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Article: Ginkgo and Colchicine: Curiouser and Curiouser, says Alice. (Phytotherapy Review).(colchicine in placental blood)
- Article from:
- Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients
- Article date:
- April 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Townsend Letter Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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During my 20 years plus of reviewing the phytotherapy scientific literature I cannot recall coming across a more bizarre episode than the reported occurrence of coichicine in Ginkgo biloba. A group of US scientists, while investigating natural antiinflammatory substances in pooled placental blood, found a compound present which they identified as colchicine. (1) Naturally the scientists were curious as to the origins of this plant chemical, so they decided to examine individual blood samples from 24 pregnant women. Only five of these contained colchicine and the group reported that all of the colchicine-containing blood samples came from women who used herbal supplements. ...