18. Bioactive foods and herbs in prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease
In: Handbook of nutrition in heart healthSearch for other papers by T. Koyama in
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Berberine, hated by horses and cows, has long been used as a suppressant drug for gastro-intestinal disorder. Surprisingly advantageous effects for the normalization of serum lipids were discovered recently. It may provide a new tool to fight against hyperlipidemea originated from excessive nutrients or diabetes, primary risk factors for the atheroscrelosis and coronary heart diseases. The medicinal effects of individual herbs on cardiovascular functions have been considered. The tenet ‘One herb for one disease’ is an oversimplification: each herb contains many different biologically active substances that in combination support the life of the plant as a whole. In the case of herbal medicines used by man the best mixtures of different herbs have been arrived at over long years. A recent example may be the remarkable hypolipidemic effects of a combination of the plant alkaloid, berberine, with a plant stanol where the two herbs act synergistically to reduce plasma hypercholesterol and triglycerides. Further advances in herbal medicine, that is the discovery of other useful herbs and new combinations, may be expected.