Selenium

[Michaelangelica]

Selenium keeps popping up in my life.

 

1. My orthomolecular doctor prescribed it.

2. My anti-dandruff shampoo contains it.

3. my greywater is possibly poisonous to my plants because it contains it.

 

What gives?

Selenium in soils, its place in our diet, its role in our health

 

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A recent study suggests that selenium may help in the treatment of HIV.

It's been suggested people with low selenium tend to have impaired immune functioning.

There's strong evidence that the ingestion of selenium in the diet improves one's immune response.

Ninety per cent of crops in the UK are grown on low selenium soils. And Graham Lyons discusses the levels of selenium in Australian soils and compares selenium levels in Australia with those elsewhere.

He lists sources of selenium such as whole wheat, fish, meat and Brazil nuts.

Science Show - 7 April 2007 - Selenium in soils, its place in our diet, its role in our health

[Jegroeg]

selenium/Vit. E deficiency will cause serous atrophy of fat and Zenker's degenation(white muscle disease) in cattle, notably see in and around the heart. Much of the northern tier of the US is deficient in soil selenium. I used to do post mortems on dairy cattle with the problem often seen. It is obviously an essential micronutrient for many bodily functions of mammals, at least.

[Mercedes Benzene]

It's very true that selenium is a poisonous element when ingested in large amounts. As Jegroeg said however, it is an essential micronutrient that serves multiple functions including the prevention of cancer.

[Jegroeg]

Michaelangelica,

If your gray water is similar to mine, then I think detergents may be the more likely culprit for killing your plants.

[maikeru]

From what I recall, whole grains and seaweed are pretty good sources of selenium, and selenium plays a critical role in the production and function of glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme that helps to mop up free radicals. However, it seems too much can be a bad thing:

 

Selenium-containing enzyme and diabetes

Selenium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Glutathione peroxidase - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Monomer]

My supervisor gave me an article to read because I'm developing a method that has nothing to do with selenium, but there is some interesting info on selenium in the introduction:

 

• Selenium is an essential trace element required for animals and humans for its possible role as a potent antioxidant against oxidative stress.
  
• Selenium is involved in maintaining normal liver function, protein synthesis and protects against toxic minerals such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead.
  
• Studies suggest that low selenium status may increase the risk of oxidative damage and cancer.
  
• Organic selenium is more efficiently absorbed in the body and is less toxic than inorganic SE compounds.
  

 

Das RK, Hossain SU, Bhattacharya S. Protective effect of diphenylmethyl selenocyanate against CCl₄-induced hepatic injury. J. Appl. Toxicol.2007 Mar 9.[Epub ahead of print]

Entrez PubMed

[CerebralEcstasy]

Another source of information that may or may not interest you is a publication called Brain Longevity, by Dr. Khalsa.

 

It discusses the role of nutrition, and includes the importance of selenium.

 

Incidentally, those looking to increase their selenium intake naturally can find it abundantly in foods such as kidney, crab, lobster, nuts, cereals, meat, fish, and eggs.

 

Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Selenium

[Michaelangelica]

Great info thanks. Why would it be in anti-dandruff shampoo?

Is it anti-fungal?

Here (oz) you need a script for selenium supplements. But I noticed they are available OTC in England ( some years ago)

Wiki had some good info.

In 1996, continuing research showed a positive correlation between selenium supplementation and cancer prevention in humans,

plants such as locoweed require selenium, and their growth indicates the presence of selenium in soil)

I am allergic to yeast a major source.

One of the studies[24] showed that in just 72 hours, the efficacy of treatment using chemotherapeutic drugs, such as Taxol and Adriamycin, with selenium yeast is significantly higher than the treatment using the drugs alone. The finding was shown in various cancer cells (breast, lung, small intestine, colon, liver).

I love Brazil nuts, though they are expensive, but they may not always contain selenium

Brazil nuts are the richest ordinary dietary source (though this is soil-dependent, since the Brazil nut does not require high levels of the element for its own needs)

Some research has indicated a geographical link between regions of selenium deficient soils and peak incidences of HIV/AIDS infection

[Monomer]

Michaelangelica,

Organic selenium exists as selenomethionine and selenocystine.

Inorganic selenium exists as inorganic oxyanions selenite and selenate.

 

http://www.lallemand.dk/media/documents/Nr.%204%20Seleng%C3%A6r,%20engelsk.pdf

 

The mineral selenium proves itself as powerful anti-cancer medicine

 

 

Great info thanks. Why would it be in anti-dandruff shampoo?

