Thursday 12 February 2015

Health Benefits of Vitamin B5 or Pantothenic Acid


The health benefits of Vitamin B5, also known as Pantothenic Acid, include the alleviation of conditions like asthma, hair loss, allergies, stress and anxiety, respiratory disorders and heart problems. It also helps to boost immunity, reduce osteoarthritis and signs of aging, increase resistance to various types of infections, stimulate physical growth, and manage diabetes and skin disorders.
Vitamin B5 is widely known to be beneficial in treating serious mental disorders like chronic stress and anxiety. A healthy diet should contain an appropriate amount of Vitamin B5 to ensure good health and proper functioning of all the organ systems. It performs a wide variety of functions in our body, including the production of neurotransmitters in the brain, the fabrication of steroids, and the extraction of fats, proteins and other vital nutrients from food.
In a nutshell, the essence of Vitamin B5 affects every important aspect of maintaining your health.

Symptoms of Vitamin B5 Deficiency

The most common and irritating symptom of Vitamin B5 deficiency is burning foot syndrome, in which a person experiences lack of feeling in their feet, accompanied by intense inflammatory pain. Along with this comes a constant feeling of fatigue and weakness throughout the body. Other major symptoms include insomnia, anemia, vomiting, contraction of muscles and abnormal skin developments.

Important Sources of Vitamin B5

The most important sources of Vitamin B5 include mushrooms, broccoli, cabbage, legumes, salmon and collard green. There are other significant sources for this water soluble vitamin, including foods like eggs, fish, brewer’s yeast, nuts, milk and dairy products like cheese. You can also obtain the vitamin from wheat, peanut, soybeans, molasses and collard greens.

Health Benefits of Vitamin B5

Synthesizer
Vitamin B5 acts as a synthesizer of many important components required by the human body. For instance, it is essential for the formation of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids and antibiotics, while also stimulating adrenal hormones.
Stress Reducer
Vitamin B5 has the reputation of reducing stress and other serious mental problems like anxiety and depression, which ensures fitness of mind. It does this by regulating the hormones responsible for causing these mental conditions.
Heart Health
Vitamin B5 has an impressive record of keeping the human heart in normal working condition. It regulates the level of cholesterol and also helps in controlling blood pressure.
Builds Stamina
Vitamin B5 helps in reducing body fatigue and weariness and it sets the metabolic activities of the entire body on the right track. This means that this vitamin is capable of increasing the stamina of the human body to perform various tasks in an efficient and healthy way. This is a massive benefit of this vitamin, especially from the point of view of active individuals and athletes.
Skin and hair
More than anything else, Vitamin B5 helps to keep the skin healthy and attractive in appearance. It also helps to delay the appearance of premature aging signs on the skin like wrinkles and age spots. Studies have also shown that Vitamin B5 plays an important role in the pigmentation of hair and prevents it from losing its color until you are well into your older years.
Water Solubility
Since Vitamin B5 belongs to the group of water soluble vitamins, it does not add any type of toxic substance to the human body, thereby proving to be beneficial and effective for people from every age group and either gender.
Immune System Health
Vitamin B5 is very good at strengthening the immune system of the human body. This helps us fight against a number of infections and diseases. To decrease the chances of your body contracting something dangerous, be sure that your white blood cell count is maximized and your immune system is functioning properly by eating foods that are rich in vitamin B5.
Other Benefits
Vitamin B5 helps to relieve the human body from a number of detrimental problems like asthma, autism candedeases, osteoarthritis, Parkinson’s disease, premenstrual syndrome and many more. Vitamin B5 is one of the most versatile and flexible vitamins, and cannot be left out of a healthy diet!
Hemoglobin Levels
Vitamin B5 has been shown to enhance the level of hemoglobin in our bodies. It also assists the liver in metabolizing toxic substances. Finally, it is a fuel source for cell division and DNA reproduction.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pantothenic acid, also called pantothenate or vitamin B5 (a B vitamin), is a water-solublevitamin. For many animals, pantothenic acid is an essential nutrient. Animals require pantothenic acid to synthesize coenzyme-A (CoA), as well as to synthesize and metabolizeproteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
Pantothenic acid is the amide between pantoic acid and β-alanine. Its name derives from the Greek pantothen (πάντοθεν), meaning "from everywhere", and small quantities of pantothenic acid are found in nearly every food, with high amounts in avocado, whole-graincereals, legumes, eggs, meat, royal jelly, and yogurt.[7] It is commonly found as its alcohol analog, the provitamin panthenol (pantothenol), and as calcium pantothenate. Pantothenic acid is an ingredient in some hair and skin care products.[8]
Pantothenic acid was discovered by Roger J. Williams in 1933.[9]

