The new research was published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition. It was the work of researchers associated with a hospital in Shanghai as well as employees of Amway division Nutrilite, which funded the study.
The new study used a product based on extracts of Cistanche (Cistanche tubulosa) and ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba). While ginkgo is widely familiar as a dietary supplement ingredient, cistanche is somewhat more obscure for Western audiences.
Cistanche is a name of a common Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) preparation as well as the name of a genus of parasitic plants with worldwide distribution. Cistanche tubulosa, the source of the TCM material, is found in the arid western regions of China where it is a parasite found on a woody bush that is a member of the amaranth genus.
The authors noted that it the preparation has been found to be of benefit in cases of mild Alzheimers syndrome.
CFS could affect as many 2.5 million Americans
Chronic fatigue syndrome is the common name is the common name for a group of medical conditions characterized by persistent fatigue and other specific symptoms that last for a minimum of six months in adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention use the term Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for the condition. According to the CDC, between 800,000 and 2.5 million Americans may suffer from the condition. Women outnumber men 4:1 among those formally diagnosed with the condition, the CBC said. The condition is rarely diagnosed in children or adolescents and appears to be most common among people 40-60 years of age.