In a recent 8-week placebo-controlled study Iranian researchers divided 70 men and women with chronic dyspepsia (indigestion) into two groups.

The first received a daily dose of cold-pressed black cumin seed oil, honey  and water in a ratio of 1:1:1. The placebo was mineral oil mixed with honey and water in the same ratio. To give comparable colour and taste to the placebo, minute amounts of chlorophyll and red chili pepper fruit extract was added to the mineral oil.

All patients were also taking the drug famotidine, which inhibits stomach acid production.

A traditional remedy

Black seed (Nigella sativa) oil is a traditional Persian medicine used for over 1000 years as a remedy for many ailments. In animal studies it has been shown to have gastroprotective properties as well as antibacterial activity against clinical Helicobacter pylori infections.

Honey has similar gastrointestinal benefits and has likewise demonstrated anti-H. pylori and anti-inflammatory activity.

The researchers assessed the participants throughout the study and were mainly looking for beneficial changes in the severity of dyspepsia However they also assessed the participants on quality of life (QoL) and the degree of H. pylori infection, which can be present and produce uncomfortable symptoms, without necessarily causing an ulcer.

Faster improvement

Although dyspepsia symptoms improved in both groups by the 8 week mark, the decreases in symptoms assessed  at 2, 4 and 8 weeks were significantly greater in the treatment group compared to placebo. The improvements were across the board; there were no significant differences in benefits between men and women, nor did improvement differ according to the person’s age.

At the end of the study, the rate of H. pylori infection was significantly decreased in the treatment group as compared with the placebo group. QoL scores were also significantly greater in the treatment group than the placebo group across all measurements including vitality, general health perception, physical functioning, physical role functioning, emotional role functioning, social role functioning, bodily pain, and mental health.

Adverse effects were mostly minor and included, in both groups, included nausea and bloating, and in the treatment group, a burning sensation.

Overall the mixture of black cumin seed oil and honey was shown to be a safe and effective treatment of dyspepsia and H. pylori infection.

The researchers speculate on several different actions including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, and a reduction in acid secretion over and above that from the medication.

They suggest that larger well-designed studies of longer duration would help to confirm these findings.

Delivering traditional emergency medical care at ground zero of natural disasters and military conflicts is challenging. In the recent past, according to the authors, numerous natural disasters and wars have resulted in casualties on site that have been treated successfully by trained personnel using holistic medical techniques, including acupuncture, hypnosis, yoga, biofeedback and other techniques.

First responders trained in simple integrative medicine approaches like these – adapted where necessary for the extreme circumstances that they face – can provide adjunctive treatment to help relieve patients’ pain and stress say the authors.

The article, in the peer-reviewed journal Medical Acupuncture, presents integrative health care approaches, suitable for use by emergency responders and rescuers, that do not require extensive equipment, facilities, or supplies.

It features examples of techniques that have been found to be useful during natural disasters and armed conflicts, such as the Fukushima Daiichi and Haiti earthquakes and the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The authors say they are not representing the views of the United States Air Force Medical Corps, the Air Force at large, or the Department of Defense. Nevertheless, they conclude that the studies discussed in their review, and other studies and experiences, show that a number of integrative health care products and practices could provide valuable adjunctive approaches to the usual-care strategies used for natural disaster and combat zone relief.

“These approaches are usually inexpensive and nontoxic, are inherently low-risk, do not require complicated delivery methods, and can be pushed far forward in disaster relief effort even when other resources cannot be delivered. Such approaches may provide significant and rapid relief for victims of disasters and wars, as well as for their caregivers.

“These approaches should be investigated further and tested systematically in disaster and wartime environments.” they continue “In addition, members of communities, such as Galveston TX, that experienced devastation after Hurricane Ike may find the use of various alternative medicine techniques helpful for building community resilience to future natural disasters.”

Clay’s medicinal properties have been recognised since antiquity.  As early as 5000 years ago, clay was listed in the ancient tablets of Nippur as a wound-healing medicament. Around 1600 BC, the Ebers Papyrus – recognised as the world’s oldest medical text – recommended clay for ailments including diarrhoea, dysentery, tapeworm, hookworm, wounds and abscesses.

Clays came into common use in the 19th century as topical treatments for surgical wounds, demonstrating their beneficial effects for pain management, inflammation, putrefaction, and healing processes.

In a new study researchers from Arizona State University lay out the case for clay, demonstrating that certain varieties of clay have the ability to aggressively kill a range of pathogens including E. coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) – a stubborn, highly contagious, and dangerous pathogen that has lately been the scourge of many hospitals and is a common cause of skin infections in the community.

A clay ‘bandage’

In their current study, published in PLOS One, the researchers examined different a type of clay simply referred to as ‘CB’ taken from four different sources for its antibacterial activities against E. coli and MRSA.

Mineralogically, the samples were nearly identical with 52% clay and 48% non-clay minerals, but the composition of metal ions released from the mineral surfaces varied considerably across the samples, as would be expected from any natural product.

They note that some clays such as kaolinite, talc, and smectite clay minerals are highly absorptive and due to their ability to adhere to the skin, offer mechanical protection similar to a bandage, sealing out external physical or chemical agents. These clays also have absorptive properties which assist in removing devitalised tissue, particulate matter, or foreign materials from a wound.

But say the researchers, rather than the physical particles of the clays (such as their absorptive ability), it is the metal ions attached to the clay and ‘freed’ by coming into contact with skin, that are likely responsible for its potent antibacterial properties.

