Samento

[transDiMenTional]

MY apologies if this has been discussed b4....

I recieved an email today regarding an Uncaria tomentosa extract that is free of tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids (TOAs) that are found in traditional Cat's Claw.

Heres more.... (taken without permission from an email from my mum )

WHAT IS SAMENTO?

Samento is a powerful medicinal plant that was approved as a medicine here in Ecuador in 2004. Government officials have allowed 3 drug claims to be used:

* IMMUNE SYSTEM MODULATOR

* ANTIMICROBIAL

* ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

Some other medicinal properties that have been reported:

* ANTIBACTERIAL

* ANTIFUNGAL

* ANTIVIRAL

* ANTIPARASTIC

* VERMIFUGE

* ANTICANCEROUS

* ANTILEUKEMIC

* ANTIMUTAGENIC

* CYTOSTATIC

* ANTIOXIDANT

* DIURETIC

* ANTIHYPERTENSIVE

* DEPURATIVE

* ANTIULCEROUS

* ANTIDEPRESSANT

* ANTIPARKINSONISM

Some of the beneficial properties of Samento are attributed to the pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids (POAs) that are found in the plant that act on the cellular immune system and demonstrate powerful immune system modulating properties. SAMENTO does not contain the tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids (TOAs) that are found in traditional Cat's Claw. TOAs disrupt central nervous system function and greatly inhibit the effects of the POAs.

Some researchers believe that Samento may be as much as 1000 times more effective than Cat’s Claw. One of the most important differences between Samento and Cat’s Claw is that Cat’s Claw is an immune system stimulant and Samento is an immune system modulator. Therefore, Samento can be used to treat all autoimmune disorders; this is not the case with Cat’s Claw.

CASE STUDY

Samento Helps In Some Depressions

By Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yordan Yordanov , M.D.,

Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist and Psychopharmacologist

I’d like to share with you my observations on 5 patients with depression over the past month. I’m talking about endogenous depressions - moderate to heavy. The dosage was 3 x 200 mg taken with or immediately after meals. Some of these patients were on antidepressants - the well-known Prozac, Ludiomil, Anafranil, etc. 10 to 12 days after adding Samento to the treatment, they reported a bigger mood improvement compared to the time when they had taken only antidepressants; as well as a heightened biotone (liveliness), which is very important in the so-called simple forms of depression.

One of the patients, a 32-year-old artist, reported that by the 10th to 11th day half of the asthenic symptoms, i.e. weakness of the stimuli, languidness, lack of initiative and difficult concentration, disappeared and he started working again.

A student from the Sofia University started using only Samento. Unfortunately she misunderstood the dosage and took just one 200mg capsule daily instead of three. She too observes better concentration and easier learning but not sufficiently.

The third patient, a 43-year-old woman with depression, claims she feels a lot livelier and her associative processes run better. These are the results with respect to the depression patients.

I have been using Samento myself for three weeks now for gastrointestinal complaints. A couple of months ago I had gastroscopy and no ulcer was found. Shortly before starting the supplement, the Helicobacter pylori test I made at the lab of the Lechitel Health Center proved positive. You know that ulcers are mostly being caused by these bacteria.

What were the results from taking 3 x 200 mg of Samento daily? By the 8th to 10th day I felt a lot more energetic. The fatigue typical of the end of the working day - by 7 or 8 pm - disappeared. The gases I suffered from vanished, as well as the heartburn that I previously had to counter with Ranitidin.

I believe this is a novel type of food supplement, having something in common with the nootropic preparations mainly used for treating senile dementia. It is known that lately more and more people are suffering from Alzheimer’s. Samento opens a new opportunity for treating dementias. Why is it that I suspect a nootropic action and recommend to the manufacturer to carry out studies in this direction? After taking it for a week I started feeling quite livelier and found out that the supplement improved associative thinking. When reading difficult foreign language texts, it is easier for me to comprehend them. Judging by my personal results, I see a nootropic action, which was formulated in 1972-1973 by the Belgian pharmacologist Giurgea from the company UCB (Union Chemie Belge). The original hypothesis for nootropic action was later extended and it turned out it influenced other organs and systems in the human body too. But I shall not go into details, I simply recommend conducting such studies to see the brain cell metabolism since it is known that nootropic agents and particularly Pyracetam, the Belgian Nootropil, the Bulgarian Pyramem, as well as the Bulgarian combination drugs Fezam, Orocetam, etc., increase the production of compounds that are an energy source for the nervous system.

