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Alternative Health Research Report
An orange with a surgeon general's warningNatural Alternative Medicine
Researched and written by Brenda Templin

In this report, we take a look at why natural alternatives have a hard time getting a foothold in the marketplace, and why physicians are sometimes slow to recommend them.

A 60-year-old man recently came into my office, and happened to mention that he was about to begin dialysis. He had been on 9 different blood pressure medications, and now his kidneys were failing. I asked whether any of his doctors had ever spoken to him about diet and nutrition, and about making lifestyle changes. His answer was no. Why not?

A 79-year-old lady who was an RN for more than 38 years, and had additional alternative therapy training beyond her RN requirements, recently confided in me that she had secretly suggested lifestyle changes, recommended natural foods and dietary changes, and used alternative therapy as a hospital nurse. She chuckled and said she wasn't supposed to do that, but she always did whatever she thought was necessary to take care of her patients. Why did it have to be that way?

The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human body, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease."...Thomas Edison, 1902

Quick jump list to all the major sections:

* Biologically Based Natural Alternatives
* Vitamin Pioneers First Ignored
* Why Physicians Are Slow To Accept And Recommend Natural Alternatives
* Why Pharmaceutical Companies Don't Develop Natural Products
* Some Ancient Herbs Still In Use Today
* Comments From Your Researcher


Biologically Based Natural Alternatives

We have many different options for healthcare today, but I would like to focus on biologically based treatments and prevention. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) defines the scope of biologically based practices to include, but is not limited to, botanicals, animal-derived extracts, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, proteins, prebiotics and probiotics, whole diets, and functional foods.

But first, let’s take a look at the different philosophies of healthcare practiced today. Allopathic, alternative, complementary, integrative…what does it all mean? Each includes many different kinds of therapies, and although alternative, complementary and integrative are sometimes used interchangeably, the general focus of each is different.

* Allopathic medicine focuses on disease and the treatment of the physical body with drugs and surgery. These are conventional physicians with the title of M.D. that are universally recognized as having a medical degree.
* Alternative medicine includes those therapies not generally recommended by allopathic physicians. It includes Energy Medicine, Ethnomedicine, Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Homeopathic Medicine, Botanical or Herbal Medicine, Biomolecular Medicine, Manual Medicine, Spiritual Medicine.
* Complementary medicine includes therapies used by both alternative and allopathic physicians. It includes Exercise Medicine, Environmental Medicine, Social Medicine, Nutritional Medicine.
* Integrative medicine is the attempt to integrate the many philosophies of medicine, allopathic, complementary, and alternative, to treat the whole person, physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual.1

Many people are hesitant about trusting their healthcare to anyone other than an allopathic physician. But did you know that Naturopathic Medical Doctors are the only physicians who receive complete training in conventional medicine as well as natural medicine? Licensed naturopathic medical doctors (N.M.D./N.D.) attend a four-year graduate level naturopathic medical school where they are educated in all of the same basic sciences as a conventional M.D. In addition to this training, they are extensively educated in the philosophy and implementation of safe and effective natural therapeutics with a strong emphasis on disease prevention.2 Unfortunately, some states do not yet offer licensing for Naturopathic Doctors.

Allopathic physicians and pharmaceutical drugs are, and always will be, necessary for acute, emergency medical care and trauma, as well as for conditions that cannot be controlled with lifestyle changes, good nutrition and supplements. But many conditions can be prevented and controlled with lifestyle changes and biologically based medicine. Just as many pharmaceutical drugs can interact with other drugs, some biologically based supplements may interact with drugs and cause side effects, so a healthcare provider should always be consulted before adding supplements to the diet. In some cases, alternative therapy may actually have beneficial synergistic effects in conjunction with existing medical therapy, even when not feasible as a replacement.

