Ecdysteroid-containing food supplements from Cyanotis arachnoidea on the European market: evidence for spinach product counterfeiting.

Phytoecdysteroids like 20-hydroxyecdysone ("ecdysterone") can exert a mild, non-hormonal anabolic/adaptogenic activity in mammals, and as such, are frequently used in food supplements. Spinach is well-known for its relatively low ecdysteroid content. Cyanotis arachnoidea, a plant native in China, is among the richest sources of phytoecdysteroids, and extracts of this plant are marketed in tons per year amounts via the internet at highly competitive prices.

Androgenic effect of honeybee drone milk in castrated rats: roles of methyl palmitate and methyl oleate.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Numerous honeybee (Apis mellifera) products have been used in traditional medicine to treat infertility and to increase vitality in both men and women. Drone milk (DM) is a relatively little-known honeybee product with a putative sexual hormone effect. The oestrogenic effect of a fraction of DM has recently been reported in rats.

Metabolic effects of mulberry leaves: exploring potential benefits in type 2 diabetes and hyperuricemia.

The leaves of Morus alba L. have a long history in Traditional Chinese Medicine and also became valued by the ethnopharmacology of many other cultures. The worldwide known antidiabetic use of the drug has been suggested to arise from a complex combination effect of various constituents.

Raw drone milk of honeybees elicits uterotrophic effect in rats: evidence for estrogenic activity.

Numerous honeybee products are used in medicine, but the literature furnishes no information concerning the effects of the drone milk (DM), although drone brood, which is similar to DM, was reported to elicit a hormone-like strengthening effect. In certain countries, DM is traditionally used to treat infertility and to promote vitality in both men and women. The aim of this study was to determine the putative estrogen hormone-like effect of raw DM in rats and to identify the effective compounds.

Novel ecdysteroids from Serratula wolffii.

Two new and one known ecdysteroids were identified in the methanolic extract of the roots of Serratula wolffii. The new compounds isolated were ponasterone A-22-apioside (1) and 3-epi-shidasterone (3), together with the known 3-epi-22-deoxy-20-hydroxyecdysone (2). The structures of compounds 1-3 were determined by extensive spectroscopic techniques, including one- and two-dimensional NMR methods.