Story Summary: Wednesday November 25 2009An ancient herbal mint tea from Brazil is as effective at delivering pain relief as commercial medicine, according to The Guardian. Should future research find pain-relieving properties for humans, the chemicals responsible might be extracted and developed into a medicine. The presentation will be given as part of the 2nd International Symposium on Medicinal and Nutraceutical Plants in New Delhi, India, and is scheduled to appear in the societys journal, Acta Horticulturae. The researchers say that it is widely used as a traditional medicine in the area, but that it has not yet been pharmacologically researched. They say that this species of plant (Hyptis) has been reported to have therapeutic properties, such as relieving pain and fighting inflammation and cancer. Several drugs that are used today, including aspirin, originate from plants that were used for medicinal purposes in the past. Although studies in animals can be valuable early research, the results may not be directly applicable to humans. Until it is fully published, it should be treated with caution. What did the research involve?Mice in a laboratory were given different concentrations of H. crenata, which was presumably administered as a tea, though this is not specifically reported. Studies in mice that involve proxy measures of pain may not be directly applicable to humans. What were the basic results?The presentation reports that the pain-relieving effects of H. crenata increased over a 24-hour period following administration of either low dose (15mg/kg) or high dose (150mg/kg). This effect was found to be similar to that of the anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin, while plain water had no effect. How did the researchers interpret the results?The researchers conclude that Hyptis crenata has pain-relieving properties which are effective at low and high dose. ConclusionThis study appears to have very limited applications at present. The research would also have to address whether such a drug would be any safer or more effective or cheaper than established painkillers such as aspirin and paracetamol….Read the Full Story

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