Biologically based medicine is not new. It was practiced for thousands of years before pharmaceutical companies began manufacturing the first synthetic drugs. In addition, many of the pharmaceutical preparations used around the world are based on plants. As late as the 1930's, the formulation of about 80% of synthetic pharmaceutical drugs began with a natural compound.3 Today, about 25% of prescription drugs contain active ingredients derived from plants.3

The United States has the most advanced medical system in the world, yet the population is increasingly turning to natural healing methods. However, the U.S. still lags behind world stats. A survey of 31,000 U.S. adults conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics in 2004 showed that 35 percent use some form of complementary and alternative medicine.4 Today, the World Health Organization estimates that herbal medicine is still the primary source of health care for approximately 80 percent of the world’s population.3, 5

Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. These diseases and other chronic diseases such as obesity, depression, metabolic and digestive disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and fibroids, account for 7 of every 10 deaths and affect the quality of life of 90 million Americans. Chronic diseases are among the most prevalent and most costly, yet they are the most preventable.6

Conventional physicians treat chronic diseases with expensive pharmaceuticals that may temporarily relieve the painful or uncomfortable symptoms, but the drugs do nothing to resolve the underlying cause, and may actually cause other side effects and serious problems. Because nutrition affects our immune system, organ function, hormonal balance and cellular metabolism, many of these chronic conditions and diseases can be traced to a nutrition deficiency. When the deficiency is not corrected, symptoms begin to appear and eventually lead to disease and premature aging.

Many pharmaceuticals can effectively be replaced with multivitamin supplements, botanicals, amino acids, prebiotics and probiotics, fresh foods and functional foods for both prevention and treatment. Because herbs work synergistically, combinations of herbs with similar properties enhance the properties of each. This is why choosing a product containing a combination of different herbs is usually more effective than choosing individual selections. An example of this is the combination of valerian, passion flower and hops to promote relaxation and restful sleep. All three have a relaxing effect on the body. Valerian relaxes muscle tension, while hops relaxes the nervous system, and passiflora acts as a sedative.

There is a misconception by some that nutritional supplements are not regulated. Before 1994, dietary supplements fell under the same regulations as food. With passage of the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act (DSHEA) in 1994, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was granted authority to ban products that are proven to be unsafe.7

The manufacture and sale of dietary supplements is actually regulated by quite a few government agencies. On the federal level, the FDA regulates product labeling and other safety and quality-related practices. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates advertising. Other federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) impact regulations. In addition, a growing number of state laws affect dietary supplements.

Research on dietary supplements spans the spectrum of basic to clinical research and includes ethnobotanical investigations, analytical research, and method development/validation, as well as bioavailability, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic studies. However, the basic and preclinical research is better delineated for supplements composed of single chemical constituents (e.g., vitamins and minerals) than for the more complex products (e.g., botanical extracts). There is an abundance of clinical research for all types of dietary supplements. Most of this research involves small phase II studies.8

1. Integrative Medicine: What is it? Victoria Rommel, M.D.

2. Naturopathic Medical Education & Training Chaney Integrative Family Medicine.

3. A short list of plant-based medicinal drugs. World Resources Institute.

4. More Than One-Third of U.S. Adults Use Complementary and Alternative Medicine, According to New Government Survey National Center for Health Statistics. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

5.pdf A Field Guide to Herbal Dietary Supplements Dietary Supplement Information Bureau. If you want to read this free 48-page review of herbal supplements, you'll need to provide your name and email address. (759 KB)

6. Chronic Disease Prevention National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Centers For Disease Control And Prevention.

7. Overview of Dietary Supplements U. S. Food and Drug Administration. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

8.pdf Biologically Based Practices:An Overview National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (371 KB)

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Vitamin Pioneers First Ignored

Drs. Wilfred and Evan Shute. In 1933 Drs. Wilfred and Evan Shute were some of the first doctors to use large doses of vitamin E to treat heart disease. At that time, antioxidants and free radicals were rather obscure concepts in the chemistry of oxidation, far removed from issues of health and disease. Also at that time, using vitamins to treat serious diseases such as heart disease and diabetes was considered by the medical establishment as misguided at best and outright fraud at worst.10

