The American Chemical Society (ACS) News Service Press Package is your access point for discoveries in fields ranging from astronomy to zoology. Those topics with an emphasis on medicine, health and the environment are reported in the 34 journals of the American Chemical Society. With 158,000 members, ACS is the worlds largest scientific organization. Chemistry is the science that transforms lives, and these news alerts are from the leading edge of that science at ACS headquarters.

In This Edition:
* Black cohosh supplements with no black cohosh
* Detecting chemical agents targeted on civilians
* New process for making ice that burns
* Peaceful recipe for a fine kettle of fish
* The brain enzyme responsible for Canavan disease
* En route to smoother flowing blood

ARTICLE #1
Black cohosh supplements with no black cohosh
Millions of women buy the herb black cohosh and use this dietary supplement to treat hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. Clinical trials are still relatively few in number. Some report that black cohosh helps relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, while others do not.
A new study, scheduled for May 17 publication in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry, reports for the first time that a significant number of black cohosh supplements sold in the United States did not contain black cohosh. Instead, these products contained a related Asian species of the plant that does not have the same chemical compounds or clinical uses as the native North American plant.
Using a new and simplified technique, the researchers analyzed 11 products marketed as black cohosh. Three contained the Asian adulterant, and one contained both genuine black cohosh and the Asian imitator. Products containing only black cohosh varied significantly in the amounts of the com
'"/>

Contact: Michael Woods
m_woods@acs.org
202-872-4400
American Chemical Society
8-May-2006