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Asian Ginseng May Help Schizophrenia Patients · 11 hours ago

In a recent study, made by the National Institute of Mental Health, the effects of asian ginseng was tested on patients suffering from schizophrenia. Ginseng was found to relieve the symptoms that are otherwise known for being difficult to treat.

Schizophrenia patients often suffer from hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking. In medical language these are called positive symptoms which also have effective medications for them. The negative symptoms include flat affect, lack of pleasure or motivation in everyday life, and an inability to converse meaningfully.

The negative symptoms have been found difficult to treat, however a recently made study shows asian ginseng to decrease the intensity of those symptoms. In the study 42 schizophrenia patients who continued to suffer negative symptoms despite the usual treatment were studied.

The patients were given one of two doses of Panax ginseng or a placebo for eight weeks. Then, patients taking ginseng were switched to placebo and patients on placebo were given ginseng for another eight weeks. Patients continued to take their standard antipsychotic drugs throughout the study. Results showed that patients were 50% less likely to have flat affect when taking the higher, 200-milligram dose of ginseng than when taking placebo.

The scientists say it’s still too soon to tell people to take ginseng for schizophrenia, but larger studies about using Asian ginseng against placebo in schizophrenia patients is welcome. However, the results so far are definitely looking promising. The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association.

Caffeine-Infused Snacks · 3 days ago

The trend to launch caffeine-infused products seems to be never ending! Lately a product called Engobi (Energy Goes Bites), caffeine-infused and flavoured snacks, entered the market.

Engobi snacks.

The latest entry in the functional foods category, Engobi will be distributed nationwide through convenience stores and select grocery stores. High-energy Engobi is sold in 1.5-ounce, single serving bags, with a manufacturer’s suggested price of $1.29 per bag.

There are two tastes of Engobi available, named as Cinnamon surge and Lemon lift according the flavors. Now we have caffeinated chips, what’s going to be next? It’s good that there are still us old-schoolers left who like to have their daily dose of caffeine from a cup of coffee.

Brains Reactions to Salvia Researched · 9 days ago

In a recently made study scientist researched the distribution of salvinorin A in the brain. Salvinorin A is the active ingredient found in Salvia divinorum, known as the potent hallucinogenic herb. The research was made in the U.S. Department of Energy, Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Hooker and fellow researchers used positron emission tomography, or PET scanning, to watch the distribution of salvinorin A in the brains of anesthetized primates.

The peak concentration of salvinorin A was found in 40 seconds after the start of the test and after 16 minutes the drug had basically disappeared. This means salvia affects the brain nearly ten times faster than for example cocaine. The scientists believe the reason for salvia’s popularity could be its fast onset and short duration.

Based on their results and published data from human use, the scientists estimate that just 10 micrograms of salvia in the brain is needed to cause psychoactive effects in humans.

High concentrations of the drug were found near the parts of the brain which cope with motor function and vision. That explainsthe effects on human users on a salvia trip. Chemist Jacob Hooker says the drug targets a receptor that is known to modulate pain and could have an important therapical use. The researchers plan to make further studies related to salvia’s potential.

Ten things you didn't know about Marijuana · 17 days ago

On April 20th (4/20) Chicago Tribune published this article featuring “10 things you might not know about Marijuana”. The article consists of ten pieces of marijuana-related information. Although the article is pretty basic, there’s also some little more intriguing pieces of info. Did you know Pentagon was built on a former pot field?

Around 1900, the U.S. government briefly grew marijuana along a stretch of the Potomac River to study the plant’s medicinal value. A more potent plant has since risen on that site: the Pentagon.

There is also something to do with resin, hashish, and naked men, Mexican bandits and southern African Zulu fighters. Not to forget the not so secret stories of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. If you want to know more, check out the article here.

Vitamin D is Good For Your Brain · 18 days ago

Vitamin D is known for promoting healthy bones, helping to maintain immune functions and to protect e.g. against breast cancer and type I diabetes. According to latest researches vitamin D is also essential for brain development.

McCann and Ames said evidence suggesting that vitamin D is involved in brain development includes the widespread distribution of vitamin D receptors throughout the brain. … In the review, they discussed effects of vitamin D on proteins in the brain known to be directly involved in learning and memory, motor control, and possibly even maternal and social behaviors.

Natural sources for vitamin D are fish liver oils, eggs, nuts, and last but not least, the sun. Vitamin D is formed naturally after the skin is exposed to the sunlight, making the sun our largest source of D-vitamin. An exposure of 15 to 20 minutes a day is believed to be enough for body to cover its vitamin D needs.

Although there is scientific evidence for caffeine to reduce the risk of skin cancer, and you’d consume regular amounts of caffeine, it is still recommended to use the sun lotion when sun-bathing. So, don’t forget to enjoy the daily dose of sunlight. It’s good for you.

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