In 1985, Linus Pauling wrote: "The failure of the medical establishment during the last forty years to recognize the value of vitamin E in controlling heart disease is responsible for a tremendous amount of unnecessary suffering and for many early deaths. The interesting story of the efforts to suppress the Shute discoveries about vitamin E illustrates the shocking bias of organized medicine against nutritional measures for achieving improved health."10

Dr. Szent-Györgyi. Dr. Györgyi became interested in a chemical agent, present in plant juices, which had the effect of delaying oxidation, such as the browning of a sliced apple exposed to the air. He suggested that this agent, which was also present in cabbages and oranges, was the mysterious Vitamin. By 1933, he had isolated the substance in kilogram lots and named it "ascorbic acid" which means "the acid which prevents scurvy." In 1937, he won the 1937 Nobel Prize for his discovery of vitamin C. He was the first to predict the use of Vitamin C for cancer.10

Irwin Stone, Ph.D. Irwin Stone became interested in the anti-oxidant properties of ascorbic acid, then newly discovered, as a means of protecting food against deterioration. He continued his study of vitamin C for the next 50 years, and in the 1950s he established that humans would benefit from ingesting much larger amounts of ascorbates than the medical and nutritional establishments considered adequate.10

Dr. Fredrick Klenner. "In the early 1950s, Dr. Fredrick Klenner began his work with megadoses of vitamin C. He used doses up to 100 grams per day orally or intravenously. In clinical reports he recorded the excellent response he saw when it was given in large doses. For example, polio patients given vitamin C suffered no residual defects from their polio. A controlled study in England on 70 children, half given vitamin C and half given placebo, confirmed that none of the ascorbate treated cases developed any paralysis while up to 20 percent of the untreated group did. This study was not published because the Salk Vaccine had just been developed and no one was interested in vitamins. Dr. Klenner's work was ignored."10

Dr. Klenner was the first physician to emphasize that small amounts of ascorbate do not work. He said, "If you want results, use adequate ascorbic acid." As a result of seeing consistent cures of a great variety of viral and bacterial diseases with huge doses of vitamin C, he published over twenty medical reports. Orthodox medicine's rejection of his lifesaving work stands as a reminder to all medical mavericks practicing today. "Some physicians," Klenner wrote, "would stand by and see their patient die rather than use ascorbic acid because, in their finite minds, it exists only as a vitamin."10

Dr. William J. McCormick. Over 50 years ago, it was Toronto physician William J. McCormick, M.D., who pioneered the idea that poor collagen formation, due to vitamin C deficiency, was a principal cause of diverse conditions ranging from stretch marks to cardiovascular disease and cancer. This theory would become the foundation for Linus Pauling and Ewan Cameron's decision to employ large doses of vitamin C to fight cancer.10

Over twenty years before Pauling, McCormick had already reviewed the nutritional causes of heart disease and noted that four out of five coronary cases in hospital show vitamin C deficiency. McCormick also early proposed vitamin C deficiency as the essential cause of, and effective cure for, numerous communicable illnesses, becoming an early advocate of using vitamin C as an antiviral and an antibiotic. Modern writers often pass by the fact that McCormick actually advocated vitamin C to prevent and cure the formation of some kidney stones as far back as 1946.10

Linus Pauling, Ph.D. It was two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling who coined the term "orthomolecular." Orthomolecular medicine describes the practice of preventing and treating disease by providing the body with optimal amounts of substances which are natural to the body. Pauling identified sickle-cell anemia as the first molecular disease and subsequently laid the foundation for molecular biology, and then developed a theory that explained the molecular basis of vitamin therapy. Irwin Stone first introduced Pauling to Vitamin C, recommending 3,000mg a day, which was 50 times the RDA. Pauling and his wife began taking this amount, the severe colds that he had suffered from several times a year all his life no longer occurred. After a few years he increased his intake of vitamin C to 100 times, then 200 times, and then 300 times the RDA (now 18,000 mg per day). Pauling lived to be 93.

