007). 

Hoekstra EJ, De Leer EWB (1995) Organohalogens The Natural Alternatives. Chem Brit 31 127... 

Macias FA, Molinillo JMG, Varela RM, Galindo JCG. 2007. Allelopathy—a natural alternative for weed control. Pest Manag Sci 63 327-348. 

According to Susan Allport, author of The Oueen of Fats Why Omega-fs Were Removed from the Western Diet and What We Can Do to Replace Them, there are some natural alternatives for boosting your fertility. Ifyour partner s sperm are less than sprightly, it can help him to start taking omega-3 fatty acids (up to 12 grams a day). 

In order to be more specific, let us look at examples of natural alternatives. One way of categorizing alternatives involves areas of experience. These areas of experience—from physical to spiritual—correspond to the kinds of gratification people seek when they use drugs. There is a lack in some area of experience and people try to use drugs to fill that deficiency. 

Medicines are made using synthetic materials, so it s possible that MCS patients will not tolerate them. In consultation with your doctor, try looking for safer/natural alternatives whenever possible. If you do have to use medicine, test it very carefully to start with. You may be able to pulverize a tablet and use just a tiny bit to see if you display any negative reactions. Then slowly build up the dosage, when possible. Be sure to discuss this with your doctor, since with some medications you actually can t do a slow buildup and have to immediately start with a high dosage, for example when eliminating bacteria and viruses. 

Partial listings of alleged natural alternatives to the top five over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drug categories are shown in Tables 16.3 and 16.4, respectively. It... 

Table 16.3 Natural alternatives to the top five OTC drug categories ...

Pilnik, W. and Vervelde, G.J., Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) as a source of fructose, a natural alternative sweetener, Z. Ackerund Pflanzenbau, 142, 153-162, 1976. 

The major nutraceutical application of marine-derived bioactive peptides has been ACE inhibition, and a partial list of identified bioactive peptides is given in Table 27.1. Fish protein has been reported to be an advantageous starting material for preparation of ACE inhibitory peptide hydrolysates (Curtis et al., 2002). Marine-derived protein hydrolysate tends to contain high concentrations of cysteine, methionine, and arginine, all of which help reduce hypertension (Kristinsson, 2007). Such marine-derived peptides could be used as potent functional food additives and represent a healthier and natural alternative to ACE inhibitor drugs (Li et aL, 2004). Currently, the bioactive oligopeptides from dried bonito and sardine muscle have been approved as Foods for Specified Health Use by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Japan. 

Can you find stress relief in a pill Certainly there are several prescription drugs such as Valium (diazepam) your doctor could suggest. But all come with a variety of potential side effects, the least of which would be drowsiness. You want to relax, not collapse I m happy to say that once again there is a completely natural alternative that I ve used myself with great satisfaction. 

I wanted no part of them and went on to develop the natural alternative program of oat bran and niacin, along with a low-fat diet. (Some people would say that niacin is actually a drug since it works very differently in large doses than it would as a nutrient. And, as stated, niacin calls for medical supervision when taken in large dosages.)... 

When, as a synthetic chemist, you look at the structure of RNA, you may ask yourself how did this particular type of molecular structure enter the scene for the first time If you adhere to the principles of evolution, you are led to conclude that the structure is the result of a selection process. Selection from what An important possibility is that RNA had been selected (or had selected itself) from a combinatorially formed library of alternative structures. Again, if you, as a synthetic chemist, hypothesize about the type of chemistry that could have produced RNA for the first time, chemical reasoning leads you to consider that there are many chemically closely related alternative structures that could have had a comparable chance to be formed by the same kind of chemistry. In such a scenario, RNA was selected, or had selected itself, by functional criteria from a library of structurally related nucleic acid alternatives. Such a view defines a strategy for approaching the question experimentally you systematically make such potentially natural alternatives in the laboratory by chemical synthesis and compare them with RNA with respect to those chemical properties that are known today to be relevant for RNA s biological functions. Such comparisons may tell you. 

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