published_or_final_version / abstract / Dentistry / Master / Master of Dental Surgery

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

published_or_final_version / Biological Sciences / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The prevalence of herbal supplement use by the elderly and factors that influence regular versus occasional use were investigated in a group of independent residents of a continuing care retirement community in Salem, Oregon. A nine-page questionnaire was delivered to 402 residents of Capital Manor; 318 questionnaires were usable (84% response rate). The majority of respondents were female (68%) and Caucasian (88%) with an age range of 65 to 100 (average 82.2 years). Twenty percent of all respondents (n=65) were herbal supplement users. Sixty-two percent of them were regular users and 39% were occasional users. The majority of users were female (68%), Caucasian (85%), and non-smokers (78%). Their age range was 65 to 91 years (mean of 79.6 years). Sixty-nine percent reported living with a spouse. They had more than a high school education (78%) and had annual household incomes above $50,000 (49%). "Books, newspapers, and magazines" (84%) were the information sources most frequently relied on for herbal supplement information, followed by "medical doctor/nurse" (72%). Forty-four percent of user households spent more than $10 per month on herbal supplements. Supermarkets (41%) and health food stores (41%) were the most popular places to purchase herbal supplements. The majority of herbal supplement users strongly agreed/agreed that taking herbal supplements would "make you feel less stress" (88%), "protect you from getting a cold" (81%), and "improve your memory" (81%). Fifty-two percent of users strongly agreed/agreed that "herbal supplements may cause side effects" and 24% strongly agreed/agreed that "herbal supplement shouldn't be taken with other medications". Gingko biloba was the most frequently used of eight herbal supplements (71% of respondents) followed by echinacea (39%) and ginseng (29%). Males were significantly more likely to use saw palmetto (claimed to prevent enlargement of the prostate gland). Eighty-three percent of herbal supplement users reported having some knowledge about possible benefits of ginkgo biloba (claimed to reduce memory loss). A belief that herbal supplements "improve your memory" was significantly associated with usage. Regular herbal supplement users were significantly more likely to agree that taking herbal supplements reduces severity of memory loss. Four factors were significantly related to herbal supplement use: age group (with age group of 75 to 84 years old more likely to be users than age groups of 65 to 74 years and age group of 85 years and over); living status (with those living with spouses being more likely to be users than those living alone), health status changes in the past year (with users being more likely to report their health status as "improved" than non-users); and physical exercise participation (with users being more likely to exercise than nonusers). The fundamental hypothesis of this study was that the frequency of use of herbal supplements among older adults would be mediated by several factors including: perceived susceptibility to and severity of chronic diseases (i.e., heart disease and cancer); perceived benefits of and barriers to herbal supplement usage; information sources; vitamin/mineral supplement usage; and perceived preventive lifestyle factors. Of these, only vitamin/mineral supplement usage was significantly associated with herbal supplement usage. Ninety-seven percent of herbal supplement users also used vitamin/mineral supplements. In addition, perception of control over health (a measure of self-efficacy) was significantly associated with herbal supplement use. The more control perceived, the more likely respondents were to be herbal supplement users. In general, the Health Belief Model did not predict frequency of herbal supplement usage (i.e., regular vs. occasional). Hence, further research is needed to focus on factors predicting herbal supplement use versus non-use. In addition, lack of awareness about risks and benefits of herbal supplement use suggests a need for education targeted at older adults. / Graduation date: 2001

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The aim of this project was to investigate a range of medicinal herbs which have radical scavenging and antioxidant activities and then apply novel mass spectrometric techniques to investigate and analyse active components responsible for their pharmaceutical actions. A sensitive electron capture negative ionization of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (ECNI-GC-MS) method was developed to assess hydroxyl radical production, as indicated by 3.4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) production, which allows excellent evaluation of hydroxyl radical scavenging and antioxidant activity of a number of medicinal Chinese herbs. Melatonin is an effective multiple radical scavenger and antioxidant and has been used in this study for the comparison of radical scavenging activity with medicinal herbs. To analyse active compounds from herbal extracts, mass spectrometric techniques were used to separate components that suppressed hydroxyl radical production from Dimocarpus longan Lour, determine known ginsenosides from ginseng extracts as well as to identify and quantify melatonin in ten herbal extarcts. The results obtained indicated that 1) the utilization of alumina in the ECNI-GC-MS method diminished interferences from ???noise??? products in a Fenton-type reaction, which allows obtaining pure final hydroxyl radical product and this method demonstrated optimal sensitivity and reliability; 2) Aqueous extracts of all herbs analysed showed different levels of hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. Dimocarpus longan Lour, Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat, Lonicera hypoglauca Miq, Ginkgo biloba L, Rehmannia flutinosa and Libosch Cornus officinalis Sieb all exhibited stronger inhibitory effect on hydroxyl radical production than melatonin. 3) Aqueous extract of Dimocarpus longan Lour. showed the greatest inhibitory effect on hydroxyl radical production among the other herbs tested. The active fractions of this herb eluted just after the void volume using HPLC suggesting that the active compounds responsible for radical scavenging activity are polar and water soluble. They may belong to phenol group of chemicals. 4) Herbal extracts using non-polar solvents showed no effect on hydroxyl radical production suggesting active compounds in those herbs are water soluble. 5) Different species and origins of ginseng were compared for their radical scavenging activity. Chinese fresh ginseng (Oriental ginseng) showed higher activity than Korean ginseng tablet and American ginseng. Seven known active ginsenosides were identified using HPLC-MS-MS. 6) Melatonin was found at varying concentrations in ten herbs, which may contribute to the radical scavenging activity of herbs, on the other hand, it may provide the justification of clinical use and food resources, particularly for those herbs contain high level of melatonin.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 63 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 48-50).