Shedding Light on Botanical Therapies
A variety of plants and plant-derived compounds that might also be found in your kitchen are the focus of three new NCCAM Centers of Excellence for Research on CAM (CERCs). The scientists will apply high-technology research tools to learn more about how these medicinal substances may work and their potential effects in animal models of various disorders. The new CERCs are
UCLA Center for Excellence in Pancreatic Diseases
Principal Investigator: Vay Liang Go, M.D., University of California, Los AngelesThis center will study antioxidants such as curcumin (which comes from the spice turmeric) and lycopene (which gives tomatoes their color), as well as green tea and Scutellaria baicalensis (a Chinese herbal medicine also called Chinese skullcap). The medical interest is prevention and/or treatment of pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis.
Center for CAM Research on Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases
Principal Investigator: Prakash Nagarkatti, Ph.D., University of South Carolina Research Foundation, ColumbiaThe researchers will study resveratrol obtained from the skin of red grapes as a possible aid in treating multiple sclerosis; American ginseng for its potential anti-inflammatory action in colitis; and a compound from hemp in treating autoimmune hepatitis.
Protective Roles of Grape-Derived Polyphenols in Alzheimer's Disease
Principal Investigator: Giulio Maria Pasinetti, M.D., Ph.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New YorkThis center will study polyphenols extracted from grapes for their potential to be protective in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to affect changes in the brain characteristic of AD and cognitive decline.
American ginseng
© Karen Bergeron
© Bob Nichols