Is it anti-fungal?

 

The most direct way to control dandruff is to use a shampoo that contains a cytostatic agent, such as selenium sulfide or zinc pyrithione. Cytostatic agents reduce the rate of growth and multiplication of horny cells (top layer of skin on the scalp), which caused a noticeable decrease in visible dandruff within several weeks.

 

http://www.skinsite.com/info_dandruff.htm

[CerebralEcstasy]

Great info thanks. Why would it be in anti-dandruff shampoo?

Is it anti-fungal?

 

My best educated guess, would be that the components of the selenium compound used in the anti-dandruff are paired because selenium poses no threat to brain tissue. If I were a betting woman, I'd also wager it's the other ingredient that is the one responsible for it's effectiveness.

[Michaelangelica]

Michaelangelica,

Organic selenium exists as selenomethionine and selenocystine.

Inorganic selenium exists as inorganic oxyanions selenite and selenate.

]

Very ignorant about chemistry ( Got expelled from it- a long story)

Selenium in soils, its place in our diet, its role in our health

 

has been shown to keep you healthy and to be better than many other so-called anti-oxidants recently to have been questioned as elixirs.

 

Norman Swan: Selenium is the anti-oxidant with probably the least evidence against it, and indeed a recent study in people with HIV/AIDS suggests it could help. One of the researchers was Professor Barry Hurwitz of the University of Miami.

 

Barry Hurwitz: Basically we found that those people who were in a selenium treatment group had a suppressed progression of HIV in their blood, and the people who were on placebo had an increase of virus over the nine-month period, whereas those people who were selenium-treated had no increase. Many people who came into the study had no virus in their blood to begin with. If they were on selenium they tended not to have any further increase. People, however, who did have virus in their blood who were on selenium, they showed a decrease.

 

Norman Swan: And the type of selenium that you used is selenium methionine, is that right?

 

Barry Hurwitz: Yes it's L-selenium methionine but it is an organic form, it's grown in yeast. In that form, about 90% of it is taken up into circulation.

Science Show - 7 April 2007  - Selenium in soils, its place in our diet, its role in our health

[Michaelangelica]

Google Image Result for http://www.fieldscience.co.uk/_borders/Selenium.jpg

 

SELENIUM Se (Target Level 0.8 - 1.2 ppm)

 

Selenium, although discovered in 1817, is now at last recognised to be of great importance to livestock and the human population.

Not only is it essential to the immune system but also to fertility and the metabolism, as it acts as a catalyst and co-factor with other trace elements. Selenium is ultimately involved with Copper and Cobalt in the metabolisms of cattle, sheep and horses (it is equally important in its own right).

For example, deficiencies of Copper and Zinc are often exacerbated by low Selenium levels. It is strongly suspected that Selenium is also essential to the soil and rumen microbes themselves.

Selenium is now deficient in 90% of UK soils. This has finally dawned on the fertiliser manufacturers, some of whom are starting to incorporate a little Selenium in compounds.

However, the availability of Selenium is much reduced by heavy application of nitrate, sulphate and phosphate fertilisers, which act as antagonists.

High Arsenic levels, often found in old mining areas, also suppress it.

Selenium Deficiency Symptoms in Livestock Selenium.jpg (62622 bytes)

 

* Low conception rates

* Abortion and miscarriage

* Neo-natal death

* Malpresentations

* Thick amniotic sac (risk of suffocation at birth)

* Retained afterbirths

* Prolapse

* Bent-over front hooves at birth

* High incidence of pneumonia

* High incidence of scouring

* High incidence of mastitis

* White muscle disease

 

Lumps.

This is the form in which selenium is generally available commercially. It is likely to have come from a delightful substance called anode slime which is the muck that accumulates in the electrolytic cells where copper is purified. This slime contains up to 5% selenium which, along with a number of other rarer elements, are present in the copper ore and concentrated by the electrolytic process.

Source: industrial supplier

Size: 0.75"

Purity: 99.9%

 

Two-grooved Milk Vetch

Two-grooved Milk Vetch

Click To Enlarge

Musculoskeletal System

 

Two-grooved milk vetch (Astragalus bisulcatus) is a selenium accumulator. Livestock will rarely eat this plant and other known accumulators unless other forage is absent. The presence of these plants can help identify soils high in selenium. Animals fed two-grooved milk vetch develop classic signs of the blind staggers syndrome. However, two-grooved milk vetch is one of only a handful of plants that contain both selenium and swainsonine.

anyone seen this?

