May 2007

NIH funds center to study botanicals
in dietary supplements

The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), awarded a grant to Iowa State University to study botanicals used as ingredients in dietary supplements. 

A multidisciplinary research team will study hypericum (St. John’s Wort), prunella (self-heal), and several types of echinacea (such as purple Coneflower) for antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. The center will be headed by Dr. Diane Birt, a professor at Iowa State University, who will lead researchers from ISU, the University of Iowa, and Yale University.     

NIH currently funds six dietary supplement research centers focused on botanicals. The studies at ISU are designed to complement research at other centers that are studying botanicals and inflammation. In recent years, inflammation has been identified as a common denominator of a number of chronic diseases, such as heart disease.     

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at NIH will help fund the Iowa center.

Source: National Institutes of Health, www.nih.gov

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