Biological role

Only the dextrorotatory (D) isomer of pantothenic acid possesses biologic activity. The levorotatory (L) form may antagonize the effects of the dextrorotatory isomer.
Pantothenic acid is used in the synthesis of coenzyme A (CoA). Coenzyme A may act as anacyl group carrier to form acetyl-CoA and other related compounds; this is a way to transport carbon atoms within the cell. CoA is important in energy metabolism for pyruvate to enter the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) as acetyl-CoA, and for α-ketoglutarate to be transformed to succinyl-CoA in the cycle. CoA is also important in the biosynthesis of many important compounds such as fatty acids, cholesterol, andacetylcholine. CoA is incidentally also required in the formation of ACP, which is also required for fatty acid synthesis in addition to CoA.
Pantothenic acid in the form of CoA is also required for acylation and acetylation, which, for example, are involved in signal transduction and enzyme activation and deactivation, respectively.
Since pantothenic acid participates in a wide array of key biological roles, it is essential to all forms of life. As such, deficiencies in pantothenic acid may have numerous wide-ranging effects, as discussed below.

Sources

Dietary

Small quantities of pantothenic acid are found in most foods. The major food source of pantothenic acid is meat. The concentration found in human muscle is about double that in other animals' muscle. Whole grains are another good source of the vitamin, but milling removes much of the pantothenic acid, as it is found in the outer layers of whole grains.Vegetables, such as avocados and broccoli, also have an abundance. In animal feeds, the most important sources are alfalfa, cereal, condensed fish solutions, peanut meal, molasses, mushrooms, rice, wheat bran, and yeasts. The most significant sources of pantothenic acid in nature are coldwater fish ovaries and royal jelly.34

Supplementation

The derivative of pantothenic acid, pantothenol (panthenol), is a more stable form of the vitamin and is often used as a source of the vitamin in multivitamin supplements.:347Another common supplemental form of the vitamin is calcium pantothenate. Calcium pantothenate is often used in dietary supplements because, as a salt, it is more stable than pantothenic acid in the digestive mentation may improve oxygen utilization efficiency and reduce lactic acid accumulation in athletes.

Daily requirement

Pantothenate in the form of 4'phosphopantetheine is considered to be the more active form of the vitamin in the body; however, any derivative must be broken down to pantothenic acid before absorption.10 mg of calcium pantothenate is equivalent to 9.2 mg of pantothenic acid.

Age groupAgeRequirements
Infants0–6 months1.7 mg
Infants7–12 months1.8 mg
Children1–3 years2 mg
Children4–8 years3 mg
Children9–13 years4 mg
Adult men and women14+ years5 mg
Pregnant women(vs. 5)6 mg
Breastfeeding women(vs. 5)7 mg
  • United Kingdom RDA: 6 mg/day

Absorption


When found in foods, most pantothenic acid is in the form of CoA or acyl carrier protein (ACP). For the intestinal cells to absorb this vitamin, it must be converted into free pantothenic acid. Within the lumen of the intestine, CoA and ACP are hydrolyzed into 4'-phosphopantetheine. The 4'-phosphopantetheine is then dephosphorylated into pantetheine. Pantetheinase, an intestinal enzyme, then hydrolyzes pantetheine into free pantothenic acid.
Free pantothenic acid is absorbed into intestinal cells via a saturable, sodium-dependent active transport system. At high levels of intake, when this mechanism is saturated, some pantothenic acid may also be absorbed via passive diffusion. As intake increases 10-fold, however, absorption rate decreases to 10%.

Deficiency

Pantothenic acid deficiency is exceptionally rare and has not been thoroughly studied. In the few cases where deficiency has been seen (victims of starvation and limited volunteer trials), nearly all symptoms can be reversed with the return of pantothenic acid.
Symptoms of deficiency are similar to other vitamin B deficiencies. There is impaired energy production, due to low CoA levels, which could cause symptoms of irritability, fatigue, and apathy. Acetylcholine synthesis is also impaired; therefore, neurological symptoms can also appear in deficiency; they include numbness, paresthesia, and muscle cramps.Deficiency in pantothenic acid can also cause hypoglycemia, or an increased sensitivity to insulin. Insulin receptors are acylated with palmitic acid when they do not want to bind with insulin. Therefore, more insulin will bind to receptors when acylation decreases, causing hypoglycemia. Additional symptoms could include restlessness, malaise, sleep disturbances, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. In a few rare circumstances, more serious (but reversible) conditions have been seen, such as adrenal insufficiency and hepatic encephalopathy.
One study noted reports of painful burning sensations of the feet in tests conducted on volunteers. Deficiency of pantothenic acid may explain similar sensations reported in malnourished prisoners of war.
Deficiency symptoms in other nonruminant animals include disorders of the nervous, gastrointestinal, and immune systems, reduced growth rate, decreased food intake, skin lesions and changes in hair coat, and alterations in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism.

