Health Express

Randomized clinical trials with placebos are the gold standard of science. They are used to generate generally effective results for pharmaceuticals and many herbal supplements, although the way a trial is designed can have a great impact on whether the results are truly reflective of the reality. Some of the trials for herbs have come under fire in particular for using insufficient amounts of herb, or the wrong type of herb. And pharmaceutical companies have sometimes used the variability in these trials to obtain the results they want.

However, a well designed trial is generally a good indicator for these products, which are not otherwise things we consume on a regular basis. And these things generally have specific parts of the body they exert an effect on, which can be more easily measured in a randomized trial with a placebo.

Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case with vitamins and other nutritional supplements. An article in Nutraingredients summarized very well the limitations of these clinical studies for establishing whether vitamins and nutritional supplements prevent chronic disease.

The author, Stephen Daniells, makes the point that chronic disease has a long latency period. Yet the trials only follow people from 2 to 7 or so years. One example cited was a study looking at the possible impact of vitamin D and calcium on colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer takes 10 to 20 years to show up in healthy subjects, which the women who took part in the study were. Yet the study only followed them for 7 years before coming to the conclusion that these supplements had no effect. This is not good science.

Another point Stephen makes is that vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements like antioxidants work on many different parts of the body, and they work synergistically with each other. This means that some of them, when used in combination, actually produce an effect greater than the individual sum of their parts. Combine this with the need for very long term trials, and you have something of a difficulty with randomized clinical trials for vitamins and supplements.

Do you have early childhood memories of being made to take a dessert spoon full of cod liver oil? I do, and I hated it at the time. My sisters and I always dreaded it, and I have to say I admire my Mum’s persistence and ability to make 3 young girls take something like that against their will!

It turns out she (and my grandmother, from whom she got the idea) were right in knowing how healthy it is. Cod liver oil is a rich natural source of  Vitamin A, which is important for eye health.

But it also contains the omega 3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA. These essential fatty acids are also present in fish oils. One of the main nutritional differences between fish oil supplements and cod liver oil is that the latter also has vitamin A and D. Being fat soluble vitamins, these vitamins can accumulate in the body and have toxic side effects. And if you were to try and source all your essential fatty acids from cod liver oil, then you would run the risk of overdosing on these vitamins.

The main problem with potential toxic side effects from too much cod liver oil is not the vitamin D, but vitamin A. However, in recommended amounts, cod liver oil is not at all toxic and won’t cause a build up of these vitamins.

You don’t need to get all your omega 3 fatty acids from cod liver oil though. Fish oil supplements (or fish itself) is probably the best way to make up the bulk of it. In fact, there are a lot of essential fatty acid supplements made from other marine life, like krill, seal, and the New Zealand green lipped mussel. But cod liver oil, because of its’ other nutritional benefits, is still a good supplement to take.

Olive leaf extract is used for viral infections like herpes, shingles, and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), as well as colds and flu. It can also be used for ear and throat infections, parasites, fungal infections like candida, as well as a number of bacterial infections. There are even suggestions it may be effective against cancer and HIV, although the studies that indicated this were only in the preliminary stages, and needed more validation.

It is considered an alterative, which is a cleansing type of herb. It works against viruses by:

* impeding their capacity to enter our cells
* stopping their ability to replicate

Olive leaf extract is quite specific in its’ capacity to stop viruses. Some of the active constituents also have an anti-inflammatory effect.

Olive leaf is considered non-toxic, and I haven’t seen any reports of side-effects. However, during an acute period of Crohns disease, 1 teaspoon made me physically sick. This seems unusual, and it certainly wasn’t the only thing my body was reacting to at the time. I only mention it because I have seen it recommended for people with Crohns and other inflammatory bowel conditions. From my own experience, I would simply advise caution if you suffer from them. It may be that it doesn’t affect other people with crohns or inflammatory bowel conditions this way. As with anything, listen to your own body!

The latest edition of Australian Natural Health had a couple of great cold and flu remedies, although my favorite is their spiciest - saffron! Those who have done a little bit of cooking will know that saffron is a lovely yellow colored herb that gives curries their wonderful hue. Although they don’t say in which tradition saffron is used as a cold remedy, my guess would be that it’s Ayurvedic, though they could also be referring to traditional Persian (Iranian) herbal medicine.

The website, RoyalSaffron.com, has some great information on the use of saffron as a cold and flu remedy. They confirm that it can be used for to alleviate the symptoms of a flu, suggesting a glass of hot milk infused with saffron. The lactose intolerant may prefer a different medium to milk though! Milk (and dairy) can increase mucous production in some people.

Interestingly, they also suggest saffron for those with acne.  Australian Natural Health do say that saffron has antibacterial, antiviral, and potential anti-cancer effects, so it does appear to exert an effect on the immune system. Saffron is a source of vitamin B2 and riboflavin. Whether or not any significant amounts of these B vitamins can be gained by the small amounts of saffron used in remedies is another matter though.