Beyond Botanicals

My third-year Botanical Medicine prof is a genius.  No lie.  He is super knowledgeable about all things naturopathic medicine (which I guess is no surprise because he's been practicing for twenty years as an ND, I do believe), especially herbs.  Often the judicial system calls upon him as an expert witness whenever there is a legal issue involving herbs/botany.

Anywho, I mention this smart professor because his Bot Med lectures are usually filled with so much interesting material; cool stuff that goes above and beyond the course curriculum. Here are five neat things (not necessarily related to botanicals) that we discussed in his classes over the last couple of weeks:

1) Top three causes of infantile colic in breastfeeding moms: coffee, garlic, or onions in the mom's diet. 

2) Long term consequence of Epilepsy medications: osteoporosis.

3) 90% of our melatonin receptors are in our gut. Therefore supplemental melatonin (which people normally take to help them sleep better) maybe be beneficial for those suffering from gut issues (such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)). 

4) Beer has estrogenic effects, so perhaps it is not the best beverage for men...

5) Three side effects of potassium depletion: Alzheimer's disease, leg cramps, and heart arrhythmias.