Toxicity

Toxicity of pantothenic acid is unlikely. In fact, no Tolerable Upper Level Intake (UL) has been established for the vitamin. Large doses of the vitamin, when ingested, have no reported side effects and massive doses (e.g., 10 g/day) may only yield mild intestinal distress, and diarrhea at worst. It has been suggested, however, that high doses of pantothenic acid might worsen panic attacks in those with panic disorder by prolonging the duration until adrenal exhaustion.[citation needed]
There are also no adverse reactions known following parenteral or topical application of the vitamin.

Research

Given pantothenic acid's prevalence among living things and the limited body of studies in deficiency, many uses of pantothenic acid have been the subject of research.

Diabetic ulceration

Foot ulceration is a problem commonly associated with diabetes, which often leads to amputation. A preliminary study completed by Abdelatif, Yakoot and Etmaan indicated that perhaps a royal jelly and panthenol ointment can help cure the ulceration. People with foot ulceration or deep tissue infection in the study had a 96% and 92% success rate of recovery. While these results appear promising, they need to be validated, as this was a pilot study; it was not a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study.

Hypolipidemic effects

Pantothenic acid derivatives, panthenol, phosphopantethine and pantethine, have also been seen to improve the lipid profile in the blood and liver.In this mouse model, they injected 150 mg of the derivative/kg body weight. All three derivatives were able to effectively lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL), as well as triglyceride (TG) levels; panthenol was able to lower total cholesterol, and pantethine was able to lower LDL-cholesterol in the serum. The decrease in LDL is significant, as it is related to a decrease the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. In the liver, panthenol was the most effective, as it lowered TG, total cholesterol, free cholesterol and cholesterol-ester levels.

Wound healing

A study in 1999 showed pantothenic acid has an effect on wound healing in vitro. Wiemann and Hermann found cell cultures with a concentration of 100 μg/mL calcium D-pantothenate increased migration, and the fibers ran directionally with several layers, whereas the cell cultures without pantothenic acid healed in no orderly motion, and with fewer layers.Cell proliferation or cell multiplication was found to increase with pantothenic acid supplementation. Finally, increased concentrations of two proteins, both of which have yet to be identified, were found in the supplemented culture, but not in the control. Further studies are needed to determine whether these effects will stand in vivo.

Hair care

Mouse models identified skin irritation and loss of hair color as possible results of severe pantothenic acid deficiency.As a result, the cosmetic industry began adding pantothenic acid to various cosmetic products, including shampoo. These products, however, showed no benefits in human trials. Despite this, many cosmetic products still advertise pantothenic acid additives.

Diabetic peripheral polyneuropathy


Twenty-eight out of 33 patients (84.8%) previously treated with alpha-lipoic acid for peripheral polyneuropathy reported further improvement after combination with pantothenic acid. The theoretical basis for this is that both substances intervene at different sites in pyruvate metabolism and are, thus, more effective than one substance alone. Additional clinical findings indicated diabetic neuropathy may occur in association with a latent prediabetic metabolic disturbance, and that the symptoms of neuropathy can be favorably influenced by the described combination therapy, even in poorly controlled diabetes.

Ruminant nutrition

No dietary requirement for pantothenic acid has been established as synthesis of pantothenic acid by ruminal microorganisms appears to be 20 to 30 times more than dietary amounts. Net microbial synthesis of pantothenic acid in the rumen of steer calves has been estimated to be 2.2 mg/kg of digestible organic matter consumed per day. The degradation of dietary intake of pantothenic acid is considered to be 78 percent. Supplementation of pantothenic acid at 5 to 10 times theoretic requirements did not improve performance of feedlot cattle

Milk Thistle - Attributes - Benefits - Remedies


Milk Thistle

Milk Thistle is an herbal supplement that detoxifies and protects vital liver functions and more.
Milk thistle has been used for over 2,000 years as a natural treatment for liver disorders. The plant is known in scientific circles as the Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertner (syn. Cardous marianus)but it is more commonly known as “milk thistle,” “St. Mary Thistle,” “Holy Thistle” and “Lady's Thistle.” It is an herbaceous annual or biennial plant belonging to the Asteraceae family that can grow to be ten feet tall with flowers that are red and purple in color.
Milk thistle gets its name from the milky white fluid that comes from the plant's leaves when they are crushed. It is native to southern Europe, southern Russia, Asia Minor, and North Africa, and has also been naturalized to North and South America.
Europeans were among the first to use milk thistle seeds as an herbal treatment for liver disorders. However, the plant's remedial capabilities have been known since ancient times. Milk Thistle was mentioned by Theophrastus in the 4th century B.C. by the name of “Pternix” and it was also referred to by Pliny the Elder in the 1st century A.D. by the name of “Sillybum.” Additionally, in 1744, Von Haller documented the specific use of the plant for liver disorders in its "Medizinischen Lexicon." In more recent years, many authors such as Johann Gottfried Rademacher, Volker Schulz, and Henry Leclerc mention the benefits of Silybum Marianum (milk thistle) when used as a treatment of liver diseases as well as in the treatment of disorders of the bile duct and spleen.