"Professor Pauling, as always, is ahead of his time. The latest research on vitamin C substantiates his twenty-five years of advocacy and investigation on the benefits of vitamin C.", said J. Daniel Kanofsky, MD, MPH, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.10

Dr. Josef Issels. Because of his well-known professional skills, his kindness, and relatively high rate of survivors, many cancer patients in the terminal stage came to consult German Dr. Josef Issels. In 1951, one wealthy and grateful patient funded his private clinic, where he continued his successful work until 1960, when he was arrested by the German 'Kriminalpolizei' on the instigation of his medical opponents. He had to close down his clinic for years, in spite of a report from an independent scientist who had concluded that, of 252 terminal cancer patients with histologically proved metastases, 42 had survived for at least five years (17%) with the Issels therapy. For terminal patients, such a score is disproportionately high.10

Issels believed that cancer was the end stage, the ultimate symptom, of a lifetime of immune system damage which had created an environment for the tumor to grow. He argued that conventional therapy just looked at the tumor without recognizing this longtime preconditioning period. Dr. Issels saw the body as having great potential to heal itself. Good nutrition and a clean environment were central to his therapy.10

In the end, Issels was proven to be right. From 1967 to 1970, Professor J. Anderson of King's College Hospital and member of the World Health Organization inspected Issels' reopened clinic. He confirmed the highly significant survival rate of Issels' terminal cancer patients. His legacy is continued by the work of his wife, Ilsa and his son Christian.10

Dr. William Kaufman. Dr. Kaufman was among the very first physicians to therapeutically employ megadoses of vitamin B3 (niacin, or niacinamide). He prescribed as much as 5,000 mg of niacinamide daily, in many divided doses, to dramatically improve and restore range of joint motion in arthritic patients. Kaufman said, "I noted that niacinamide (alone or combined with other vitamins) in a thousand patient-years of use has caused no adverse side effects."

Over 50 years ago, Kaufman showed remarkable foresight half a century into the future of orthomolecular medicine, describing how the lack of a just a single nutrient can cause diverse diseases, including what is now known as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.10

Emanuel Cheraskin, MD, DMD. Dr. Cheraskin was among the very first to recognize and demonstrate that oral health indicates total body health. "Health is the fastest growing failing business in western civilization," he said. "Why is it so many of us are 40 going on 70, and so few 70 going on 40?" The answer, he said, was our neglect of the paramount value of nutrition, an educational deficiency that Dr. Cheraskin devoted a lifetime to eradicating.10

Hugh Desaix Riordan, M.D. Hugh Riordan was one of the most knowledgeable, both as a maverick par excellence and as an historian of mavericks. Hugh was an orthomolecular fighter, who fought hard and consistently on behalf of orthomolecular concepts. He was challenged legally when he wanted to treat his patients with high dose vitamins in the hospital. He won. He was the first to demonstrate how large doses of vitamin C are chemotherapeutic for cancer patients. His main work had to do with the schizophrenic syndrome and with the treatment of cancer using nontoxic vitamin C chemotherapy. Hugh was the leader in making available to cancer patients a treatment that is effective, safe, economical and very tolerable.10

Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Abram Hoffer has spent the past five decades conducting research related to the practice of orthomolecular medicine, which emphasizes the use of nutrients in optimum doses for the treatment of a wide range of diseases.10

In 1952, Dr. Hoffer and his colleagues began developing a more effective treatment for schizophrenia that involved a biochemical hypothesis. They tried two nutrients: vitamin C and vitamin B3. He found that we could halve the two-year recovery rate of patients just by adding these vitamins to the program. This was the first major systematic attempt to use large dosages of vitamins therapeutically. In 1955 he also discovered that niacin lowered cholesterol levels.10

These pioneers and others were first ridiculed, and were ignored by the medical establishment, but were eventually proven to be right.

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. ...Arthur Schopenhauer

10. Orthomolecular History Orthomolecular.org

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Why Physicians Are Slow To Accept And Recommend Natural Alternatives

Not one death was caused by vitamin supplements in 2005 (as reported by the American Association of Poison Control Centers) (588 KB PDF)

It's estimated that over 106,000 hospital deaths per year (one every 5 minutes) are caused by properly prescribed drugs.
Journal of the American Medical Association

So why are physicians slow to recommend natural alternatives?

