Friday 24 June 2011

Wimbledon strawberries hold secret to anti-ageing


In no way playing off the fact Wimbledon is on this week, the Daily mail promotes the benefits and anti-oxidant activity of strawberries. Yes after years of lurking in the background while the new kids on the block (oi blueberries and goji berries, I'm looking at you!) take the lime light, it is finally time that the humble British strawberry - N.B. strawberries of other nationalities may have equal, lesser or greater nutritional value.

Anti-oxidants are compounds that act as you will have probably have guessed to prevent the oxidation of other molecules. When a molecule oxidises it can release free radicals which in turn can lead to damage or death of cells. The anti-oxidants that people are most familiar with are Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Beta Carotene, Retinol (Vitamin A), alpha-tocopherol (Vitamin E) and Ubiquionol (co-enzyme Q10). They frequently appear in higher concentrations in what the press call "super foods".

Higher Nature Super Antioxidant Protection

Friday 17 June 2011

Herbal Medicine Awareness Week



If any one topic has defined 2011 for us so far it's herbal medicine. These past few months have seen the hopelessly out of touch EU legislation begin to be enforced. What this has meant for you our readers and customers is a greatly reduced choice. What it has meant for us is seeing products, brands, people, business and families disappearing from our industry after decades of responsible manufacture and service.

It's easy to talk about how 'big pharma' has the power and finances to form EU opinion which inevitable made proposed legilisation into reality. Unfortunately the reality of the situation is it's probably too late. I trained as a herbalist nearly a decade ago, so my opinion is biased and cynical, however what I found interesting was that certain herbalists have welcomed this crushing legilsation with open arms! What I eventually discovered that they believed (falsely) that under this new scheme, that somehow they would be levitated about mere "alternative therapists" and be given the recognition that they desperately wanted.

How wrong they were.

If you're looking to see if there are any local events in your area surrounding the herbal awareness week, please follow the link: http://www.nimh.org.uk/?page_id=1633

Friday 10 June 2011

Apple peel may hold key to ageing gracefully - Ursolic Acid


Ursolic acid this week has been reported as being a possible cure to living comfortably into old age. The chemical which is said to keep cholesterol and blood sugar regulated as well as preventing muscle wasting is found naturally occurring in apple peel.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Dr Adams of the University of Iowa wanted to find a drug that would delay muscle wasting as "it prolongs hospitalisation, delays recoveries and in some cases prevents people from going back home. It isn't well understood and there's no medicine for it".

This isn't the first time ursolic acid has been written about in the press, as other studies have shown preliminary findings that may support it's anti-cancer effect by inhibiting the STAT-3 pathway.

Although the focus from the Mail article is on apple peel, the chemical is actually found in a wide range of herbs and fruit including basil, bilberries, cranberries, elder flower,peppermint, rosemary, lavender, oregano, thyme, hawthorn and prunes.

New Chapter Super Critical Holy Basil

Friday 3 June 2011

A Quick Guide To Probiotics


Over the past ten years, probotic drinks have been slowly but surely invading our lives and digestive tracts. Now supermarkets have whole fridges dedicated to the huge array of choice the consumer now has if they want to improve their digestion.

But why and what's the benefit of spending what many see as an awful lot of money on these tiny little bottles?

Well they all to some extent contain probiotics. Probiotics are bacteria that are found occurring naturally in our digestive systems. What studies are showing is that we are born with a healthy amount of gut flora, but as we age and subject our bodies to poor diet and antibiotics these levels can drop.

Since the beginning of the 20th century scientists have been able to prove the beneficial effects of probitoics on the body and are currently studying the effects they have on fighting E. Coli, Helicobacter pylori, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and many other digestion related diseases.

In our opinion, the probiotic drinks that you can buy in the supermarkets are fine if you're looking to top up in general, but if you're looking for probiotics to use after a treatment of anti-biotics then we'd suggest you do some research into the freeze dried probiotic based supplements available.

One of the most 'famous' is Lactobacillus acidophilus, this has been shown to kill off Candida alibcans mainly due to the acid it produces. This used in combination with FOS (Fructooligosaccharides) which acts as a food for your friendly bacteria we have found personally to be very effective at getting your digestion back to normal.