What are the Benefits of Milk Thistle?

Over the past forty years, intensive chemical, pharmacological and clinical research has confirmed the mechanisms of action and therapeutic value of milk thistle in a wide range of human liver-related and non-liver-related conditions. Literally hundreds of modern research studies have confirmed the remarkable ability of milk thistle to protect the liver and the body against virtually all types of damage.
Additionally, the United States National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have catalogued more than 400 scientific studies of milk thistle and its active compounds in their medicine database. These studies reflect what generations past knew and depended on – that milk thistle is one of the most valuable and beneficial herbal remedies and treatments available anywhere in the world.
Today, milk thistle is still one of the most commonly used medicinal plants in the world and is also the number one recommended natural herb for liver health. In fact,in Europe, milk thistle is a prescribed medication. The milk thistle extract is prescribed to treat mushroom poisoning, alcoholic cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, drug and alcohol-induced liver damage and acute viral hepatitis, just to name a few.
Milk thistle extract is used to maintain liver health and to protect the liver from the effects of toxins such as alcohol, a polluted environment or workplace, and a host of liver related diseases.
Liver related conditions indicating the use of milk thistle are varied, including, but not limited to:
  • Alcoholic cirrhosis
  • Chronic active hepatitis
  • Drug and alcohol induced liver damage
  • Acute viral hepatitis
  • Fatty liver, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
  • Fibrosis and Cirrhosis
  • Hepatic toxicity caused by steroid usage
  • Environmental sensitivities and toxins
  • A medical condition that necessitates the use of hepatotoxic medications
  • Regular moderate-to-heavy alcohol use
Additionally, experimental and clinical studies suggest that milk thistle extracts also have the following non-liver related benefits:
  • Lowers cholesterol levels, which benefits the heart
  • Reduces the growth of cancer cells in breast, lung, colon, prostate, cervical and renal cancers
  • Functions as a therapeutic agent for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease
  • Improves blood sugar levels
  • Contains numerous anti-aging properties
  • Reduces cell damage caused by radiation and chemotherapy treatments
  • Supplements sunscreen protection and may be useful against multiple types of skin disease
  • Works as a free radical scavenger and powerful antioxidant
  • Reduces hot flashes and other related menopausal symptoms
  • Helps with intestinal / indigestion issues
  • Reduces the effects of deathcap mushroom (Amanita phalloides) poisoning

How Does Milk Thistle Work?

Milk thistle seeds contain a bioflavonoid complex known as silymarin. Silymarin, which is the active ingredient in milk thistle, is simply the purified extract of the fruits (seeds) of the milk thistle plant. It is responsible for the main medical benefits of the milk thistle plant, and it is made up of three main flavonoids:
  • silybin - also know as silibinin
  • silydianin - also known as silidianin
  • silychristin - also know as silicristin
Silybin makes up 50% - 70% of silymarin and has been shown in clinical studies to be the most biologically active and beneficial constituent of the milk thistle extract, silymarin.
Double blind studies on the effect of milk thistle on toxic liver damage (mostly alcohol-related), chronic liver disease and disease caused by certain drugs have been reviewed by medical experts. The experts all concluded that milk thistle is an extremely therapeutically useful medicinal plant product that stabilizes the cell membrane and stimulates protein synthesis while accelerating the process of regeneration in damaged liver tissue. These effects are important in the therapeutic efficacy of milk thistle.
According to other studies, milk thistle may protect the cells of the liver by blocking the entrance of harmful toxins and helping remove these toxins from liver cells. As with other flavonoids, milk thistle is a powerful antioxidant which works to maintain health and energy by protecting the body from damage caused by free radicals and lipid peroxidation, which can injure healthy cells and tissues. Just as grapes and red wine, for example, are touted as excellent sources of antioxidants, milk thistle also contains the properties needed to offer the body the same antioxidant benefits.

What are the Side Effects of Milk Thistle?

