Leung’s Chinese Herb News Index of Issues

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Issue 1 -September 1996      

Topics:  Advocating product integrity and quality in the herbal industry

Featured herbs:  Chrysanthemum; Digoxin; Ginger; Lycium fruit; Mahuang; Walnut


Issue 2 – October/November 1996

Topics:  Herbal antioxidants/What makes a good herbal product?/ Induced lactation in   non-nursing women

Featured herbs:  Aloe Vera; Glycyrrhizin; Job’s Tear; Licorice

 

Issue 3 – December 1997

Topics:  Traditional Chinese medicine and AIDS/Herbs that help the immune system/Is ginseng for you?

Featured herbs:  Fo-ti; Ginseng; Kudzu; Peanut 

 

Issue 4 – January 1997

Topics:   Plagiarism/Antimutagenic herbs/Quality of herbal extracts

Featured herbs:  Banana; Sesame Seed; Zicao

 

Issue 5 – February 1997

Topics:  Food taboos/Nutritional fads/ Herbal sleep aids

Featured herbs:  Ginkgo biloba; Lily bud; Mahuang; Peanut leaf; Sour jujube kernel

 

Issue 6 – March 1997

Topics:  Natural vs. synthetic nutrients/Diet therapy of diabetics/ Hypoglycemic herbs

Featured herbs:  Bitter gourd; Lycium fruit; Mangxiao (Glauber’s salt); Mung bean

 

Issue 7 - April/May 1997

Topics:   Reporting of scientific finding on herbs/Herbs for impotence

Featured herbs:  Lycium Fruit; Magnolia flower bud; Schisandra berry; Sichuan peppercorn; Wild Ginger

 

Issue 8 – June 1997

Topics:  Withholding information? /Herbal Remedies for: sterility/infertility; kidney stones; shingles; migraine; Colds and flu

Featured herbs:  Chinese chives; Chinese prickly pear; Chrysanthemum flower; Job’s Tear; Walnut

 

Issue 9 – July/August 1997

Topics:  Adulterated “standardized” herbal extracts/ Herbs for treating hangover/drunkenness/Herb tips-contact dermatitis; bedwetting in children; canker sore; constipation

Featured herbs:  Ginseng; Gymnostemma pentaphyllum; Kudzu; Mung bean; Sour jujube kernel; Zhu ju zi

 

Issue 10 – Sept/Oct 1997

Topics:  Quality is not cheap! /More on plagiarism/Herbs beneficial to your skin

Featured herbs:  Chinese hawthorn (shanzha); Lingustrum lucidum; Sanqi (tienchi ginseng)

 

Issue 11 – November/December 1997

Topics:  Cultural contrasts-Chinese modesty vs. the ugly American/Herb sourcing in China/Beijing workshop on Chinese herbs/Diet therapy for diabetes

Featured herbs:  Eleuthero; Green tea; Gynostemma pentaphyllum; Lycium; Platycodon

Schisandra

 

Issue 12 – January/February 1998

Topics:  Misinterpretation of research data on herbs/How to assess Chinese herbs/Herbs for cardiovascular health

Featured Herbs:  Chrysanthemum flower; Cured fo-ti; Herbal pillow; Juemingzi (cassia tora/cassia obtusfolia); Lotus leaf

 

Issue 13 – March/April 1998

Topics:  Herbal wild west/What is an herbal supplement? /Bogus “standardized” and “high-strength” extracts/ “Standardization”-a wolf in sheep’s clothing? /Self-defense for honest manufacturers

Featured herbs:  Zhishi

 

Issue 14 – May/June 1998

Topics:   Did ancient herbalists know the secret of long life? /Tea remedies

Featured herbs:  Chrysanthemum flower; Jiaogulan (ginseng substitute?); Lycium fruit; Sesame seed; Tea

 

Issue 15-July/August 1998

Topics:   What are active principles? /Internet junk/More on “standardization”

Featured herbs:  Bletilla; Galangal; Ginger

 

Issue 16 -September/October 1998

Topics:   An herbal dilemma/What extraction companies don’t tell you

Featured herbs:  Schisandra; Astragalus; Baizhu; Fangfeng (siler)

             

 Issue 17 -November/December 1998

Topic:   More misinformation in the media about Chinese herbs/How good are independent laboratories? / Herbal Anesthesia

Featured herbs:  Asarun spp.; Astragalus root; Baizhu; Fangfeng (siler); Kava; Sichuan peppercorn

 

Issue 18 -January/February 1999

Topic:  Scientific studies/reports-what are we studying/reporting? /Listen to your body

Herbal formulas for drunkenness and hangover

Featured herbs:  Echinacea; Eleuthero; Ginseng; Hovenia dulcis

 

Issue 19 -March/April 1999

Topic:  Functional foods and nutraceuticals/Criteria for evaluating research on herbs and other natural products/Anti-fatigue formulas

Featured herbs:  Astragalus root; Huperzia serrata; Lycium fruit; Schisandra berry

 

Issue 20- May/June 1999

Topic:  Exotic dietary supplements-Are they safe? /Wisdom in herb processing/Recent findings in effects of processing

Featured herbs:  Nuzhenzi (ligustrum lucidum); Mahuang and mahuanggen; Fo-ti;

Schisandra 

 

Issue 21 -July/August 1999

Topic:  Polysaccharides-orphans of standardization/Modernization of traditional herbal medicine-What does it mean?

