Complementary Alternative Cardiovascular Medicine

16 Alternative Cardiovascular Medicine
bulk form, that is, dried herbs usually displayed in glass jars and sold by
the ounce. Herbal teas, also called infusions, can be found in nearly every
restaurant and hotel in the world. Herbal products also include liquid
extracts or tinctures, cough syrups, and lozenges.
ABOUT EXTRACTS
The leading products on the market today are standardized extracts,
meaning that every dose of the extract contains the same level of important
compounds. Doctors and pharmacists favor standardized extracts,
because they add a level of consistency that appeals to professionals,
and, in many cases they are among the best researched products. However,
they are somewhat controversial, too, because they are highly processed,
and, in many cases, we do not fully understand which constituents
in an herb contribute to its activity.
Plants contain a complex mixture of thousands of substances, including
water and fiber, chlorophyll, starches, fats, and proteins, plus unique
phytochemicals that give each plant its particular physiological effects.
Manufacturers make extracts by grinding the herb and using a solvent,
such as alcohol, to dissolve beneficial compounds from the herb. Some
herbs do not need to be extracted, but for several reasons, some are best
used in extract form.
• Concentration: Some herbs are so mild that it is unrealistic to use them
without concentration. Bilberry is a good example. The dark-blue pigments
in bilberry fruit are responsible for its antioxidant benefits, but to
get enough of these compounds into a few capsules, it is necessary to
concentrate them by 100 times. To get an effective dose of simple dried
bilberry fruit in a capsule, we would need to take up to 100 capsules a
day. Instead, we take a concentrate. This concentrate is called a 100-to-1
concentrate and is usually written 100:1.
• Selection: When a concentrate is made, something is omitted from the
extract. The largest part of what is excluded is the insoluble fiber.
Extraction procedures can be designed to select for extraction of particular
beneficial compounds or elimination of undesirable or toxic
compounds.
Standardized Extracts
To standardize an extract, the manufacturer tests for key compounds
in the plant and adjusts the strength of the extract to ensure that the level
of these compounds remains consistent. For instance, if a company processes
a batch of ginseng that is lower in the active ginseng compounds
(the ginsenosides), the company can either further concentrate the extract
or use more ginseng.