2006年VOA标准英语-Sales of Herbal Supplements Soar but Questions

By Priscilla Huff
Washington, DC
31 October 2006
 
watch Herbal Supplement report

St. John's Wort for depression, garlic for a healthy heart, Chinese club moss¹ for Alzheimer's... these herbal supplements are becoming increasingly popular in the United States.  Sales of these supplements have become a big business, with Americans spending more than $20 billion on alternative therapies last year.  But a battle rages over their efficacy and the U.S. government is investing more money into research on how well they work. 

 
garlic bulbs
Garlic is a key ingredient in many world cuisines² -- and its advocates claim the aromatic³ bulb not only adds flavor to recipes, but can also help prevent heart disease.

Jim Duke of the Amazon Food Farmacy is a long-time advocate of using certain foods and herbal supplements as alternative therapies. "I recommend one clove⁴ of garlic a day for those who can take it, and your partner would have to take it as well for you to get along.  But garlic is a walking pharmaceutical⁵ firm, it's got at least 12 immune-boosting compounds, it's got at least 12 antiseptic compounds."

 
Herbal Supplements, garlic supplement
In light of those claimed properties, Americans are turning to herbal supplements in record numbers -- using them either as substitutes for medicines prescribed by their doctors, or often in addition to them.

At the first-ever Herb Day at the U.S. Botanic Gardens in Washington's Capitol Hill neighborhood, there were enthusiastic discussions about how herbal supplements can promote health.

But critics say such talk is unrealistic. Dr. Sid Wolfe of the American consumer watchdog group, Public Citizen, says people should be skeptical⁶. "If they like their food that's seasoned properly, garlic is a good way to season food, but that's not the reason why it is sold. Claims such as cholesterol⁷ reduction, prevention of heart attack have been made and there is no evidence to support it."

 
Herbal supplements
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has tripled its budget for research into alternative therapies, including herbal supplements, since it launched its first studies in 1999. It now spends more than $300 million a year probing the efficacy of what is often called "complementary medicine".

One example:  at the University of North Carolina work is underway on whether Chinese club moss can be used to treat Alzheimer's, the brain-wasting disease.

Jim Duke is convinced that research will prove herbal supplements work.  "I am delighted to say that herbs are becoming evidence-based. We're really looking into such things. Well, you've heard of Cox-2 inhibitors, well you haven't heard much about natural Cox-2 inhibitors."

Cox-2 inhibitors are very expensive prescription⁹ drugs to treat arthritis¹⁰, and some believe the spices turmeric and ginger¹¹ can have similar effects. But Dr. Sid Wolfe of Public Citizen argues that scientific studies into herbal treatments are often flawed, making their conclusions unreliable.

"The government is beginning to test more and more of these against a placebo¹². The only way you can really test is to have half the people take a sugar pill and half the other and as they test these, one after another turns out to have zero benefit.  However, a number have some risk so there's an economic fraud, and no evidence of any benefit and some serious dangers."

But proponents¹³ of herbal supplements dispute this.   Dr. Robin⁸ DiPasquale is with Bastyr University, a Seattle, Washington-based institute that specializes in natural health sciences. She argues that scientific research will find that some herbal supplements do work if experiments are carried out effectively.

She is currently investigating claims about echinacea, a purple cone-flower often credited with boosting the human immune system and fighting the common cold. "The first level of research could be pharmalogical research where you could just test extracts of the plant to find components¹⁴ that you might want to be measuring.

The true research is clinical research when you actually apply it to patients.  And the problem with echinacea is there have been too many studies that haven't been designed appropriately, such as people not giving the proper dosing or dosing frequently enough or not using the correct part of the plant or the correct species of the plant.  So we're looking to do research that corrects those problems so the outcomes really reflect what's going on in clinical care."

While the debate over herbal therapies continues, experts say the first step before taking any medication or supplements is to consult a doctor. Not doing so can be dangerous. Certain supplements and medicines interact badly with one another, leading one-and-a-half million Americans being hospitalized each year for related problems.

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 cuisines   

n.烹饪( cuisine的名词复数 )；菜肴；（通常指昂贵的饭店中的）饭菜；烹饪艺术

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the different features of these cuisines? 能不能告诉我这些不同的烹调流派各自有哪些特点？ 来自地道口语脱口SHOW 高中超越版
• Ice sculptures are used as decorations in some cuisines, especially in Asia. 冰雕在某些菜肴中被当作装饰品，尤其在亚洲。 来自互联网

3 aromatic   

adj.芳香的，有香味的

参考例句：

• It has an agreeable aromatic smell.它有一种好闻的香味。
• It is light,fruity aromatic and a perfect choice for ending a meal.它是口感轻淡，圆润，芳香的，用于结束一顿饭完美的选择。

4 clove   

n.丁香味

参考例句：

• If tired,smell a whiff of clove oil and it will wake you up.如果疲倦，闻上一点丁香油将令人清醒。
• A sweet-smell comes from roses and clove trees.丁香与玫瑰的香味扑鼻而来。

5 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

6 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

7 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

8 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

9 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

10 arthritis   

n.关节炎

参考例句：

• Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。
• He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎，在医院住了三个月。

11 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

12 placebo   

n.安慰剂；宽慰话

参考例句：

• The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。
• The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。

13 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句

14 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。