/oss/taxonomy/term/1152/all en /oss/article/food-health-history-quirky-science/forget-licorice-prostate-problems <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/07/licorice.jpg"><img alt="licorice" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/07/licorice-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>A 67-year-old Chinese man sought medical help in a Taipei hospital because of progressive muscular weakness. Aside from somewhat elevated blood pressure he had been in good health. Doctors could find no abnormality except for a very low level of potassium in the blood. The man revealed that he had been taking a Chinese herbal remedy for his enlarged prostate. It turned out the remedy contained licorice root. Licorice has a long history in Chinese herbal medicine as a general healing agent. While the accounts of miraculous cures are highly suspect, glycyrrhizic acid, the active principle in the licorice root certainly does have physiological effects. Licorice was one of the first drugs used in the treatment of Addison's disease by western physicians. This is an ailment of the adrenal glands which results in reduced production of cortisol, a hormone that helps regulate blood pressure and water retention. It turns out that glycyrrhizic acid interferes with an enzyme that normally breaks down excess cortisol in the kidney. If you are really interested, the enzyme in question is 11-betahydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2!</p> <p><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/07/25/forget-licorice-for-prostate-problems">Read more</a></p> Thu, 25 Jul 2013 23:56:14 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1991 at /oss /oss/article/health-history/hype-hope-and-ginseng <p>Probably what first attracted the Chinese to the odd looking root was its shape. It had a decidedly human appearance and was therefore given the name "ginseng," meaning "man- like." The uncanny resemblance to the body undoubtedly encouraged experimentation with ingestion and led to the first recording of claims about beneficial effects. Ancient Chinese manuscripts speak of ginseng brightening the eyes, opening the heart, invigorating the body and prolonging life. Since that time, the claims have become even more extravagant.</p> Sun, 25 Nov 2012 04:30:51 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1831 at /oss