Selenium accumulating plants

Poisonous Plant Research Products and Services

Since 1995, scientists at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry have engaged in research, which has confirmed the idea of a link between selenium in the soil and human wellbeing. Research has now produced evidence of selenium’s favourable effect on plant growth and harvest yield.

 

“The results of our research differ from the earlier view that plants do not need selenium although they transport it from the soil to animals and humans. However, plants are not disinterested in transporting selenium. Instead, they too benefit from this trace element,” says Helinä Hartikainen, Professor of Soil and Environmental Chemistry.

 

According to research, selenium has a favourable effect on harvest yield, increases stress tolerance and improves the nutritional value of plant products. The research studied potato, lettuce and rye-grass.

 

' Lettuce, for instance, kept better if it was given selenium. When over-aged, it was fresher than the control plant that did not receive selenium,” says Hartikainen.

 

Despite the favourable effects, selenium is quite a difficult trace element. Although its deficiency causes serious disease, overdose is also harmful to people, animals as well as plants. “In China, selenium deficiency is a problem affecting large populations. Little children and young people in particular suffer from myocardial degeneration because of it.”

 

Finland is the only country in the world where selenium is added to fertilisers for reasons of public health. Using selenium in fertilisers quickly raised the population’s selenium intake to the recommended level.

 

“Fertilisation is the best solution because the danger with selenium pills, for instance, is that people will take too many of them."

Google Image Result for http://www.helsinki.fi/tutkimus/images/teksti_seleeni.jpg

University of Helsinki | Science & research

 

A study on canola

JYI: The effects of selenium accumulation in hydroponically grown canola (Brassica napus)

 

Interesting the problem with afterbirth

I had a friend who's cow's after-birth got stuck

She went to her bible Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable by Juliette de Bairacli Levy which suggested giving the animal raspberry leaves.

She gave the cow a big bunch (with molasses??) and shortly afterward (30min) the afterbirth was expelled.

I note that raspberry leaf is in the top 40 of plants containing selenium

(25 ppm)

Raspberry leaf is an old Indian (American) remedy for promoting an easy birth. I have an interesting story about this but I know it works- best taken in the last trimester of pregnancy

 

For the "Top 40" herbs containing selenium go here:-

Chemical Query

or

Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

Dr. Duke's

Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

 

Biological Activities of SELENIUM

 

AP-1-Inhibitor; 2-50 uM;

Analgesic; 200 ug/day;

Anorexic;

AntiNF-kB;

Antiacne; 200 ug/day;

Antiaggregant;

Antiangiogenic; 2 uM;

Antiangiogenic; 230 ug/kg orl rat;

Anticirrhotic;

Anticoronary; 200 ug/day;

Antidandruff;

Antidote (Mercury);

Antikeshan;

Antileukemic; 1.6 mg/kg ipr mus;

Antileukotriene;

Antimelanomic; 480 ug/kg;

Antimetastatic; 480 ug/kg;

Antimyalgic; 200 ug/day;

Antiosteoarthritic;

Antioxidant; 100-200 (-400) ug/man/day;

Antiproliferant; 2 uM;

Antiradicular; 100-200 (-400) ug/man/day;

Antisyndrome-X; 100-200 (-400) ug/man/day;

Antitumor; 100-200 (-400) ug/man/day;

Antitumor (Breast); 0.8 mg/kg scu mus;

Antitumor (Breast); 150 ug/kg diet rat;

Antitumor (Breast); 230 ug/kg orl rat;

Antitumor (Breast); 333.6 ug/day;

Antitumor (Lung); 240 ug/kg diet;

Antitumor (brain); 38-150 ug/kg;

Antiulcerogenic;

Apoptotic;

Cancer-Preventive;

Depressant;

Fungicide;

Immunostimulant; 100-200 (-400) ug/man/day;

NF-kB-Inhibitor;

Ornithine-Decarboxylase-Inhibitor;

Pesticide;

Polyamine-Synthesis-Inhibitor;

Prostaglandin-Sparer;

Protein-Kinase-C-Inhibitor; IC50=2-50 uM;

VEGF-Inhibitor;

 

Sat Jun 30 04:19:52 EDT 2007