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http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11732590

NZ Herald: Your health: Natural products to assist asthma sufferers

October 25, 2016

By Sandra Clair, October 23, 2016

"Plant medicines, if used regularly, can safely and effectively assist with symptom relief whilst helping to prevent the respiratory tract infections that can trigger and worsen asthmatic attacks. I do not recommend plant medicine as a substitute for a prescribed inhaler. Plant medicines can be used alongside conventional medication to support and alleviate symptoms and improve overall health. This will lead to improved asthma management over the longer term."

Link: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11732590

Jeffrey Karp in his lab at BWH Photograph: Rick Friedman for the Guardian

The Guardian: Inspired by nature: the thrilling new science that could transform medicine

October 25, 2016

By Laura Parker, October 25, 2016

"Jeffrey Karp is at the forefront of a new generation of scientists using nature’s blueprints to create breakthrough medical technologies. Can bioinspiration help to solve some of humanity’s most urgent problems?"

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/oct/25/bioinspiration-thrilling-new-science-could-transform-medicine

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/how-to-get-high-on-soil/251935/

The Atlantic: How To Get High On Soil

October 20, 2016

By Pagan Kennedy, Jan 12, 2012

"I'm holding a bowl of dirt up to my nose, in hopes of getting high on the fumes of my backyard compost pile. The microbe that I'm after today is M. vaccae, a living creature that acts like a mind-altering drug once it enters the human body. It has been shown to boost the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine circulating in the systems of both humans and mice. In other words, it works in much the same manner as antidepressant pills. And yes, it is possible to dose yourself by simply breathing in the smell of good dirt.

The drug-like effects of this soil bacteria were discovered, quite by accident,about a decade ago. A doctor named Mary O'Brien created a serum out of the bacteria and gave it to lung-cancer patients, in hopes that it might boost their immune systems. Instead, she noticed another effect: The hospital patients perked up. They reported feeling happier and suffered from less pain than the patients who did not receive doses of bacteria. Further studies in mice confirmed the mood-boosting effect of the soil bugs."

Link: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/how-to-get-high-on-soil/251935/

enisia La Greca, 82, growing fruit and vegetables in her garden. CreditGianni Cipriano for The New York Times — enisia La Greca, 82, growing fruit and vegetables in her garden. CreditGianni Cipriano for The New York Times

NY Times: Rosemary and Time: Does This Italian Hamlet Have a Recipe for Long Life?

October 20, 2016

NY Times: Rosemary and Time: Does This Italian Hamlet Have a Recipe for Long Life?

Oct. 19, 2016 By Bryant Rousseau

"In and around Acciaroli, Italy, a particularly pungent variety of locally grown rosemary — said to smell 10 times as strong as the norm — is a daily part of the diet. Residents raise and consume their own rabbits. Anchovies hauled in by the town’s fishermen feature prominently on dinner plates.

Abundant sunshine and clean air keep people outdoors, swimming at beaches or climbing the steep hills that ripple along the Cilento Coast, south of Naples.

Do these environmental factors and food choices — a hyperlocal twist on the Mediterranean diet, which also includes olive oil and fresh vegetables — explain why so many people here, both men and women, live past 90?"

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/world/what-in-the-world/rosemary-and-time-does-this-italian-hamlet-have-a-recipe-for-long-life.html?_r=0

https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2016/10/medicine-will-grow-trees-uq

University of Queensland: Medicine will grow on trees at UQ

October 20, 2016

University of Queensland, 18 October 2016

"The future of medicine could be as simple as nibbling a sunflower seed or drinking a cup of tea, with the opening of a new facility at The University of Queensland on 18 October.

The Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Facility for Producing Pharmaceuticals in Plants at UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience has the potential to provide inexpensive medications to patients, which will have a significant impact locally and internationally

Head of the new state-of-the-art laboratory, Professor David Craik, said his team would use the Ramaciotti Facility to transform plants into ‘biofactories’ that produced potent next-generation pharmaceuticals.

“The new drugs will be incorporated into novel plant products such as seeds, medicinal teas and foods, where they have the potential to dramatically improve the lives of patients who cannot afford current medications, or cannot tolerate the effects of their complicated treatment regimes,” he said."

Link: https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2016/10/medicine-will-grow-trees-uq

Kaiser Health News: Kratom Gets Reprieve From Drug Enforcement Administration

October 17, 2016

October 13, 2016 KERA, Kaisher Health News, and NPR

Reporter: Lauren Silverman

"It’s been a wild ride for kratom lately.

Since Aug. 31, when the Drug Enforcement Administration announced its intention to classify the plant as a Schedule I substance, a group of kratom vendors filed a lawsuit against the government to block the move, angry advocates took to social media in protest and scientists questioned whether they would be able to continue kratom research.

Now, the DEA is withdrawing its notice of intent to put kratom in the most restrictive category of controlled substances, with drugs like LSD and heroin. The DEA says it will instead open an official public comment period — to last until Dec. 1, 2016 — for people to share their experiences using kratom as a medical treatment. It has also requested that the Food and Drug Administration expedite scientific research."

Full article: http://khn.org/news/kratom-gets-reprieve-from-drug-enforcement-administration/