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Vegetable Lamb for Osteoporosis

posted by Melissa Breyer Oct 22, 2009 1:00 pm
Vegetable Lamb for Osteoporosis
15 comments

According to a new study in the ACS monthly Journal of Natural Products, the charming “vegetable lamb” plant (once believed to bear fruit that ripened into a living baby sheep!) produces substances that show promise in laboratory experiments as new treatments for the bone-thinning disease, osteoporosis. Many plant-derived substances have been used as drugs for the treatment of various diseases since ancient times, and traditional oriental therapies are rich in phytotherapeutic regimens. These medications typically have fewer side effects and are more suitable for long-term use as compared to chemically synthesized medications.

Researcher Young Ho Kim and colleagues also point out that osteoporosis is a global health problem, affecting up to 6 million women and 2 million men in the United States alone. Fractures, the most important consequence of osteoporosis, are associated with enormous costs and substantial morbidity and mortality.

Doctors know that the secret to strong bones involves a delicate balance between two types of bone cells: Osteoblasts, which build up bone, and osteoclasts, which break down bone. The substances “could be used in the development of therapeutic targets for osteoporosis,” the article notes.

According to legend, the “vegetable lamb” is represented as springing from a seed like that of a melon, but rounder, and supposedly cultivated by natives of the country where it grew. The lamb was contained within the fruit or seed capsule of the plant, which would burst open when ripe to reveal the little lamb within it. The wool of this little lamb was described as being “very white!”

More on Health & Wellness (580 articles available)
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15 comments

15 comments

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15 comments add your comment
Kim C.
  • Kim C. says
  • Oct 25, 2009 8:21 AM

I am going to search for the plant to grow myself.

Everyone seems to forget that magnisium is also very important in bone health. Without enough magnisium, the body doesn't use the calcium as well.

Harriet C.

To DCMT and everyone else who responded with information and suggestions, thanks to you all.

DCMT of PA

Harriet - you might try contacting this group, out of Vermont, for your research & possible links for seeds, etc. http://www.unitedplantsavers.org/

Their Mission:
United Plant Savers' mission is to protect native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada and their native habitat while ensuring an abundant renewable supply of medicinal plants for generations to come.

Also, many states have their own Native Plant Society groups you could contact.

The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary : Latin name: Agnus scythicus or Planta Tartarica Barometz

Cotton Plant
Henry Lee in his work, The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary; A Curious Fable of the Cotton Plant (London, 1887), claims that this curious myth actually originated in the early descriptions of the cotton plant. Lee stated it thus: Tracing the growth and transition of this story of the lamb-plant from a rumour of a curious fact into a detailed history of an absurd fiction, there can be no doubt that it origiated in early descriptions of the cotton plant, and the introduction of cotton from India into Western Asia and the adjoining parts of Eastern Europe.



plant of central AsiaAsia. When all the plants were gone, both the plant and sheep died.

Sandy S.

I agree with you all about this article omitting more information than it did. One good thing that came of it was all of you responding with the great information you brought here. A big thanks to you all.

Harriet C.

Thanks for the formulas and osteoporosis information.

I don't have osteoporosis and am not looking for an herbal remedy. I'm merely curious about the plant itself.

I grow herbs and wonder if I might be able to grow this one. I was looking for possible seed/plant sources.

Louise B.

Could you tell us please what is the name (in latin) of that plant ?
Or Botanical name, as Harriet C put it...
Thanks.

DCMT of PA

For Osteo Herb formula order from:
www.herbalist-alchemist.com

This is a propretary blend containing:
Stinging Nettle Leaf
Alfalfa Aerial Parts
Dandelion Leaf
Horsetail Aerial Parts
Oat Straw
Black Pepper Fruit

The man who runs this company is one of the top ranked herbalists in the entire country & makes amazing products,
which our family has used for close to 20 years with great results!

DCMT of PA

If you want to avoid osteoporosis, look at preventing of bone loss. Certain meds such as chemo drugs, thyroid hormone, corticosteroids & anticonvulsants can all add up to bone loss. Bone is strongest around age 30, then begins the decline. In women that decline accelerates at menopause.

Calcium is just part of what we need for bone strength. We also need the correct balance of magnesium, boron, potassium, folic acid, & vit. C, D, E, & K along with protein.

Diet & lifestyle play a key role. Caffiene, alcohol, & many other drugs appear to have an detrimental effect. Bone density depends on weight bearing exercise. A lack of exercise accelerates the loss of bone mass.

Factors that add to bone loss include smoking, late puberty, early menopause (natural or otherwise) family history, hyperthroidism, chronic liver or kidney disease & long term use of cortisteriods, antiseizure meds or anticoagulants.

First off stay off soda & all carbonated beverages, they deplete calcium out of the body! There are plenty of foods which supply calcium, however there are also other minerals we need to support our bones.

All this info is available - along with the vitamin & mineral support suggestions, herbs and dietary recommendations, plus things to avoid in the book Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis Balch (now in its Fourth Edition).

I like to take an herbal support called Osteo Herb by Herbalist & Alchemist. Orde

Harriet C.

To Olivia:

Thanks for the information. I'd never heard of the plant before and planned to research it up myself. It looks interesting.

I was just commenting on the lack of information given in the Care2 article, taking them to task I suppose. I'm big on botanical names, as there are many, many common names for the same plant. I wonder if plants or seeds are available.

Best wishes,

Harriet

Olivia S.

Interesting, and lacking.

From Wickepedia, beautiful drawing provided; note info at bottom of excerpts regarding sustainability (or lack thereof):

"Vegetable Lamb of Tartary, 'Cibotium barometz', legendary plant of central Asia, believed to grow sheep as its fruit.[2] The sheep were connected to the plant by an umbilical cord and grazed the land around the plant. When all the plants were gone, both the plant and sheep died. This plant produces a woolly mass supported by a number of stems. The plant grows only to a height of 3 ft 3 in, when erect, but is often prostrate, forming colonies of plants on open forest slopes and in disturbed areas. The fronds up to 10 ft long.

Although it is widely distributed, the plant has been extensively collected in Southeast Asia, causing the decline in the population size and number of individuals."

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Disclaimer: Care2.com does not warrant and shall have no liability for information provided in this newsletter or on Care2.com. Each individual person, fabric, or material may react differently to a particular suggested use. It is recommended that before you begin to use any formula, you read the directions carefully and test it first. Should you have any health care-related questions or concerns, please call or see your physician or other health care provider.

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