testinal microbiota and neurotransmitters.WYJYD may alleviate the depressive behavior of the rat model by regulating the intestinal microbiota and neurotransmitters. (TL) is a commonly used herbal medicine in Thailand and in other Asian countries. TL has been approved as a Thai traditional medicine for detoxifying poisons, and the list of possible adverse effects includes hypoglycemia. TL showed hypoglycemic effect in animals possibly due to antioxidant effect and beta-cell preservation. However, the safety of TL herbal tea and its effects on glucose homeostasis have never been investigated in humans. Twenty healthy volunteers (10 men and 10 women) drank TL herbal tea 3 times/day for 2 weeks. Ten subjects took TL herbal tea 9 grams daily. After the safety of TL herbal tea was established, 10 more subjects took TL 12 grams daily. Clinical and biochemical tests were assessed at baseline and at 2 weeks. Mean age was 34.9 ± 10.2 years, and mean body mass index was 27.5 ± 5.8 kg/m . Baseline and posttreatment plasma concentrations were as follows fasting plasma glucose (89 ± 6 vs. 89 ± 7 mg/dL), fructosamine (213 ± 32 vs. 212 ± 33  mol/L), fasting insulin (8.8 [IQR 5.9-18.4] vs. 10.4 [IQR 7.4-15.2] U/mL), HOMA-B (101.6 [IQR 82.3-189.8] vs. 120.4 [IQR 93.2-153.2]), and HOMA-IR (1.1 [IQR 0.8-2.3] vs. 1.4 [IQR 0.9-2.0]), all respectively. There were no significant changes in these parameters, including body weight, blood pressure, lipid profile, and C-reactive protein. No serious adverse events were observed during the study period. TL herbal tea at doses of 9 and 12 grams daily had good tolerability without any significant adverse effects on fasting plasma glucose level or other glucose homeostasis parameters measured.TL herbal tea at doses of 9 and 12 grams daily had good tolerability without any significant adverse effects on fasting plasma glucose level or other glucose homeostasis parameters measured.Special Chinese propolis sourced from the Changbai Mountains (CBMP) in Northeast China is rich in specific flavonoids and phenolic acids and its bioactivity has not been reported. This study aimed to investigate the antiproliferative effect of CBMP on cancer cells and its molecular mechanisms. Different cancer cell lines were treated with the ethanol extracts of CBMP for 24 hours before the cell viability and mechanism measurements. click here The results showed CBMP had weak activities against human pancreatic cancer cell PANC1, human lung cancer cell A549, human colon cancer cell HCT116, human liver cancer cell HepG2, human bladder cancer cell T24, and human breast cancer cell MDA-MB-231, but it significantly inhibited the growth of human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells, caused cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in S phase, with increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). The results indicate that Chinese propolis sourced from the Changbai Mountains selectively inhibits the proliferation of human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells by inducing both death receptor-induced apoptosis and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest in S phase. These activities and mechanisms help understand the anticancer action of propolis and its active compounds.Mountain ginseng has been used generally as a pharmacopuncture for cancer therapy in clinical practice in Northeast Asia. Nonetheless, there have been few scientific reports for the anticancer action of mountain ginseng. In this study, we investigated whether mountain ginseng extract (MGE) could inhibit the growth of breast cancer in in vitro and in vivo models. MGE showed stronger cytotoxicity than farm-cultivated ginseng extract (FGE) through promoting ROS generation. Also MGE dose-dependently brought about mitochondrial dysfunction in MCF-7 cells. In addition, MGE induced apoptosis through enhancing the activities of caspase-3/7 by regulation of expression of Bcl-2, Bax, cytochrome c, and cleaved caspase-3 in the MCF-7 cells. Consistent with the in vitro results, MGE significantly reduced tumor weights compared with FGE in mice transplanted with MCF-7 cells, and it regulated the expression of apoptosis-related proteins, such as Bcl-2, Bax, cytochrome c, cleaved caspase-3, and cleaved PARP, in the tumor tissues. Additionally, MGE included higher total ginsenoside contents than FGE. In conclusion, MGE, which is richer in ginsenosides, exerts a stronger anticancer action than FGE in breast cancer. The anticancer action of MGE may be closely correlated with caspase-mediated apoptosis through upregulating ROS generation. Therefore, these findings may be helpful for a clinical understanding of the anticancer mechanism of MGE for breast cancer patients.Whitening cosmetics market has a bright future, and pure natural whitening products of traditional Chinese medicine have always been a research hotspot. In this research, the whitening active ingredient of Chinese medicine Trichosanthes pulp was isolated and purified for the first time, and its whitening mechanism was clarified. Chromatographic methods such as silica gel, ODS, and HPLC were used to isolate and purify them. B16 cells were used to measure the antioxidant activity, tyrosinase activity, and melanin removal activity. A total of 20 compounds were isolated, including p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (1), salicylic acid (2), vanillic acid (3), isovanillic acid (4), protocatechuate (5), trans-cinnamic acid (6), 4-coumaric acid (7), trans-ferulic acid (8), drechslerol-B (9), cyclotucanol 3-palmitate (10), 5-acetoxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (11), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (12), diosmetin (13), apigenin (14), chrysoeriol (15), luteolin (16), 4'-hydroxyscutellarin (17), quercetin (18), 3',5-dihydroxy-7-(β-D-glucopyranosyloxy)-4'-methoxyflavone (19), and cofloxacin-7-O-β-D-glucoside (20). Among them, compounds 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 have good antioxidant repairing effects; compounds 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 have high black inhibition; compounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 have obvious tyrosine acidase inhibitory activity. The results laid foundation for the further development and utilization of Trichosanthes pulp resources and also provide a basis for the development of natural whitening cosmetics.