Featured herbs:  Allium tuberosum; Fig leaf; Sanggui; Sichuan lovage (chuanxiong)

 

Issue 22-September/October 1999

Topic:  What’s in a label? /Preventive medicine- what is it?

Featured herbs:  Asian ginseng; Atractylodes spp.; Huanglian

 

Issue 23-November/December 1999

Topic:  More worthless herb research?!/Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children/Licorice as “mitigator” of harsh drugs/More on Astragalus

Featured herbs:  Aconite; American ginseng; Astragalus; Gotu kola; Licorice

 

Issue 24-January/February 2000

Topic:  More run-of-the-mill books on herbs?!/Shameless Promotion-twisting of facts/

Astragalus to improve memory and intelligence?

Featured herbs:  Astragalus; Mahuang; Sida cordifolia

 

Issue 25-March/April 2000

Topic:  Has coffee gotten a bad rap?/Most frequently used herbs in a TCM hospital/Flip-flopping in healthy-eating rule?

Featured herbs:  Berberine; Coffee; Licorice; Poria; Tangerine Peel

 

Issue 26-May/June 2000

Topics:  Are you taking the wrong supplements?/More on coffee (or is it caffeine?)/

Rhodiola- what is it?

Featured herbs:  Rhodiola (hong jing tian)

 

Issue 27- July/August 2000

Topics:  Lack of quality control in herbal information/Ignorance is bliss?/Siberian ginseng-a pulse of the industry?

Featured herbs:  Astragalus; Feverfew; Ginseng; Siberian ginseng

 

Issue 28-September/October 2000

Topics:  More from “The Complete Guide to Herbal Medicines”/Adverse reactions of Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng)

Featured herbs:  Aloe Vera; Bilberry; Chinese ginseng; Sage

 

Issue 29- November/December 2000

Topics:  Why some herbal supplements don’t work? /Herbal treatment of Vitiligo/More on/from the “Complete Guide”           

Featured herbs:  Mume (smoked plum); Psoralea; Yan hu suo (Corydalis yanhusuo)

 

Issue 30-January/February 2001

Topics:   Taking a break from the “Complete Guide”/The Chinese Herbal (Zhong Hua Ben Cao)/Toxicity of Chinese Medicines

Featured herbs:  Asian ginseng; Ginkgo leaf 

 

Issue 31-March/April 2001

Topics:  Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability – of what?/Encyclopedia Traditional Chinese Prescriptions (Zhong Yi Fang Ji Da Cidian)/Common purslane (Portulaca oleracea; machixian)

Featured herbs:  Astragalus; Bai-zhu atractylodes; Bamboo leaf; Common purslane; Siler

 

Issue 32-May/June 2001

Topics:  Pharmacognosy revisited/Latin pharmacopoeial/pharmaceutical names for herb drugs?/Honeysuckle for treating acute periodontitis Neimongol Zhongyiyao /Are some of us still ugly Americans?

Featured herbs:  Hawthorn; Honeysuckle flower

 

Issue 33-July/August 2001

Topics:   Are we headed in the right direction?/Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants to study herbal supplements/Comments on CAM therapeutics/A migraine remedy

Featured herbs:  Jingjie (Herba Schizonepetae); ST. John’s wort

 

Issue 34-September/October 2001

Topics:  Fifth Anniversary of Leung’s (Chinese) Herb News/Reprint from issue 13- “Standardization”- a wolf in sheep’s clothing?/Varro E. (Tip) Tyler, Ph.D. (1926-2001)

Featured herbs:  Astragalus; Eleuthero; Fo-ti

 

Issue 35-November/December 2001

Topics:  Poor quality of research in natural therapeutics /Reprint from issue 19- Criteria for evaluating research on herbs and other natural products/Treatment of syphilis with tufuling (Smilax glabra Roxb. Rhizome)

Featured herbs:  Aloe vera; Tufuling (Smilax glabra)

 

Issue 36-January/February 2002

Topics:  The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA)/My favorite tonic-Lycium Fruit

Featured herbs:  Lycium fruit

 

Issue 37-March/April 2002

Topics:  What’s lacking in peer-reviewed publications?/Are reviewers/editors falling asleep on the job?/How to improve the quality of scientific data on herbs

Featured herbs:  Hawthorn
 

Issue 38-May/June 2002

Topics:  What is turmeric?/Use of Latin drug names

Featured herbs:  Curcuma spp.; Ezhu; Jianghuang; Turmeric; Yujin

 

Issue 39-April/May/June 2003

Topics:  Sterilization of living quarters using Chinese herbs/Hospital sterilization with atractylodes (cangzhu)/Home fumigation with nontoxic herbs/Herbs useful in viral infections

Featured herbs:  Cangzhu atractylodes

 

Issue 40-July/August/September 2003

Topics:  The unsung heroes of herbs/Chamomile allergy and alleged anaphylaxis/Star Anise adulterant- which one(s)?/Marketing and scientific credibility/New herb manual – The Herbal Vade Mecum by Gazmend Skenderi-recommended

Featured herbs:  Anthemis cotula; Chamomile (Matricaria recutita); I. anisatum;

I. lanceolatum; Illicium spp.; Star anise (Illicium verum)

 

Issue 41- October/November/December 2003

Topics:   Peer review- where are the peers?

Featured herbs:  Ginseng

 

Issue 42-January/February/march 2004

Topics:  Are we using the proper approach to investigating Chinese medicines?

Featured herbs:  Curcuma spp.; Ezhu; Jianghuang (turmeric); Yujin

 

To buy a set or a single issue visit our bookstore