One of the best things about milk thistle is its gentle nature. Compared to many other supplements and herbal remedies that bring with them side effects such as headaches, virtually all parts of the milk thistle plant have been used with no reports of toxicity. Adverse effects in clinical and lab studies related specifically to the seed extract (silymarin) are also virtually nonexistent, although it may have a mild and short-lived laxative effect for some people. Milk thistle can be used safely and effectively by a wide range of people, including pregnant and nursing women.

What is Standardized Milk Thistle?

Milk thistle as an herb is made up of both active and inactive ingredients in varying amounts, with the active ingredients providing all of the supplement's benefits and therapeutic value. When purchasing a non-standardized milk thistle product, you have no way of knowing what proportion of active to inactive ingredients will be present in the final product.
Thus, to ensure consistency throughout the herbal supplement market, milk thistle is available in a standardized form. When purchasing a standardized milk thistle product, you are supposed to receive the same proportion of the active and beneficial ingredients to inactive ingredients each and every time.
Today, most standardized milk thistle products sold in the United States are standardized to reflect 80% silymarin. This means that silymarin, the active ingredient, makes up 80% of the total weight of the product, and the inactive ingredients make up the remaining 20%. So if you purchase a standardized milk thistle product that is 250 milligrams of 80% standardized silymarin, you would actually have only 200 milligrams of the active, beneficial ingredient.
It is important to understand this so that you know what you are comparing when you are looking at different milk thistle products to determine those that offer the best value and those that offer the best concentration of the active ingredient.

Wikipedia

Silybum marianum has other common names include cardus marianusmilk thistle,blessed milk thistleMarian thistleMary thistleSaint Mary's thistleMediterranean milk thistlevariegated thistle and Scotch thistle. This species is an annual or biennial plant of theAsteraceae family. This fairly typical thistle has red to purple flowers and shiny pale green leaves with white veins. Originally a native of Southern Europe through to Asia, it is now found throughout the world.

Description


It grows 30 to 200 cm tall, having an overall conical shape with an approx. 160 cm max. diameter base. The stem is grooved and more or less cottony. With the largest specimens the stem is hollow.
The leaves are oblong to lanceolate. They are either lobate or pinnate, with spiny edges. They are hairless, shiny green, with milk-white veins.
The flower heads are 4 to 12 cm long and wide, of red-purple colour. They flower from June to August in the North or December to February in the Southern Hemisphere ( Summer through Autumn ).
The bracts are hairless, with triangular, spine-edged appendages, tipped with a stout yellow spine.
The achenes are black, with a simple long white pappus, surrounded by a yellow basal ring.

Distribution and habitat


Possibly native near the coast of southeast England, it has been widely introduced outside its natural range, for example into North America, Iran, Australia and New Zealand where it is considered aninvasive weed. Cultivated fields for the production of raw material for the pharmaceutical industry exist on a larger scale in Austria (Waldviertel region), Germany, Hungary, Poland, China andArgentina. In Europe it is sown yearly in March–April. The harvest in two steps (cutting and threshing) takes place in August, about 2–3 weeks after the flowering.[citation needed]
Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is a thorny plant presenting decorative leaves with a white pattern of veins and purple flower heads. The plant originates from mountains of the Mediterranean region, where it forms scrub on a rocky base.
The seeds of milk thistle are one of the most important herbal liver medicines. The sylimarin contained in them is an effective life-saving agent even in cases of poisoning with a lethal dose of death cap mushroom. Besides that, milk thistle seeds have other therapeutic properties. The plant is sometimes also used as a decorative element in gardens, and its dried flower heads may be used for the decoration of dry bouquets.

Chemistry

Traditional milk thistle extract is made from the seeds, which contain approximately 4–6%silymarin. The extract consists of about 65–80% silymarin (a flavonolignan complex) and 20–35% fatty acids, including linoleic acid. Silymarin is a complex mixture of polyphenolic molecules, including seven closely related flavonolignans (silybin A, silybin B, isosilybin A, isosilybin B, silychristin, isosilychristin, silydianin) and one flavonoid (taxifolin). Silibinin, a semipurified fraction of silymarin, is primarily a mixture of 2 diastereoisomers, silybin A and silybin B, in a roughly 1: 1 ratio


Clinical Trials


Milk thistle has been used for a number of purposes including liver disease, and cancer; however clinical studies are largely heterogeneous and contradictory.
In trials, silymarin has typically been administered in amounts ranging from 420–480 mg per day in two to three divided doses. However higher doses have been studied, such as 600 mg daily in the treatment of type II diabetes (with significant results), and 600 or 1200 mg daily in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus  (without significant results). An optimal dosage for milk thistle preparations has not been established.
Milk thistle, along with dandelion and other extracts, are sometimes referred to as hangover cures as the bitter tincture supposedly helps organs rid toxins after heavy drinking

