Alternative Medicine Repertory

Researchers will conduct basic and clinical studies to determine how selected botanicals may influence molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms by which select botanicals may prevent or reverse the development of insulin resistance, the key pathophysiologic feature of the metabolic syndrome. Investigators will study Russian tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus), Shilianhua (Sinocrassula indica) and grape anthocyanins.

NCCAM Research Centers

This basic research center organizes and maintains a multidisciplinary program for experimental research on botanicals as dietary supplements with an emphasis on polyphenols for age-related diseases. Polyphenols encompass a diverse group of chemical components widely distributed in plants, many of which are consumed both for their nutritive value and purported medicinal properties. The speculated health-promoting effects of polyphenols are generally attributed to their antioxidant action, but other biological mechanisms may be involved and will be explored. The proposed research agenda of the Purdue center is clinically relevant to the leading cause of death in the United States, heart disease, and to three leading causes of diminished quality of life, osteoporosis,

Information on federal grants and funding resources from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health.