Five of the ten leading causes of death in the United States are directly related to lack of proper nutrition. Yet most physicians receive very little, if any, formal training in nutrition. During the 1970s and early 1980s, no medical school in the U.S. required students to take a nutrition class. As of 1985, only two medical schools taught 25 hours or more of courses in nutrition.

* 1977 Survey: Physicians score 65% on nutrition test questions
* 1989 Survey: Physicians score 69% on nutrition test questions
* 1988 Tests: Medical school students rated as unsatisfactory in nutrition knowledge. Senior medical students scored an average of 69%.
* 1995 Survey: Physicians correctly answer questions on drug-nutrient interaction 61% of the time.

You might be surprised to learn, as I was, that examination of the most commonly used biochemistry textbooks in medical schools during the 1920s and 1930s reveals that food and nutrition were emphasized. In fact, out of 16 chapters in Meyer Bodansky's 1927 Introduction to Physiology Chemistry, three chapters described the chemistry of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Two described digestion and absorption, four described intermediary metabolism, one described animal calorimetry, and one described animal nutrition. In 1934, Bodansky expanded the textbook by 200 pages, and expanded the nutrition section to include a discussion of protein requirements, the indispensability of fat, and the role of vitamins. Since his first edition, ascorbic acid had been isolated and synthesized, linoleic acid was identified as an essential fatty acid, and other vitamins and trace elements were shown to be essential to the diet.

During the early 1900s, researchers discovered evidence for the importance of specific components of foods in maintaining health and in curing or preventing many recently identified deficiency diseases. For two decades, the pioneering work on vitamins and the discovery of essential nutrients and their relationship to the prevention of deficiency diseases led to a rapidly growing interest in experimental and clinical nutrition. Other important research during the first two decades of the 1900s included the now classic epidemiological studies of Goldberger, the determination of energy values for carbohydrates, fats, and proteins by Atwater, and Elmer McCollum's early work with vitamins, and later, trace minerals.

Early in the 20th century, scientific principles of nutrition were widely taught in the medical schools of the United States. Later, as research in nutrition declined, there was a parallel decline of interest in nutrition education. Today, specific courses that teach the science of nutrition are found only in a few medical schools.

The Golden Age Of Nutrition. During the 1920s and 1930s, the biochemical and clinical aspects of nutrition was being widely taught in medical schools. New organizations were formed to foster nutrition education, and to encourage the application of nutrition principles in medical practice. The AMA reported that all medical schools except three taught biochemistry during the first year, and the remaining three taught it in the second year. Faculty in biochemistry, pediatrics, physiology, medicine, and pathology presented basic and applied concepts of nutrition to first and second-year medical students. That era became known as the "Golden Age of Nutrition."

Decline of the Golden Age. Then, in 1948 a vitamin found to protect against pernicious anemia was simultaneously isolated in the United Kingdom and the United States. In 1949, the vitamin was identified and accepted as Vitamin B12, but about this time, concern for deficiency diseases diminished since they ceased to be a major problem in the U.S. With the advances in food technology and fortified foods, scientists shifted their focus away from nutrition. Nutritional problems no longer offered the same challenge, and biochemists, once deeply concerned with nutritional problems, shifted their focus to the molecular basis of gene structure and enzyme and endocrine function. This was the end of the Golden Age Of Nutrition.

During the 1950s and 1960s, nutrition became a low priority, and was no longer an important part of the medical curriculum. Although the political climate during the late 1960s and 1970s prompted a heightened awareness of existing malnutrition, hunger and chronic disease in the U.S., and advances have been made toward educating physicians in nutrition and the prevention of disease, most physicians are still inadequately trained in medical schools today.

For decades, the role of nutritional alternatives in the treatment of disease was considered unscientific. It has been only in the past two decades that the medical community recognized that many of the diseases common in older people can be tied to nutritional deficiencies. Medical professionals now accept that nutrition is a factor in the onset and the progression of hypertension, strokes, heart attacks, obesity-related disorders, type II diabetes, and some forms of cancer. But too many know only how to treat the symptoms of these degenerative diseases with conventional pharmaceutical drugs, and because of lack of training in nutritional science, do not have enough confidence to advise patients about natural alternatives.