CASE STUDIES

98% Of Patients Show Clinical Improvement

By Dr. John Kule, M.D., director of the East Aiken Health Center in Aiken, South Carolina

Recent advances in the chemical analysis of Cat’s Claw have shed new light on its use as a natural therapeutic agent. Specifically, it has been found that the clinical efficacy increases as the pentacyclic oxindole alkaloid (POA) fraction increases and as the tetracyclic oxindole alkaloid (TOA) content decreases respectively. Samento is a rare form of Cat’s Claw that has been found to be 100% TOA free. It is a wild crafted product of a unique Peruvian rain forest microclimate that so far has been found to be most effective in its most minimally processed form.

At a Samento Conference held May 10, 2002 in Florida, Brian Lamb, medical herbalist from Scotland, reported that 100% of the terminally ill patients he is treating with Samento are showing remarkable clinical improvement. An historical review of the scientific literature on Uncaria tomentosa was presented by Jerry Schlesser, ND, DC, CNS. Professor Henk Oswald, M.D., Ph.D., expounded on his experience of the use of Samento in the treatment of cancer. And Michael Coyle demonstrated Samento’s use as an antimicrobial agent. This paper will explore the use of Samento in the primary care setting.

All patients were seen and treated at the East Aiken Health Center in Aiken, South Carolina. The background of the patient population is diverse. Aiken is located in rural South Carolina, but has long been a winter training center for thoroughbred and standard bred racehorses. Fall, winter, and spring also see an influx of hunter/jumpers, 3-day eventers and polo players, and golfers. Local industry includes the Savannah River Nuclear Site, so the town has an unusually large engineering and managerial class.

The East Aiken Health Center is an integrative health care clinic. General and family medicine are practiced, as well as several modalities of alternative medicine. The local hospital supplies most of our standard diagnostic testing with more specialized testing available at the Medical College of Georgia located in Augusta, Georgia, approximately 30 miles distance. In-house we use an extended history and physical, scalar technology, applied kinesiology, and live cell microscopy. In the future we would like to add on heart rate variability and biological ionization testing.

The dosing schedule used in all cases, unless otherwise stated, was three 600mg per oral capsules of Samento twice a day for 10 days. Thereafter dosage was decreased to two 600mg capsules twice a day. Samento was taken on an empty stomach, by itself. Other supplementation (vitamins/minerals) was taken with meals. Concurrent usage of other herbs was discouraged as it was felt that other herbs might contain alkaloids with a blocking effect similar to the tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids (TOAs.)

Beginning in March 2002 and continuing to date, over 60 patients have been treated with Samento. Conditions treated include:

· Chronic Fatigue

· Fibromyalgia

· Status Post Cerebrovascular Accident

· Chronic Back Pain

· Status Post Breast Cancer

· Diabetes

· Hypertension

· Irritable Bowel

· Candidiasis

· Hypothyroid

· Menopausal Syndrome

· Pre Menstrual Syndrome

· Peptic Ulcer Disease

· Gastritis

· Rheumatoid Arthritis

· Arthritis

· Schizophrenia

· Asthma

· Lyme’s Disease

· Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy

Out of the over 60 patients, only one has failed to show clinical improvement so far. Several case studies have been selected, and are presented hopefully to illustrate the amazing scope of illnesses that are being successfully treated with Samento at our clinic.

CASE #1 BK, 48 year old white male, recently diagnosed with incipient cirrhosis of the liver. Patient has a history of light alcoholic consumption but at time of exam was under much personal and professional stress and was experiencing acute flare up of Epstein Barr, herpes simplex, and systemic yeast. Physical findings were significant for fatigue, weight loss, pale appearance, decreased urinary stream, and moderately tender liver of normal size. This patient began with Samento one capsule twice a day and then moved up to two capsules twice a day. Patient was also placed on a yeast-free diet, AA supplementation, and severe nocturnal cramping was alleviated with calcium supplementation and a multivitamin/mineral supplement. The patient experienced almost immediate increase energy, increased sense of well-being, and increased mental clarity. A mild diuretic effect was well tolerated as the urinary stream normalized within 3 to 5 days. The patient also experienced several healing crises which included liver tenderness, bowel inflammation at several sites, hemorrhoidal and fissure inflammation followed by normalization. The patient continues to improve on one per oral twice a day.