Herbal medicinal research


Silybum marianum is used in traditional Chinese medicine to clear heat and relieve toxic material, to soothe the liver and to promote bile flow. Though its efficacy in treating diseases is still unknown, Silybum marianum is sometimes prescribed by herbalists to help treat liver diseases (cirrhosis,jaundice and hepatitis). Both in vitro and animal research suggest that Silibinin (syn. silybin, sylimarin I) may have hepatoprotective (antihepatotoxic) properties that protect liver cells against toxins.
A 2000 study of such claims by the AHRQ concluded that "clinical efficacy of milk thistle is not clearly established". However a study in 2007 did show activity against liver cancer cells in vitro. A 2005 Cochrane Review considered thirteen randomized clinical trials which assessed milk thistle in 915 patients with alcoholic and/or hepatitis B or C virus liver diseases. They question the beneficial effects of milk thistle for patients with alcoholic and/or hepatitis B or C virus liver diseases and highlight the lack of high-quality evidence to support this intervention. Cochrane concluded that more good quality randomized clinical trials on milk thistle versus placebo are needed.
Its potent extract is used in medicine under the name silymarin (a flavonolignane complex consisting of silibinin A and B/silybin/silymarin I, isosilibinin A and B, silicristin/silymarin II, silidianin). Silibinin is used against poisoning by amanitas, such as the Death Cap (Amanita phalloides) as well as in cerebral edema and acute hepatitis therapy.
Silybum marianum extract has antifungal effects, preventing the growth of dermatophyte more than saprophyte fungi.
One pilot study showed that milk thistle may be as effective as fluoxetine in treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
A study in 2010 found that eight major compounds that comprise silybum, including seven flavonolignans—silybin A, silybin B, isosilybin A, isosilybin B, silychristin, isosilychristin, silydianin, and one flavonoid, taxifolin—are inhibitors of HCV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, suggesting potential in treating Hepatitis C.
Isosilybin A was described as the main component of Silybum marianum acting as partial agonist of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor type gamma, the current pharmacological target in metabolic syndrome and diabetes type 2.

Protection from Toxin-induced liver damage


Research suggests that milk thistle extracts both prevent and repair damage to the liver from toluene and/or xylene. Workers who had been exposed to vapors from toluene and/or xylene for 5–20 years were given either a standardized milk thistle extract (80% silymarin) or placebo for 30 days. The workers taking the milk thistle extract showed significant improvement in liver function tests (ALT and AST) and platelet counts vs. the placebo group.
The efficacy of silymarin in preventing drug-induced liver damage in patients taking psychotropic drugs long-term has been investigated and silymarin was found to reduce damage to the liver caused by lipid peroxidation in patients taking butyrophenones orphenothiazines.
A clinical trial in humans showed that silymarin (140 mg orally 3 times daily) was not effective when used for 1 year in combination withursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) for the treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis. A study in baboons indicated that continuous intragastric infusion of silymarin retarded the development of alcohol-induced hepatic fibrosis over a 3-year period. The authors suggested that the failure of silymarin to show beneficial effects in other clinical trials may have been due to poor compliance with treatment, resulting in insufficient dosing.
In a 2010 study published in the journal Cancer, milk thistle was associated with a trend towards reducing the liver damaging effects of chemotherapy in a randomized double-blind placebo controlled study of 50 children.

Wednesday 11 February 2015

Synergy Natural Organic Super Greens - Pack of 500 Tablets



  • Spirulina is a microscopic freshwater plant with a high content of easily absorbed and valuable nutrients
  • On a weight for weight basis, it is the most nutritious whole food known to humankind
  • Chlorella is also a microscopic freshwater plant that contains more chlorophyll than any other plant
  • It can help cleanse and detoxify the body
  • Barley grass and wheat grass are green plants that are high in chlorophyll and fibre and contain a range of other important nutrients

Monday 9 February 2015

Stinging Nettles - Nettles - Attributes - Benefits - Remedies

If there's one plant to have on hand at all times that provides a cure for arthritis, an herbal treatment for allergies, relieves hair loss, treats Celiac disease, bleeding, bladder infections, skin complaints, neurological disorders and a long list of other conditions -- it's nettle leaf.

Nettle plants grow wild across the UK, Europe, USA and around the globe; they are used for both medicinal purposes and as food. Highly nutritious, the prickly plant is often used as a spring tonic. It's a natural cleanse that removes metabolic wastes and is both gentle and stimulating on the lymph system, promoting easy excretion through the kidneys. All parts of the nettle plant are used; and it's available in a wide variety of medicines ranging from dried leaf, to ointments, tinctures, homeopathic remedies and herbal extracts.