The focus of allopathic medicine has been on giving general advice about eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, reducing salt intake, increasing dietary fiber, lowering blood cholesterol and body fat, along with treating disease. Too few doctors were offered enough nutritional science training in medical school to understand the fundamental role that vitamins, minerals, and herbs play in the prevention of disease and maintaining good health.

Another reason doctors are hesitant about recommending supplements is their concern that patients will use them as a substitute for regular medical care and good diet instead of as intended, to supplement the diet along with lifestyle changes. Another common objection to natural medicine is the lack of long-term safety studies, even though natural herbal compounds have been safely used for centuries, and hundreds of studies are being done.

Physicians have little to no support from policy makers and enforcers, and are discouraged from practicing any form of medicine perceived by medical boards as being unconventional. For fear of losing their medical license after many years of specialized training, some simply choose not to make recommendations, even though they take supplements themselves. Some will give handouts about nutrition so the patient can draw their own conclusions, but will decline to make recommendations.

Folic acid is a good example. Back in 1985, it was documented that folic acid seemed to prevent neural tube birth defects. Further documentation showed that folic acid at dosages needed to prevent neural tube defects had been used by pregnant women in the past without incident. Some physicians reasoned that if folic acid might prevent some birth defects, it had no risks at dosages needed to do so, and the cost was minimal, then why not recommend it. But according to Dr. Alan Christianson, other doctors stuck in the "reactionary new drug=side effects mode automatically rejected this stance." 11

Some researchers estimate that over 200,000 cases of neural tube birth defects could have been prevented if doctors had not waited so long to recommend it.

"When therapies offer no harm and much possible benefit, why not give them a chance before those with definite harm?" 11

Fast forward to 2004. A new survey published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition re-examined the state of nutrition education in 106 medical schools. The results: As of 2004, almost 60 percent of the US medical schools still do not meet recommendations for nutrition education for med students.

March 2007. It's been almost a century since the science of nutrition was heavily taught in medical schools. One hundred and six thousand (one every 5 minutes) are dying each year in the U.S. from properly prescribed drugs. That is twice as many deaths in a single year from properly prescribed drugs as the total number of U.S. deaths from the Vietnam War. Many of these were being treated for conditions that could have been prevented with proper nutrition and natural supplementation.

Dr. Carrie Carter, M.D. is an allopathic physician who does realize the need for supplementing our diet. What You Need to Know About Supplements, a selection from her book, Woman's Guide To Good Health, gives some good advice on how to choose a supplement. Dr. Carter notes that it is a common practice to pick and choose single nutrients to supplement, but recommends not doing this because vitamins and minerals work together to maintain healthy function in your cells, and it's important to maintain the proper balance of nutrients. Instead, she recommends taking a balanced vitamin and mineral supplement.12

Dr. Carter says, "It is best to not only select a balanced vitamin and mineral supplement but ideally one that pays some attention to the plight of poor minerals and their poor absorption history. In some of the higher quality/higher priced combination supplements, this need is addressed by including minerals that have been changed to a state that is easier to absorb. One such product is the Vitality Pack by Melaleuca: The Wellness Company, which uses a patented process called ‘‘fructose compounding’’ to attach the minerals to fructose molecules, which helps the minerals to be absorbed inside the body." She notes that it is wise to be cautious about overloading your body with nutrients, but says most vitamins and minerals are not harmful in amounts that far exceed the Daily Recommended Intake (DRI), and many studies show that many nutrients at higher than DRI levels may decrease the development of degenerative diseases.12

ConsumerLabs.com tested many different supplements and listed those that met their criteria, but they tested only supplements that met the DRI. Dr. Carter explained that supplements exceeding the DRI level in amounts that may decrease the development of degenerative diseases were not tested, which explains why these supplements did not appear on their list. She also noted that Melaleuca's Vitality Pack is one of two supplements she has personally had positive experience with.12

11. Ask the Doctor Why and Which Vitamin & Herbal Supplements are Important Dr. Alan Christianson

12. What You Need to Know About Supplements CBN.com. A Woman's Guide to Good Health. Dr. Carrie Carter, M.D.

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Why Pharmaceutical Companies Don't Develop Natural Products
prescription pills and money

The short answer to this question is that manufacturing of natural supplements is not cost effective for pharmaceutical companies because natural plants in their whole form are not subject to patent protection.