Metal ions are antibacterial

Based on previous studies, the research team focused on five metal ions present in their clay sample: iron (Fe), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn).

Their analysis indicated that samples with higher levels of copper, cobalt, nickel and zinc ions were effective against E. coli, while those with higher levels of copper, cobalt and zinc were more effective against MRSA.

Even so, say the researchers, the antimicrobial effect of clay is likely more subtle and complex that that. Likely a variety of other factors including pH, ion solubility, osmotic strength and temperature work together to contribute to the healing properties of clay.

A therapeutic role for clay

The current study builds on previous work by the same core research team. In fact the team began studying medicinal clay in 2006 after positive reports from health clinics on the Ivory Coast that had been using two French clays to successfully treat Buruli ulcer. The startling results impressed the World Health Organization (WHO), but funding for the Ivory Coast doctors to study the effects of clay more deeply was refused. The doctor in charge of the project put out a call for help which was answered by the Arizona State researchers who began testing the clays used in the Ivory Coast clinics.

The researchers say they are optimistic about the potential for medicinal clays to play a greater therapeutic role, particularly against the growing threat of topical and antibiotic-resistant infections, but still have some cautions:

“We have demonstrated that mineralogically-identical clays exhibit chemical variability which correlates with variability in antibacterial activity. Since clays can contain toxic metals, such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury, safety precautions must be in place to minimise exposure to toxic ions. Efforts must be taken to standardise the composition and antibacterial efficacy of clays if they are to be used therapeutically and prophylactically.”

Indeed, Chinese medicine is not simply about treating illness, but rather about taking care of the whole person – body, mind, and spirit.

According to an analysis of TCM’s origins and development by Lin Shi from Beijing Normal University and Chenguang Zhang from Southwest Minzu University in China, traditional Chinese medicine is profoundly influenced by Chinese philosophy and religion. To date, modern science has been unable to explain the mechanisms behind TCM’s effects.

The study is published online in Springer’s journal Pastoral Psychology, in a special issue dedicated to the psychology of religion in China.

An ancient discipline

The essence of TCM lies in its foundation in spirituality, religion, and philosophy, making it quite different from Western medicine and leading it to be viewed by some as magical and mysterious. Chinese medicine is an ancient discipline with a long developmental history and is very much influenced by religion and spirituality.

Shi and Zhang’s paper examines in detail six aspects of traditional Chinese medicine: its history; its fundamental beliefs; spirituality in traditional Chinese healing rituals; spirituality in the traditional Chinese pharmacy; spirituality in health maintenance theories; and spirituality of master doctors of traditional Chinese medicine.

Body and mind are inseparable

This analysis shows, among other things, that the underlying premise of Chinese medicine is that the mind and body of a person are inseparable (and this, of course, is also the case with other ancient medical traditions such as Ayurveda).

To be in good health, a person must have good spirit and pay attention to cultivating their spirit. Chinese doctors see “people” not “diseases” and equate “curing diseases” with “curing people.”

According to the authors: “Good health and longevity are what we pursue. More and more people are concerned about ways to prevent disease and strengthen their bodies, which is the emphasis of traditional Chinese medicine. It pays attention to physical pains, and at the same time is also concerned with spiritual suffering. Therefore, TCM can teach people to be indifferent towards having or not having, to exist with few desires and feel at ease, to keep the body healthy and the mind quiet, and to achieve harmony between the body and the mind and then to achieve harmony with the world and nature.”

In this system, the appearance of the tongue is one of the measures used to classify the overall physical status of the body, or zheng.

Now, University of Missouri researchers have developed computer software that puts this ancient technique to the test.

For the study, 263 gastritis patients and 48 healthy volunteers had their tongues analysed. The gastritis patients were classified by whether they showed infection by a certain bacteria, known as Helicobacter pylori, as well as the intensity of their gastritis symptoms.

In addition, most of the gastritis patients had been previously classified with either hot or cold zheng. This allowed the researchers to verify the accuracy of the software’s analysis.

The computer programme used in the study, which was published in the journal Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, successfully classified people based on their zheng status.

Useful and accurate screening tool

“Knowing your zheng classification can serve as a pre-screening tool and help with preventive medicine,” said Dong Xu, chair of MU’s computer science department in the College of Engineering and one of the authors of the study.

The software the researchers used analyses images based on the tongue’s colour and coating to distinguish between tongues showing signs of “hot” or “cold” zheng. Shades of red and yellow are associated with hot zheng, whereas a white coating on the tongue is a sign of cold zheng.

“Hot and cold zheng doesn’t refer directly to body temperature,” said Xu, who is also on the faculty of the Bond Life Sciences Center. “Rather, it refers to a suite of symptoms associated with the state of the body as a whole.”

For example, a person with cold zheng may feel chills and coolness in the limbs and show a pale flushing of face. Their voice may have a high pitch. Other symptoms of cold zheng are clear urine and loose stool. They also may prefer hot foods and drinks and desire warm environments.

A future for smartphone diagnosis?

The software used in the trial combines ancient wisdom – tongue analysis is practised in both traditional Chinese medicine  and Ayurvedic systems of medicine – with modern technology  providing an automated system for analysing images of the tongue.

“As we continue to work on the software we hope to improve its ability,” said study co-author Ye Duan, associate professor of computer science at MU. “Eventually everyone will be able to use this tool at home using webcams or smartphone applications. That will allow them to monitor their zheng and get an early warning about possible ailments.”