Natures Gifts for Optimal Health & Self-Healing

By definition, a nutriceutical is a functional food that has nutritional/caloric value and pharmacological (drug) effects. Products from Nature have a long and intriguing history of providing man with useful materials for his daily life. None is more important than the medium-chain fats found in mother's milk and other natural products. Human milk having sanitizing effects was recognized early in human medicine. In the history of cataract surgery that extends back at least 3000 years, the translation of Hindu manuscripts gives detailed methods of the great surgeon Susruta. He practiced asepsis (fumigated the operating room with sweet vapors) and gave an excellent account of his technique of couching (depression of the lens into the vitreous of the eye) as well as an outline of postoperative care. After couching the eye, the milk of a nursing mother would be distributed into the eyes conjunctiva much in the way that antiseptics are used presently after an operation.

The knowledge that mother's milk acted as an antiseptic agent, was lost until recently (Fieldsteel, 1974). He found that the cream but not the skim milk was biologically active after heating. Kabara et al (circa 1966) evaluating the structure-function properties of lipids found that certain fats, fatty acids and more particularly their monoglycerides, were antimicrobial. It was concluded from these two studies that the non-protein portion of human milk that was biologically active were the fatty acids and monoglyceride.

Much of the modern research on the germicidal activity of fatty acids was concluded between 1920 to 1940. More up-to-date studies have been reviewed (Kabara 1978,1984 and 1997). The term "antimicrobial" is intended to cover antibacterial, anti- yeast/fungi and antiviral effects.

Enveloped viruses, as Herpes and others, can be inactivated as do other microorganisms by treatment with specific fatty acids. The antimicrobial effects of fatty acids found in mother's milk against some common microorganisms are given in Table 1.

Table 1 Minimal Inhibitory Concentrations (mM) of Fatty acids found in mother's milk

Approximate concentration in mother's milk Nl, not inhibitory at the concentrations tested (1.0 mg/ml.).

Bitter Melon

Bitter melon grows in tropical areas, including parts of East Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and South America. For centuries, Bitter Melon has been used as both a food and medicine throughout Asia as a therapeutic remedy in a variety of illnesses such as leukemia, diabetes, asthma, insect bites, menstrual cycle problems, stomach problems, as well as many other maladies. Recent studies have found anti-HIV properties.

Over the years, scientists have verified many of the traditional uses of this bitter plant that continues to be an important natural remedy in the natural health practitioner’s medicine chest.

The anti-cancer property is due in part to an enhancement of immune function. Study has shown that bitter melon extracts suppressed lymphocyte proliferation and macrophage and lymphocyte activity. All of these cells having immune function.

The results of a recent study demonstrate that another function of bitter melon is the inhibition of a P-gp protein. The P-gp protein functions as a carrier of drugs out of a cell. It is believed to be one reason for eventual drug resistance in cancer cells.

The P-gp inhibitory substance(s) was analyzed and identified to be monopalmitin, a C16 monoglyceride, a close relative of monolaurin, a C12 monoglyceride (Lauricidin®). The results of this study demonstrated that monoglycerides, one of them monolaurin (Lauricidin®), with a variety of hydrocarbon-chain length were inhibitory toward P-gp. One could conclude that some of the biological effects of bitter melon could therefore be due to the monoglycerides, especially monolaurin (Lauricidin®) and other inhibitory compounds.

The modulation of P-gp function by monoglycerides has not previously been reported. This may be another role of Lauricidin® to make cancer cells more susceptible to chemotherapeutic agents. The physiological/ pharma-cological role of monoglycerides should include the modulation of P-gp functions as well as its antimicrobial effects.

Saw Palmetto

Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) is a plant found in the United States. The berries of Saw Palmetto have been used as medicine by Native Americans for many years. Recent clinical studies revealed that Saw Palmetto extracts can help alleviate lower urinary tract symptoms arising from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a prostate disease commonly found in elderly males.

The benefits of Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) can be traced back to the early 1700’s, where the aborigines of the Florida peninsula depended largely upon the berries. The berries were used by the American Indians to treat atrophy of the testes, impotence, inflammation of the prostate, low libido in men, and as a general tonic to nourish the body. Other historical uses have included the treatment of infertility in women, treatment of underdeveloped   breasts, increased lactation, painful periods, anti-inflammatory, appetite   stimulant, and as a tonic and expectorant for mucous membranes, particularly the bronchial passages. It has also been marketed as an aphrodisiac for both men and women and has been called the “sex pill of the 90’s”.

The product today is mainly used for the treatment of conditions associated with BPH (nonmalignant enlargement of the prostate gland).

Extraction of the berry powder resulted in a soluble fraction that could inhibit the proliferation of several prostate cancer cells. The inhibitory action seemed to be specific against prostate cancer cells because Saw Palmetto extracts had little or no inhibitory effects on the proliferation of colon, kidney, liver, and breast cancer cells. Preliminary chemical characterization studies revealed that the bioactive ingredient(s) in Saw Palmetto are many. According to Dr. Jerry McLaughlin at Purdue University, there are probably more active compounds in saw palmetto than we know of at this time. Dr. McLaughlin has personally analyzed some of these compounds at his University laboratory. He says, "There are hundreds of substances in herbal extracts, and it's going to take a very long time for us to isolate the biologically active ones. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. For instance, he has isolated two monoglycerides within saw palmetto that have anti-tumor activities. These are sn1-monolaurin (lauricidin®, and sn1-monomyristin. Both compounds showed moderate biological activities in the brine shrimp lethality test against renal (A-498) and pancreatic (PACA-2) human tumor cells; borderline cytotoxicity was exhibited against human prostatic (PC-3) cell.