Cissus?

[Dastardly]

Does anybody here have much knowledge or experience of the herbal remedy Cissus?

It is a ayurvedic (ancient indian) medicine to help heal and make bones stronger.

But it seems to be being sold as a major supplement by some retailers, claiming to be pretty essential for strong bones and ligaments.

I just wanted to know how much BS this is. And if it is even safe to take regularly as a lot of ayurvedic medicine is strong stuff only suited for temporary use.

[metermanja]

I just wanted to know how much BS this is. And if it is even safe to take regularly as a lot of ayurvedic medicine is strong stuff only suited for temporary use.

Dont know what cissus is. I have heard of guys talk about Ashwagandha and Dashamoolarishta on BB forums, so you might want to check there.

Without referring to this specific medicine, it is highly unlikely that one can suffer from over dose or any baneful side effects of Ayurvedic medicine simple because of how the system functions.

[Dastardly]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cissus_quadrangularis

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1800848/

http://herbalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/using_cissus_quadrangularis_for_bone_health

http://www.bulksupplementsdirect.co.uk/khxc/index.php?app=gbu0&ns=prodshow&ref=BSD_Ultra_Cissus_Quadrangularis

[Rorschach]

I've heard good things about cissus from various friends, though they do tend to be bodybuilders... ;)

[Ian Kovtunovich]

Without referring to this specific medicine, it is highly unlikely that one can suffer from over dose or any baneful side effects of Ayurvedic medicine simple because of how the system functions.

Those ayurvedic medicines have a pretty poor track record w/r/t contamination. I would question the wisdom of a system that advocates the ingestion of either mercury or lead (I forget which, but it is either one or both of those). Prescientific "medicine" is usually pretty suspect, given that it is usually meant to treat something in a totally biologically implausible manner.

If you insist on taking the stuff, at least do your homework and try to find some that is reasonably certain to be safe.

[Platus]

This reminds a bit of pre-modern medicines in the west. Until fairly recently, the rich tended to have a shorter life span because the could afford access to treatments such as blood letting and treatments with toxic heavy metals.

This is from Wiki, so take it with a grain of salt:

Major safety concerns include adulteration of herbal medicines with toxic metals, and intrinsic toxicity of herbal medications. Some traditional Ayurvedic treatments use toxic metals, herbs, and minerals as part of their remedies. Rasa Shastra, the practice of adding metals, minerals or gems to herbs, increases the likelihood of toxic metals such as lead, mercury, or arsenic in the remedy.[66] There is evidence that using some Ayurvedic medicines, especially those involving herbs, metals, minerals, or other materials involves potentially serious risks, including toxicity.[53][67] Adverse reactions to herbs due their pharmacology are described in traditional Ayurveda texts, but Ayurvedic practitioners are reluctant to admit that herbs could be toxic and the reliable information on herbal toxicity is not easily available.[68]

A 2004 study found toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic in 20% of Ayurvedic preparations that were made in South Asia for sale around Boston and extrapolated the data to America. It concluded that excess consumption of these products could cause health risks.[69] A 2008 study of more than 230 products found that approximately 20% of remedies (and 40% of rasa shastra medicines) purchased over the internet from both US and Indian suppliers contained lead, mercury or arsenic.[66][70][71]