CASE #2 PE, 53 year old white female diabetic education nurse. The patient has a long history of rheumatoid arthritis as well as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, and also hormone replacement therapy with synthetic estrogen alone since hysterectomy in 1979. The patient expressed a desire for more natural treatment alternatives at her first visit. Other medications included Celebrex, Claritin D, Nasonex, and prednisone as needed in acute arthritic flare-ups. The patient was changed to Natural TriEstPro. The Celebrex, Claritin, and Nasonex were discontinued and SAMENTO begun at three capsules twice a day. Despite the patient’s initial skepticism, she has been well with no acute flare-ups. A mild decrease in fasting blood sugars has also been noted. The patient continues to do well on two capsules twice a day.

CASE #3 KW, 33 year old white female with a history of severe asthma beginning after a bout of pneumonia as a 7-year-old. The patient has had multiple hospital admissions, with increasing severity and frequency of asthma attacks occurring the last few years. Her last hospitalization also almost required the use of intubation/respirator, and did require intravenous corticosteroid. The patient is taking Depoprovera IM every month, Proventil inhaler every day, Flovent inhaler twice a day, and Serovent inhaler twice a day. On physical exam, there was marked shortness of breath and abundant wheezing in all lung fields. Live cell microscopy revealed severe rouleaux. The patient was begun on Samento three capsules twice a day with marked improvement noted within three days. There have been no further hospital admissions to date, and the patient is back to work.

CASE #4 AS, 56 year old white female with a history of schizophrenia, cholecystitis/cholelithiasis (surgery has been recommended on several occasions), renal lithiasis, and poorly controlled hypertension. Surgeries included hysterectomy and bladder tack. The patient had been noncompliant with medications (anti-hypertension and anti-psychotic), noncompliant with dietary restrictions (a hot fudge sundae occasioned her last gall bladder colic), and is obese. The patient was voluntarily restricted to home. On at least one occasion in the past, the patient had to be admitted for psychiatric care. Live cell testing revealed marked spicules, liver congestion, and marked lymphatic congestion. Prior to beginning Samento, the patient’s mental condition was deteriorating with auditory and visual hallucinations, and increasing threats of physical harm directed toward her husband (actually directed toward “Raymond”, but her husband’s name is “Bill.”) Within one week of beginning Samento the patient’s mental condition remarkably stabilized. The patient was able to leave home and shop for the first time in three years, and also became more compliant with taking medications, and improved compliance with scheduled office visits. It was felt that IM B No I would further improve the patient’s condition but she would not tolerate the injections. The patient remains stable on Samento and anti-hypertension (Diovan) medication alone.

CASE #5 PK, 56-year-old white female, who since 1998 has suffered neuralgia-like pain and burning sensations in the oral mucosa. Also night sweats, chronic muscle and joint pain, fatigue, short-term memory loss, and visual blurring (“seems my eyeglasses are dirty when they are clean.”) Occult dental infection was corrected with oral surgery and a combination of oral penicillin and clindamycin. Symptomatic relief lasted several weeks after which the dental/oral facial neuralgia returned. The patient subsequently was diagnosed with Lyme’s disease by fluorescing antibody. Colloidal silver (MSP) was initiated along with homeopathic Ledum, resulting in partial relief of symptoms. SAMENTO was added to the above regimen and increased the patient’s symptomatic relief to approximately 95%.

CASE #6 FC, 75 year old white male, with a long history of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, and depression. Chronic worsening symptoms of fatigue, muscle soreness, and cognitive loss (“I just can’t think clearly”) had rendered the patient almost housebound. Domestic support is minimal as the patient is married to a sedentary chain smoker little interested in her own health problems and who ridicules the patient’s search for health in the alternative medical field. The patient also suffers from insomnia, which could more rightly be described as a loss of circadian rhythm as the patient is unable to fall asleep at night, then chronically is unable to awaken in the mornings. The patient takes Xanax, cytomel, Allegra, Humulin R and N. Treatment with Nutri-Spec diphasic supplementation designed to help restore a more normal diurnal rhythm met with limited success. The addition of SAMENTO resulted in a marked improvement in the patient’s energy level, sense of well-being, increased daily activity, and improved cognitive functioning.

