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Hi, Shashi asked for some botanical help with the ingredients of two
products. I am a horticulturist, not a botanist, but I think that I can
help.
 
>In message Wed, 19 Jun 1996 20:55:55 -0400,
> Shashi K Pathak <[log in to unmask]>  writes:
 
> My acupuncturist prescribed Livotrit Plus, an ayurvedic botanical
> supplement, made by Biotics Research Corp., Houston, TX  77236.
> While she never made any claims (nor do I) that it will relieve GF
> symptoms, my experience with it is excellent for relatively fast relief
 
> 1 tablet).  I have never bothered to check if it is gf because it works
> so well for me (although I did show the ingredients to my doctor who
> didn't have the foggiest idea what they are).  The ingredients are:
>
> Bhringraj (Eclipta alba), Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Kalmegh
> (Andographis paniculata), Purnava (Boerhaavia diffusa), Katuki
> (Picorrhiza Kurrua), Daru Haridra (Berberis aristata), Milk Thistle
> (Silymarin), and Saccharum officinarium.
>
> I think the first part is in either Hindi or Sanskrit and the second
> part (in parentheses) is the botanical name.  Any botanists out there?
 
Shashi, you are right about the scientific names.  The parenthetic names
are botanical names, with the exceptions of Andographis (Andrographis) and
Picorrhiza (Picrorhiza) which appear to be typos and Silymarin which I
suspect is Silybum marianum which does have the common name of Milk
Thistle. In your list of ingredients, all of the plants in parentheses are
members of the Dicotyledon subclass of flowering plants which makes them
only very distantly related to the plants which are known to contain
gluten. All plants known to contain gluten are members of the Grass family
which falls within the Monocotyledon subclass.  Only a few members of the
Grass family contain gluten. The last ingredient, Saccharum officinarum, is
household sugar, like rice and corn (maize), it is a Grass family plant
that is GF.
 
Again from Shashi's post,
> The other thing that I take for real emergencies only (because it
> tastes so horrible) is Colon Plus, also by Biotics...
>...  The ingredients are:
> Psyllium seed powder, kelgin, calcium ascorbate, flax seed, apple
> pectin, mannitol, celery, peppermint leaves, aloe vera powder,
> lactobacillus acidophilus, bromelain, anise, and prune powder.
 
Psyllium, flax, apple, celery, peppermint, anise and prune are all Dicots;
Aloe is a Monocot, but is in the Lily family (Note, some people, myself
included, have reactions to Psillium that may be similar to celiac
symptoms). I don't know about the other ingredients of this product nor do
I recommend either product.
Jack
 
Jack Alexander              [log in to unmask]
Chief Plant Propagator, The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard Univ.