A. Background

For almost 25 years, my mother who has had Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) has successfully combined i) a herbal diet and exercise, ii) meditation and iii) traditional medicines, to control her condition. For autoimmune diseases like SLE, finding suitable pharmaceutical or alternative medicinal approaches to control these major types of conditions has been a task.

For example, herbs such as the Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii or combinations of herbs such as dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), yellowdock (Rumex crispus), echinacea (Echinacea purpurea), and garlic (Allium sativum) have had mixed results for SLE. In many cases with little or no scientific evidence to support the claims.

Over the same time, the use and regulation of nutraceuticals, functional foods herbal supplements and alternative medicinal approaches to control weight, treat addiction, cancer, hypertension, autism etc has steadily grown. Such as the