Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Noted Author, Professor, and ABC Advisory Board Member, is First Female President of Small Indian Ocean Republic
By Hannah Bauman, HerbalEGram Staff
In June 2015, the small island nation of Mauritius appointed its first woman President. ABC Advisory Board member Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, PhD, is a natural products scientist devoted to exploring the biodiversity available in her native country, and relates her somewhat unconventional road to the role of Commander in Chief. Read more>>
ILSC's Conference Highlights Safety and Benefits of Natural Products
By Erika L. Kurt, LLB, BLC, Guest Contributor
The Institute for Life Sciences Collaboration (ILSC) held a conference in June as part of a UN event series with the theme of "Sustainable Development Healthcare Delivery: Nutraceuticals & Natural Products." As HerbalEGram guest contributor Erika Kurt explains, many presenters focused on TCM-based interventions for common health concerns. Read more>>
By Hannah Bauman and Becky Nichols, ABC Dietetics Intern
Summer staple watermelon hides more than just seeds — which themselves have benefits beyond spitting. Watermelon contains an abundance of two vital bioactive compounds, citrulline and lycopene, which play important roles in the health of the cardiovascular and reproductive systems and in healthy aging. Read more>>
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim ®2014
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Messages from the Gods combines the perspectives of New York Botanical Garden ethnobotanist Michael Balick, PhD, and Belizean health care professional Rosita Arvigo, DN. The text covers three diverse aspects of healing and medicine in this small Central American nation: the people, the practices, and the plants. In an addition unique to many plant guides, Part 3, “Traditional Healers, Bushmasters, and Their Backgrounds,” features the authors’ interviews with healers from around the country, allowing them to explain their philosophies, histories, and practices in their own words. Color photography displays a fraction of the over 3,400 plant species found in Belize. The book is “both a cultural study and a specialized field guide … on the fascinating traditional and contemporary uses of many different native and introduced plants in Belize.”
Messages from the Gods is available for purchase on the publisher’s website. This excerpt is reprinted from Messages from the Gods by Michael J. Balick and Rosita Arvigo with permission from Oxford University Press. © The New York Botanical Garden and the National Institute of Culture and History in Belize 2015.
Evidence of Marijuana’s Medical Usefulness Mounts. Newsweek. July 8, 2015. Medical evidence for marijuana’s efficacy against chronic pain and nausea are reviewed in two studies in the latest issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Why the World Might Be Running Out of Cocoa Farmers. NPR. July 3, 2015. Poverty, disenfranchisement, and hard physical labor make growing and harvesting cocoa less attractive to a younger generation.
Avocados May Hold the Answer to Beating Leukemia. Oncology Nurse Advisor. July 2, 2015. New research reveals that a lipid in avocados that combats acute myeloid leukemia could significantly increase life expectancy and quality of life for patients with leukemia.
Plant Collections Left in the Cold by Cuts. Nature News. July 1, 2015. Since 1997, more than 100 herbaria in North America have closed due to budget cuts, space restrictions, and lack of interest from institutions.
Discovering the Secrets of Benin’s Forests to Improve Nutrition. The Guardian. July 1, 2015. Better education about the availability of healthy wild edible plants could decrease food insecurity and malnutrition in African countries.
A Lack of Leadership at FDA, the Dietary Supplement Labeling Act of 2015, and a ‘Tenderized’ Industry: Mister’s State of the Union. NutraIngredients-USA. June 29, 2015. The NY AG affair has “tenderized” the dietary supplements industry in ways that other issues have not, and made it more vulnerable to other legal and regulatory attacks, said Steve Mister, president and CEO of the Council for Responsible Nutrition.
Citrus Consumption and Skin Cancer: How Real is the Link? Washington Post. June 29, 2015. A startling finding showed an increased chance of skin cancer among subjects who consumed orange and grapefruits, but scientists caution that the results are preliminary.
Power User: A Conversation with NYT Supplements Reporter Anahad O’Connor. Nutrition Business Journal. June 29, 2015. Known as the supplement industry’s vocal critic, Anahad O’Connor discusses his history of supplement use and role in reporting the NY AG saga.
Obama Administration Removes Crucial Barrier to Marijuana Research. Drug Policy Alliance. June 22, 2015.
Tieraona Low Dog, MD Named Fellowship Director of the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine. Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine. July 1, 2015.
AHPA Helps Amend Louisiana Laws that Unfairly Banned Some Herbal Ingredients. NutraIngredients-USA. July 8, 2015.
New Teaching Greenhouse Will Enhance Native Plant Education. Basytr University. June 9, 2015.
Lack of Knowledge Is One Reason People Don’t Use Complementary Health Approaches. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. June 18, 2015.
July 25-29: Botany 2015: Science & Plants for People. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
August 27-30: NorthWest Herb Symposium. Whidbey Island, Washington, USA.
August 31 - September 2: 1st International Conference on Natural Products for Cancer Prevention & Therapy. Istanbul, Turkey.
October 5-9: SupplySide West. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
November 11-13: American College of Nutrition's 56th Annual Conference. Orlando, Florida, USA.
More event listings can be found on ABC's website.
Traditionally used as a diuretic and appetite stimulant, this "pesky weed" has a high vitamin and mineral content and makes for a nutritious salad topping. Do you know the name of this common botanical? Find out here!