University of Montana pharmaceutical sciences Professor Rustem Medora points out the complexity of plants. “Plants can contain tens, hundreds, even thousands of chemical compounds that act on biological systems in various ways,” Medora says. “It can be very time-consuming testing each extract for activity and then finding out what specific component or components are causing the pharmacological effects.” 13

Although many drugs begin with a natural plant, their structure is changed through genetic engineering or chemical processes to break the plant down into many components and isolating active ingredients of the plant. Since the structure is then changed, they can patent the final product as a drug, giving them exclusive rights to the product for 20 years.

An example of a drug whose origin was a plant is aspirin. Aspirin originally was derived by boiling the bark of the white willow tree. It was synthesized from salicylic acid, one of the ingredients in willow bark. Following the advent of synthetic salicylate, Felix Hoffman, working at the Bayer company in Germany, made the acetylated form of salicylic acid in 1897. This drug was named “Aspirin” and became the most widely used medicine of all time.14, 15

The use of willow bark dates back to the time of Hippocrates (400 BC) when patients were advised to chew on the bark to reduce fever and inflammation. It has been used throughout the centuries in China and Europe, and continues to be used by herbalists today for the treatment of fever, pain (particularly low back pain), headache, and inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. Although the bark of the white willow is most commonly used medicinally, the bark of related species, such as black willow, have been shown to have the same beneficial effects.16

To manufacture a product containing the natural substance such as willow bark without chemically modifying it would not be cost effective for the pharmaceutical company since other companies could copy the formula and market an identical product.

13. Plant Detective: Snooping Around In Nature's Pharmacopeia University of Montana. Research View. Caroline Lupfer Kurtz.

14. The mechanism of action of aspirin Thrombosis Research. Volume 110, Issues 5-6 , 15 June 2003, Pages 255-258.

15. Willow Bark Drugs.com Drug Information Online.

16. Willow Bark University of Maryland Medical Center.

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A Few Ancient Herbs Still In Use Today

Here are just three examples of herbs that have been clinically researched in the modern day and have also been in medical use for centuries.

Valerian. Valerian was used by the Greek physician Galen (est. 130 A.D.-200 A.D.) for treatment of epilepsy in children and adults. He took it himself and claimed it completely restored his health. This generated interest in using the plant as a sedative, and during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries valerian was used to relieve spasms, and as a sleep aid. Valerian was even an official remedy in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 19365, 17 and official in the National Formulary from 1888-1946.17 Today it is generally used for the treatment of acute insomnia, alone and in combination with other herbs. In Europe, it is widely used as a mild nerve sedative and sleep aid for insomnia, excitability, and exhaustion. Given its history of use, positive pharmacological, chemical and clinical studies, and its wide therapeutic use as a sleep aid particularly in Europe, valerian is one of the most accepted phytomedicines from a scientific and clinical viewpoint.5

Echinacea. Echinacea was used by Native Americans for more medicinal purposes than they did any other plant. It entered formal medicine in 1895, becoming the best-selling American medicinal plant prescribed by physicians into the 1920s, and although it was later replaced by antibiotics in the U.S., it has remained a popular medication in Europe. In 1993, German physicians prescribed echinacea more than 2.5 million times. Herbalists have traditionally used it as a blood purifier and to aid in fighting infections.5