CASE #7 JM, 75 year old white male, with a long-standing history of anemia. The patient was successfully treated with whole food combinations of iron and chlorophyll (Standard Process Ferrofood and Chlorophyll Complex.) The patient then began to experience gastrointestinal distress and then had several episodes of rectal bleeding, determined on physical exam not to be of hemorrhoidal origin. The patient was scheduled for upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy which was delayed for one month due to hospital backlog. Samento was begun one 600mg capsule twice a day then increased to two per oral twice a day. The patient experienced one more episode of gastrointestinal bleeding while taking Samento, then a cessation of symptoms. At the time of endoscopy, no upper or lower gastrointestinal lesion could be identified. The patient continues to show clinical improvement.

In these cases and others, what we have consistently noted so far can be summarized as the following positive clinical findings:

· Increased energy. This in particular has been gratifying when used with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and depression.

· Sense of well being/lifting of brain fog. Current studies are under way but this finding appears to be related to the anticoagulant properties of Samento. Those patients suffering from chronic cold hand and feet seem to make the most gain here. Also to be explored would be a positive effect on infertility, especially when coupled with Peruvian Maca.

· Decreased inflammation. Here there might be a transient exacerbation of symptoms, then a marked improvement. The only patient in our clinic who has not shown improvement was one who stopped the Samento when her symptoms worsened. There was no way to get this patient to understand the concept of a healing crisis.

· Decreasing blood pressure. Almost all of our anti hypertension patients have been able to lower their dosage of anti-hypertension medication. None have been able to discontinue the anti-hypertension medication altogether, at least at this point in time.

· Decreasing blood sugar. All our diabetic patients have had mild lowering of fasting blood sugars (around 10 to 20 points).

· Increased diuresis. All of the patients have experi enced a mild diuretic effect.

Adverse clinical findings include:

· Lower extremity cramping. This is easily alleviated when present by either/or calcium supplementation and a good multivitamin/mineral combination.

· Several patients have experienced healing crises. In fact, individual patients have experienced multiple “minicrises” with continued use of Samento. No patient has required hospitalization while on Samento.

· One patient experienced a severe immediate gastritis. The dose was lowered to 250mg each day instead of a normal starting dose of 1800mg twice a day. Within two weeks the maximum dose was tolerated. Gastrointestinal complaints have resolved. This patient’s presenting complaint was chronic migraine headache. No change has been noted yet in the severity or frequency of the headaches.

· Skin rash. Several of the patients experienced transient photosensitive skin rashes, none requiring any treatment other than time. In our clinic, 12 patients have had adverse effects of one or all of the above.

In conclusion, as the several case studies illustrate, Samento has proven in our clinic to be a safe natural remedy with a wide range of therapeutic efficacy. To date our patients continue to show remarkable clinical improvement. As our experience and confidence with the use of Samento grows, we are applying Samento to an expanding list of clinical illnesses.

Here is a google translated page with more info...

Hope this helps someone and I hope there is at least SOME info in all this that is worth the read!

[_e_]

theres been some discussion of this one recently, but im not sure where off the top of my head.

There was definately some good info there, GREAT POST!

im just about to start trialing this plant, im gonna go the whole hog for six motnhs with a bunch of amazonian super plants, and this one is top of my list!

im about to do some research on this one, but :

an Uncaria tomentosa extract that is free of tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids (TOAs) that are found in traditional Cat's Claw.

why do the TOA's need to be removed?

Edited September 27, 2006 by ({E})

[transDiMenTional]

Well apparently and i quote 'TOAs disrupt central nervous system function and greatly inhibit the effects of the POAs.'

To be honest i dont really know much about it I just thought someone else might be able to do something with the information.

[Torsten]

the TOA vs POA stuff was a marketing ploy by a company that sold purified extracts. All other scientific data indicates this was fraudulent and hence should probably be ignored.

[transDiMenTional]

Ok thanks for that T, i'll let my mum know (she is the one that put me onto it)

Any chance of a reference to this scientific data?