Hepatitis B : Supplements

Cordyceps sinensis , the Cordyceps species most widely used as a dietary supplement, naturally grows on the back of the larvae of a caterpillar from the moth Hepialus armoricanus Oberthur found mainly in China, Nepal, and Tibet. The mycelium invades the caterpillar and eventually replaces the host tissue. The stroma (fungal fruit body) grows out of the top of the caterpillar. The remaining structures of the caterpillar along with the fungus are dried and sold as the dietary supplement cordyceps. Commonly known as "dong chong xia cao" (summer-plant, winter-worm) in Chinese, cordyceps has been used as a tonic food in China and Tibet and has been used as a food supplement and tonic beverage among the rich because of its short supply due to over harvesting. It is also an ingredient in soups and other foods used traditionally in Chinese medicine for thousands of years helping debilitated patients recover from illness. Cordyceps is used therapeutically for asthma, bronchitis, chemoprotection, exercise performance, hepatitis B, hepatic cirrhosis, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), as an immunosuppressive agent, and in chronic renal failure. The fungus became popular in 1993 when two female Chinese athletes, who admitted using cordyceps supplements, beat the world records in the track and field competition at the Stuttgart World Championships for the 1,500-, 3,000-, and 10,000-meter runs. The women were drug tested for any banned substances such as steroids and were negative. Their coach attributed the performance to the cordyceps supplementation.

Cordyceps sinensis, also called Chinese caterpillar fungus, Cs-4, Dong Chong Xia Caoor, or semitake, is a fungus native to the Tibetan plateau in China. The fungus is parasitic, and grows in the moth caterpillar.

Dandelion is a member of the Asteraceae/Compositae family closely related to chicory. It is a perennial herb, native throughout the Northern hemisphere, and found growing wild in meadows, pastures and waste grounds of temperate zones. Most commercial dandelion is cultivated in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and the United Kingdom. Dandelion was commonly used in Native American medicine. The Iroquois, Ojibwe and Rappahannock prepared infusions and decoctions of the root and herb to treat kidney disease, dyspepsia, and heartburn. In traditional Arabian medicine, dandelion has been used to treat liver and spleen ailments. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), dandelion is combined with other herbs to treat hepatitis, to enhance immune response to upper respiratory tract infections, bronchitis or pneumonia, and as a topical compress for mastitis (breast inflammation). Dandelion root and leaf are used widely in Europe for gastrointestinal ailments. The European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP) recommends dandelion root for "restoration of hepatic and biliary function, dyspepsia [indigestion], and loss of appetite." The German Commission E authorizes the use of combination products containing dandelion root and herb for biliary abnormalities, appetite loss, dyspepsia, and for stimulation of diuresis (urine flow). Some modern naturopathic physicians assert that dandelion can detoxify the liver and gallbladder, reduce side effects of medications metabolized (processed) by the liver, and relieve symptoms associated with liver disease. Dandelion is generally regarded as safe with rare side effects including contact dermatitis, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal upset. Traditionally, the herb is not recommended in patients with liver or gallbladder disease, based on the belief that dandelion stimulates bile secretion (an assertion not demonstrated in animal or human studies). Dandelion is used as a salad ingredient, and the roasted root and its extracts are s...

Dandelion( Taraxacum officinale) is a common meadow herb of the Asteraceae or sunflower family. There are about 100 species of dandelion, and all are beneficial.

There are two general forms of germanium: organogermanium compounds, which are carbon-containing compounds (carboxyethyl germanium sesquioxide, spirogermanium, propogermanium, Ge-132); and inorganic (non-carbon containing) germanium compounds (Ge, germanium citrate lactate, germanium dioxide). In this monograph, elemental germanium is classified as inorganic. Inorganic germanium is present in all living plant and animal matter in micro-trace quantities. In recent years, inorganic germanium salts and novel organogermanium compounds have been sold as nutritional supplements in some countries for their purported immunomodulatory effects or as health-producing elixirs. Bis (2-carboxyethyl germanium sesquioxide), simply called germanium sesquioxide, has been shown in animal studies to have anti-viral and immunological properties including the induction of gamma-interferon, macrophages, T-suppressor cells and augmentation of natural killer cell activity. Another organic germanium, spirogermanium (3-(8,8-diethyl-3-aza-8-germaspiro[4.5]dec-3-yl)-N,N-dimethyl-propan-1-amine), is a heavy metal compound in which germanium has been substituted in an azaspirane ring structure. The supposed therapeutic attributes of organogermaniums include: immunoenhancement, oxygen enrichment, free radical scavenging, analgesia and heavy metal detoxification. However, because of the possibility of contaminated organic germanium products on the market and several unclear and poor-quality scientific reviews, all types of germanium are currently thought of as unsafe. The National Nutritional Foods Association continues to support a voluntary ban on the sale of germanium. Based on information accessed on February 2, 2007, the import alert against germanium products (see related terms) remains in effect. This import alert was created in 1988, and amended in 1995 to prevent the importation of germanium-containing products that are deemed as "poisonous and deleterious substances (PSNC)" or "unappro...