Today most consumers use echinacea to avoid colds and other upper respiratory tract infections and to help heal infections. It enhances the particle ingestion capacity of white blood cells and other specialized immune system cells, thus increasing their ability to attack foreign invaders, such as cold or flu viruses. Over two-dozen clinical studies have investigated the therapeutic benefits and safety of various echinacea species, plant parts, types of preparations and dosage regimes.
A recent study found that echinacea may also induce an immune response by stimulating an increase in white blood cell activity and counts. An antioxidant effect was also observed.4,5 Besides stimulating a healthy immune system to deal more effectively with invading viruses, it helps accelerate healing if infection already exists. Another recent meta-analysis of echinacea preparations findings supports the results of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials that report the efficacy of echinacea preparations for the prevention of spontaneous colds.18, 19

Ginkgo biloba. The ginkgo is the oldest living tree species known, and individual trees may live as long as 1,000 years. It has been used for more than 4,000 years for food and medicine, and traditional Chinese herbalists still use the plant for treatment of asthma, bronchitis, and brain disorders.20

Ginkgo contains compounds that absorb toxic chemicals, preventing cell damage, and it is believed that its antioxidant action is a major contributor to its anti-aging benefits. By preventing free radical damage, ginkgo appears to stabilize cell membranes and render blood vessel walls and red blood cells more flexible, improving the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, limbs, and other areas supplied by tiny capillaries, such as the eyes and ears. By thus enhancing microcirculation, ginkgo can improve a variety of brain functions, including memory, concentration, and problem-solving.20

Primary uses today are for improvement of memory and other cognitive functions, enhancing circulation to the brain, heart, limbs, ears and eyes, reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease, treating cerebral insufficiency, senile dementia, Alzheimer's disease, peripheral arterial disease, and certain eye and ear disorders, and as a potent antioxidant.20

Ginkgo is one of the most extensively studied herbs. Over three hundred scientific studies on the chemistry, pharmacology and clinical effects of gingko leaf have been conducted by European researchers.21

In a placebo-controlled, double-blind, 52-week trial involving 202 patients with mild-to-severe dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease or multi-infarct dementia, stabilization or improvements were seen in a number of daily living and cognitive functions. The researchers stated that benefits could be equated with a "six month delay in the progression" of Alzheimer's disease.20, 22

A 1988 placebo-controlled, double-blind study involving 166 patients over the age of 60, results "confirmed the efficacy of ginkgo extract in cerebral disorders due to aging" after three months of treatment. Patients most affected by disease appeared to benefit most from ginkgo.20, 23

In 1994, significant improvements in mental performance, including short-term memory and concentration, were seen after 6 weeks of treatment with standardized ginkgo extract in a placebo-controlled double-blind trial involving 90 patients with cerebral insufficiency.20

17. Valerian American Botanical Council.

18. Echinacea intake induces an immune response through altered expression of leucocyte hsp70, increased white cell counts and improved erythrocyte antioxidant defences Journal of Clinical Pharmacy & Therapeutics, Volume 30, Number 4, August 2005, pp. 363-369(7).

19. Echinacea in the prevention of induced rhinovirus colds: a meta-analysis Clin Ther. 2006 Feb;28(2):174-83.

20. Ginkgo biloba
The Herb Research Foundation: Herb Information Greenpaper. Evelyn Leigh.

21. Ginkgo
Steven Foster Group. Steven Foster.

22. A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial of an extract of Ginkgo biloba for dementia
JAMA. 1997 Oct 22-29;278(16):1327-32.

23. Treatment of cerebral aging disorders with Ginkgo biloba extract. A longitudinal multicenter double-blind drug vs. placebo study
Presse Med. 1986 Sep 25;15(31):1583-7.

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Comments From Your Researcher
As consumers, we need to educate ourselves about nutritional supplements for prevention of disease and maintaining health. When choosing a nutritional supplement, we need to make sure the company uses 100% pure standardized extracts of the highest quality available, and we need to be sure that the supplements are formulated to be bioactive so that our bodies can effectively recognize, absorb, and utilize the nutrients. We need to make sure that ingredients in the supplement are in proper proportions to work synergistically with the other ingredients.

Before taking FDA approved drugs, we need to educate ourselves about how the drugs affect our health beyond relieving the symptoms of disease, and we need to educate ourselves about non-toxic alternative therapies that treat the whole person and the disease…not just the symptoms.

—Brenda Templin
March 2007

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