Clove has a powerful antifungal effect

March 20, 2007

If you have ever touched a mold on a plate or cup it feels slimy. The substance that feels slimy is called a biofilm. This biofilm is released by yeast and mold to anchor it to a surface.
Candida albicans is the most common cause of yeast infections in humans. Candida releases materials that anchor it to our mucous tissues. Unfortunately, this biofilm protects the yeast from antifungal drugs and there is growing resistance to these antifungal medications.
Fortunately Eugenol, the major phenol in clove, has a powerful antifungal effect. The Clove ingredient can penetrate the biofilm and kill the yeast. It also inhibits the ability of the biofilm to attach to our mucous tissues. The study is published in the March 14th, 2007 issue of the journal Mycopathologia.

Turmeric has a protective, anti-inflammatory effect in the liver

Researchers from the Department of Gastroenterology, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center performed this study to see if Turmeric could prevent chemical damage to the liver of animals. The scientists state that Turmeric decreased liver damage in several animal studies.
Rats were treated with thioacetamide twice a week for 12 weeks and it caused cirrhosis of their liver. In cirrhosis the liver becomes scarred, fibrous, and filled with fat and it can no longer adequately perform its hundreds of jobs. One group of the rats was also fed Turmeric and the herb inhibited liver damage and the development of cirrhosis. Turmeric was protective, not by a direct anti-fibrotic effect but by inhibiting liver inflammation. The study is published in the April 2007 issue of the journal Liver International; the official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver.