Two Herbal Preparations, Cordyceps Cs4 and Cogent db: Do They Act on Blood Glucose, Insulin Sensitivity, and Diabetes as "Viscous Dietary Fibers?"
Abstract
GUEST EDITORIAL Two Herbal Preparations, Cordyceps Cs4 and Cogent db: Do They Act on Blood Glucose, Insulin Sensitivity, and Diabetes as âViscous Dietary Fibers?â T. DEREK R. HOCKADAY, B.M., D.Phil., F.R.C.P. E xtracts of members of a single species are almost always mixtures of naturally occurring organic compounds, and their actions are notoriously difficult to assess for the following reasons: (1) It is unknown if a single compound or several are responsible and, if there are indeed several, if they acting additively or synergistically. (2) Identically prepared extracts can differ because of seasonal or age differences in the organisms. At least, to start with, if the aim is to use the extracts medicinally, and if they are potent, they have to be standardized by a bioassay, as were the digitalis cardiac glycosides and insulin. So it is important to define a mixtureâs actions precisely, to find out which are important and/or useful, and to determine which might be suitable for bioassay. All this is even more important if the extract is derived from members of nine plant species as is the case with Cogent db (Shekar et al., 2002; this issue, pages 445â457). This and the previous issue