Stinging nettle cure for arthritis

Nettle leaves are used to treat painful symptoms of arthritis, gout, rheumatism, and soft tissue conditions such as fibromyalgia and tendonitis. Patients with Lupus and other auto-immune disorders suffering from joint pain experience relief from drinking a cup of nettle tea or eating stewed nettle leaves daily. Its diuretic action alkalizes and releases uric acid from the joints of gout patients eliminating pain.

Nettle is high in iron making it excellent for combating anemia and fatigue. It supports the liver and the female hormonal system. Pregnant women benefit from stinging nettle as it protects against bleeding and strengthens the fetus. Known as a galactagogue, it promotes milk production in nursing mothers. Stinging nettles reduces PMS symptoms, processes estrogen to relieve menopausal symptoms and curbs excess menstrual flow. It's often used in herbal tonics to remove fibroids and regulate the menstrual flow.

Herbal treatment for allergies

Stinging nettle leaves have been used both as an herbal treatment and a homeopathic remedy for the relief of nettle allergies such as asthma, hay fever, hives and other allergic dermatitis.

Urinary tract support

Stinging nettles are helpful for bladder and urinary tract function in both sexes. The tea acts as a natural diuretic, increases urination and helps break down kidney stones. Nettles acts as a pelvic decongestant and reduces an enlarged prostate.

Stinging nettle health benefits for hair loss and skin conditions

Nettle tea relieves eczema and acne, removes warts when applied topically, and relieves itching from nettle rash. It has a stimulating effect on the scalp when used as a hair rinse and helps regenerate both hair growth and restore original color. It works to relieve dandruff and as a conditioner for the scalp.

Stinging nettle digestive aid

Nettle leaf is effective at reducing symptoms of the digestive tract ranging from acid reflux, excess gas, nausea, colitis and Celiac disease. Additionally, it's medicinal action on mucous membranes makes it an effective herbal treatment for sore throats, swollen hemorrhoids, nose bleeds and mouth sores.

More nettle cures

-- Reduces gingivitis and prevents plaque as a mouth rinse.
-- Relieves chest congestion and coughing, bronchitis, COPD and TB.
-- Is helpful in the treatment of Alzheimers.
-- Relieves neurological disorders such as MS, ALS and sciatica.
-- Remedies made from the plant's roots prevent night time urination in children.
-- Destroys intestinal worms and parasites.
-- Supports the endocrine system including the thyroid, spleen and pancreas.

Warning

Because stinging nettles can produce side effects and interact with other drugs and natural treatments, consult your healthcare practitioner before using it.


Urtica dioica - Wikipedia

Urtica dioica, often called common nettle or stinging nettle (although not all plants of thisspecies sting), is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant, native to EuropeAsia, northern Africa, and North America, and is the best-known member of the nettle genus Urtica. The species is divided into six subspecies, five of which have many hollow stinging hairs called trichomes on the leaves and stems, which act like hypodermic needles, injecting histamine and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation when contacted by humans and other animals. The plant has a long history of use as a medicine, as a food source and as a source of fibre.

Description

Urtica dioica is a dioecious herbaceous perennial, 1 to 2 m (3 to 7 ft) tall in the summer and dying down to the ground in winter. It has widely spreading rhizomes and stolons, which are bright yellow, as are the roots. The soft green leaves are 3 to 15 cm (1 to 6 in) long and are borne oppositely on an erect wiry green stem. The leaves have a strongly serrated margin, a cordate base and an acuminate tip with a terminal leaf tooth longer than adjacent laterals. It bears small greenish or brownish numerous flowers in dense axillary inflorescences. The leaves and stems are very hairy with non-stinging hairs and in most subspecies also bear many stinging hairs (trichomes), whose tips come off when touched, transforming the hair into a needle that will inject several chemicals: acetylcholinehistamine5-HT (serotonin), moroidin, leukotrienes, and possibly formic acid. This mixture of chemical compounds cause a painful sting orparesthesia from which the species derives one of its common names, stinging nettle, as well as the colloquial names burn nettle, burn weed, and burn hazel.

Ecology

Nettles are the exclusive larval food plant for several species of butterfly, such as the Peacock Butterfly or the Small Tortoiseshell, and are also eaten by the larvae of some moths includingAngle Shades, Buff Ermine, Dot Moth, The Flame, The Gothic, Grey Chi, Grey Pug, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Mouse Moth, Setaceous Hebrew Character and Small Angle Shades. The roots are sometimes eaten by the larva of the Ghost Moth Hepialus humuli.
Stinging nettle is particularly found as an understory plant in wetter environments, but it is also found in meadows. Although nutritious, it is not widely eaten by either wildlife or livestock, presumably because of the sting. It spreads by abundant seeds and also via rhizomes, and is often able to survive/reestablish quickly after fire.

