Huaier granule, which is clinically used in Japan as a health food, is originally a traditional Chinese medicine for immune dysfunction, such as cancer, in China. Huaier guanule emerged with abundant evidence, and is being prescribed to hepatocellular carcinoma, breast cancer, lung cancer, gastric cancer, et al. as indications in China. This review focused on the clinical evidence of Huaier guanule associated to breast cancer.

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Objective: Placental extracts (PEs) have been used for years as a folk remedy in Asian countries. PEs mediates alleviation of menopausal symptoms, wound healing and liver regeneration. In this study, we evaluated the effect of porcine placental extract (PPE) on monocyte differentiation into dendritic cells (DCs) and cytokine production by monocytes following stimulation with PPE.
Methods: Human myelomonocytic cell line, THP-1 were treated with PPE or human placental extract (HPE) in the presence or absence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon (IFN)-γ, then the secretion of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 was measured by specific ELISA and real-time PCR. We also evaluated the effect of PPE on the expression of the monocytic markers, CD11b, CD80 and HLA-DR, on cultured THP-1 cells as well as DCs derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in postmenopausal patients after oral administration of PPE.
Results: PPE or HPE significantly decreased to normal levels the enhanced secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α by THP-1 cells, in the presence of LPS. However, both PPE and HPE enhanced the production of these cytokines upon stimulation of the cells with IFN-γ. PPE also increased the expression of CD11b and CD80 in cultured THP-1 cells stimulated with IFN-γ. Further, climacteric healthy women treated orally with PPE three times daily for a month showed an increase in surface makers for dendritic cells in PBMC.
Conclusion: We found scientific evidence of an immune modulation by PPE treatment. It is therefore presumed that PPE might represent an immunomodulating adjuvant for immune diseases.

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Objective: We studied the effect of linseed oil (LO) and perilla oil (PO) diets (rich in α-linoleic acid) compared to a normal diet in rats, and assessed liver lipid concentrations and oxidative stress.
Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 5 weeks in three groups were fed a normal diet for 20 days, and liver lipid concentrations and oxidative stress were then measured in each rat. The groups were divided into a normal diet containing either lard (the control group: n=6), the LO group (n=6) and the PO group (n=6).
Results: Final body weight tended to be lower in the PO group than in the Control group. There was no difference in total food intake between each group. Liver lipid concentrations and oxidative stress were significantly lower in the LO and the PO groups than in the Control group.
Conclusion: These results suggested that diets containing LO and PO caused decreased concentrations of liver cholesterol and oxidative stress in rats compared to the control diet. Linseed oil and perilla oil diets are shown to prevent dyslipidemia and to relieve oxidative stress in vivo.

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Dry solid matter (rutin content: 51.6 mg/g; quercetin content: 72.2 mg/g) extracted from Tartary buckwheat boiled noodles using 70% methanol as the solvent was found to have α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. As for fractions fractionated by silica gel column chromatography, the fractions rich in quercetin and rutin showed remarkable α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Tartary buckwheat boiled noodles used as samples in this study contained quercetin produced from rutin by the action of rutinase, suggesting that both rutin and quercetin contained were involved in the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of the dry solid extract.
Changes in postprandial blood glucose levels were compared for boiled noodles made from two types of buckwheat (i.e., Tartary buckwheat and common buckwheat), revealing that blood glucose elevation after eating Tartary buckwheat boiled noodles was suppressed. The blood glucose level 40 minutes after eating Tartary buckwheat boiled noodles was significantly low (p<0.05). It can be concluded that this might be caused by the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of rutin (270.0 mg) and quercetin (330.5 mg), which correspond to a total amount of 935 mg of rutin equivalents, in the gastrointestinal tract. As a result, the digestion of carbohydrates contained in the samples consumed and their absorption by the intestine might be inhibited, resulting in the suppression of increases in blood glucose levels. The presence of a certain amount of quercetin was considered to be key to the suppression of blood glucose elevation.
It is important to control rapid postprandial blood glucose increases to prevent diabetes from developing or becoming serious. This study suggests the potential for Tartary buckwheat boiled noodles to contribute to diabetes prevention.

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Objective: CBD is a phytocannabinoid compound derived from the cannabis plant and has been gaining attention as a potential anxiolytic, anti-panic, and analgesic without the psychoactive effects associated with tetrahydrocannabinol; however, these beneficial therapeutic effects have not yet been explored in dogs and cats.
Design: We conducted an open-label study in eight dogs and four cats with each diagnostic symptom and investigated the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of CBD products for treatment. The efficacy of CBD in dogs and cats with problematic behaviors, such as conflict-related, fear-related, repetitive or self-injury behaviors, were assessed.
Methods: CBD at 0.15–1.85 mg/kg/day was administered twice daily on an empty stomach with a small piece of food. Behavioral symptoms were measured before the first application (day 0) and after 2 (day 14), 4 (day 28), or 8 weeks (day 56) of regular administration. The efficacy was assessed using a behavior index and rating the degree of overall owner satisfaction and veterinarian observational results.
Result: At the end of the study, among the twelve animals that continued to receive this supplement for 8 weeks, four cases were rated as considerably decreased and six were rated as decreased.
Conclusion: CBD was used at a dose of 0.3–1.7 mg/kg/day in 8 dogs and 4 cats for 8 weeks, then behavioral changes were observed in 10 subjects. No serious adverse events were observed, and there were no notable problems in safety and tolerability.

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