The antimicrobial properties of 21 plant essential oils and two essences were investigated against five important food-borne pathogens, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enteritidis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. The oils of bay, cinnamon, clove and thyme were the most inhibitory, each having a bacteriostatic concentration of 0.075% or less against all five pathogens. In general, Gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to inhibition by plant essential oils than the Gram-negative bacteria. Campylobacter jejuni was the most resistant of the bacteria investigated to plant essential oils, with only the oils of bay and thyme having a bacteriocidal concentration of less than 1%. At 35 degrees C, L. monocytogenes was extremely sensitive to the oil of nutmeg. A concentration of less than 0.01% was bacteriostatic and 0.05% was bacteriocidal, but when the temperature was reduced to 4 degrees, the bacteriostatic concentration was increased to 0.5% and the bacteriocidal concentration to greater than 1%.

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Numerous studies indicate that polyphenol-rich chocolate reduces fasting blood glucose, blood pressure (BP) and total cholesterol in healthy individuals and hypertensives with or without glucose intolerance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of two doses of polyphenol-rich dark chocolate (DC) on fasting capillary whole blood glucose, total cholesterol and BP and to examine whether improvements in these parameters are associated with changes in adrenocorticoid excretion in overweight and obese individuals. The study used a randomised, single-blind, cross-over design where fourteen overweight and obese subjects were randomised to either take 20 g DC with 500 mg polyphenols then 20 g DC with 1000 mg polyphenols or vice-versa. Participants followed each diet for 2 weeks separated by a 1-week washout period. It was observed that the 500 mg polyphenol dose was equally effective in reducing fasting blood glucose levels, systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) as the 1000 mg polyphenol dose suggesting that a saturation effect might occur with increasing dose of polyphenols. There was also a trend towards a reduction in urinary free cortisone levels with both groups although it did not reach statistical significance. No changes in anthropometrical measurements were seen. We suggest that more research is required to investigate the mechanism(s) by which polyphenol-rich foods influence health.Dark chocolate: Glucose: Blood pressure: Cholesterol: Glucocorticoids: Obesity Epidemiological studies link high polyphenol intake with reduced risk of oxidative stress-related diseases like diabetes, hypertension and CVD (1 -3) . In particular, consumption of cocoa and dark chocolate (DC) has been shown to improve endothelium function, insulin sensitivity, blood pressure (BP) in healthy individuals, hypertensives with or without glucose intolerance (4 -6) and obese subjects (7) . Cocoa and DC are rich sources of polyphenols providing on average more polyphenols per serving than red wine, green tea or black tea (8) . These polyphenols confer potent antioxidant properties to cocoa and DC (8,9) in addition to the ability to regulate NO (4 -7) .Obesity is known to be associated with insulin resistance and elevated BP (10) . One of the underlying factors linked to these cardiovascular risk factors is abnormal cortisol metabolism (11,12) . Cortisol is a counterregulatory hormone that is essential in the long-term maintenance of blood glucose (13) and which could also unfavourably influence BP and lipid profile (12 -15) . When present in excess, cortisol induces overproduction of reactive oxygen species (16,17) leading to reduced endothelial NO synthase expression (18) . In obesity, particularly abdominal obesity, postprandial hypercortisolism and enhanced peripheral metabolism of cortisol, characterised by increased urinary cortisone-to-cortisol ratio, are observed which are linked to insulin resistance and increased fasting insulin (11) . Increased expression of subcutaneous adipose tissue 11b-hydroxysteroid ...

Harpagophytum procumbens (Hp), commonly known as Devil's Claw is a perennial plant which thrives in arid conditions. For centuries, it has been used as a traditional treatment for a variety of illnesses, including fevers, skin complaints, arthritis and diseases of the digestive tract as well as an appetite stimulant. Since its introduction to Europe in the early twentieth century, it has become a popular antiinflammatory and analgesic preparation amongst herbalists for supportive or adjuvant treatment of degenerative joint diseases, tendonitis, headache, backache and menstrual pain. The validity of Hp as an effective antiinflammatory and analgesic preparation, particularly in the relief of arthritic symptoms, has been investigated in numerous animal, clinical and in vitro studies. Although some contradictory evidence exists, the majority of animal studies appear to indicate Hp as an effective antiinflammatory and analgesic preparation in the treatment of acute and subacute inflammation. Clinical trials support Hp as a beneficial treatment for the alleviation of pain and improvement of mobility in a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. Analysis of the in vitro and ex vivo studies that currently exist, indicate that Hp has significant effects on numerous proinflammatory markers. However, the exact mechanism(s) by which Hp may reduce inflammation remain to be elucidated.