Medicinal uses

Nettle leaf is a herb that has a long tradition of use as an adjuvant remedy in the treatment ofarthritis in Germany. Nettle leaf extract contains active compounds that reduce TNF-α and other inflammatory cytokines. It has been demonstrated that nettle leaf lowers TNF-α levels by potently inhibiting the genetic transcription factor that activates TNF-α and IL-1B in the synovial tissue that lines the joint.
Urtica dioica herb has been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally (as tea or fresh leaves) for treatment of disorders of the kidneys and urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract, locomotor system, skin, cardio-vascular system, hemorrhage, flu, rheumatism and gout.
Nettle is used in shampoo to control dandruff and is said to make hair more glossy, which is why some farmers include a handful of nettles with cattle feed.
Nettle root extracts have been extensively studied in human clinical trials as a treatment for symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH). These extracts have been shown to help relieve symptoms compared to placebo both by themselves  and when combined with other herbal medicines.
Because it contains 3,4-divanillyltetrahydrofuran, certain extracts of the nettle are used by bodybuilders in an effort to increase freetestosterone by occupying sex-hormone binding globulin.
As Old English stiðe, nettle is one of the nine plants invoked in the pagan Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm, recorded in the 10th century. Nettle is believed to be a galactagogue, a substance that promotes lactation.
Urtication, or flogging with nettles, is the process of deliberately applying stinging nettles to the skin in order to provoke inflammation. An agent thus used is known as a rubefacient (something that causes redness). This is done as a folk remedy for rheumatism, providing temporary relief from pain. The counter-irritant action to which this is often attributed can be preserved by the preparation of an alcoholic tincture which can be applied as part of a topical preparation (but not as an infusion) which drastically reduces the irritant action.
Extracts of Urtica dioica leaves may help with glycemic control in type 2 diabetes patients needing to use insulin.

Nettle sting treatment

Anti-itch drugs, usually in the form of creams containing antihistaminics or hydrocortisone may provide relief from the symptoms of being stung by nettles. But because of the combination of chemicals involved, other remedies may be required. Calamine lotion may be helpful, also urine - which has the advantage of usually being readily available. Many folk remedies exist for treating the itching, including Dandelion, horsetail (Equisetopsida spp.), leaf of dock (Rumex spp.),Greater PlantainJewelweed (Impatiens capensis and Impatiens pallida), the underside of a fern (the spores), mud, saliva, or baking soda, oil and onions, lemon juice, and topical use of milk of magnesia.[23]

Food

Urtica dioica has a flavour similar to spinach and cucumber when cooked and is rich in vitamins A, C, iron, potassium, manganese, and calcium. Young plants were harvested by Native Americans and used as a cooked plant in spring when other food plants were scarce. Soaking stinging nettles in water or cooking will remove the stinging chemicals from the plant, which allows them to be handled and eaten without incidence of stinging. After the stinging nettle enters its flowering and seed setting stages the leaves develop gritty particles called cystoliths, which can irritate the urinary tract. In its peak season, nettle contains up to 25% protein, dry weight, which is high for a leafy green vegetable. The leaves are also dried and may then be used to make a herbal tea, as can also be done with the nettle's flowers.
Nettles can be used in a variety of recipes, such as polenta, pesto and purée. Nettle soup is a common use of the plant, particularly in Northern and Eastern Europe. In Nepal (सिस्नो in Nepali) and the Kumaon & Gargwal region of Northern India, stinging nettle is known as sisnukandeliand bicchū-būṭī (Hindi: बिच्छू-बूटी) respectively. It is also found in abundance in Kashmir. There it is called soi. It is a very popular vegetable and cooked with Indian spices.
Nettles are sometimes used in cheese making, for example in the production of Cornish Yarg and as a flavouring in varieties of Gouda.
Nettles are used in Albania as part of the dough filling for the börek. Its name is byrek me hithra. The top baby leaves are selected and simmered, then mixed with other ingredients like herbs, rice, etc. before being used as a filling between dough layers.

Drink

Nettle leaves are steeped in a concentrated sugar solution so the flavour is extracted into the sugar solution. The leaves are then removed and a source of citric acid (usually lemon juice) is added to help preserve the cordial and add a tart flavour.
Commercially produced cordials are generally quite concentrated and are usually diluted by one part cordial to ten parts water – thus a 0.5 litres (0.11 imp gal; 0.13 US gal) bottle of cordial would be enough for 5.5 litres (1.2 imp gal; 1.5 US gal) diluted. The high concentration of sugar in nettle cordial gives it a long shelf life.
There are also many recipes for alcoholic nettle beer, which is a countryside favourite in the British Isles.