Shilajit

It’s a nutrient-rich biomass-phytocomplex/resin-mineral/herb deposit, found mostly in the Himalayas and possess the ability to carry nutrition into our body. Its Indian word means “rock-invincible” and was renowned for its remarkable health benefits. As a matter of fact it’s a rock-like substance when dried,  and is found in mountainous regions in Asia. In Ayurveda, it’s regarded as the strongest age fighting and rejuvenating component of the earth.

This material has great detoxification and energy producing benefits. So it can be used with any other kind of supplement to enhance potency and efficacy. It has of course properties of its own: restore energy, increase fertility, enhance immunity, reduce inflammation, improve cognitive decline and memory. Besides being an adaptogen (a substance that helps the body adapt to stressors), if you prefer a natural stress-fighting. It’s a sticky, tar-like resin and takes thousands of years to form.

Here are the facts: it’s consumed in Nepal (best quality), Northern India and Pakistan, in various forms. ALL people using it are renowned for extremely old age and great health: they have remarkable mental function as they age compared to Western countries and rarely have age-related disease in these regions. Think that Sherpan regions are located right in those areas, not by accident! It actually formed millions of years ago in the Australian mountains as well, although that quality is lower (anyway it must be said there are no official classifications). It contains 85 minerals. Most of them contain 60-80% fulvic acid. The greater the content of fulvic acid, the more anti-aging properties the compound contains. Fulvic acid is water soluble, moves through our system very quickly and acts as a very powerful antioxidant, more than noni or blueberries (ORAC reference: almost 500 Trolox units/g of organic material).

How does it work exactly? Shilajit restores the production of the body primary source of energy: ATP (adenosine triphosphate), our usable energy which is formed when mitochondria convert energy from the food we eat. Mitochondria are organelles responsible for such conversion of food into chemical energy. They are our power plants, which gradually function less efficiently with time, working harder and harder to produce the same amount of energy our body needs. Deteriorating, they lead to a decrease in vitality (less production of ATP). Our bodies face an energy crisis as we age: Shilajit helps by enhancing mitochondrial health with an administration of nutrients (that boost ATP production and reduces mitochondrial damage). Aging mitochondria and low energy are associated with accelerated aging of the brain and heart mainly, plus all other organs.

Mitochondrial aging deteriorates our nervous system. Its low energy production is both a cause and a consequence of memory loss and neurodegenerative diseases. One of the main substances in shilajit, the fulvic acid, appears to inhibits the evolution of both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Other nutritive substances are triterpenes and humic acid. It might not be a cure for all weaknesses from skin problems to aging problems, as stated in many websites, but is certainly recommended by everyone who personally tried it.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

(For more health supplements and extras, kindly visit: What do you lack?   )

The benefits of garlic

It’s native to Central Asia and has been grown for 5000 years. Garlic is a member of the Lily family and is cousin to onions, leeks and chives. Elephant garlic though has larger cloves and is more related to the leek, therefore doesn’t offer the full health benefits of the regular size one. Generally speaking size is not related at all to better quality.

Natural remedies and natural therapies are always the best way to cure a disease, unless of course it’s already so advanced that requires a medical intervention. Therefore the sooner you start using natural remedies, the better.

One powerful remedy is certainly garlic. There are literally dozens of sulphur molecules in garlic and all of them have been shown to function as antioxidant. Many also provide us with anti-inflammatory benefits. Its antibacterial content is identified as allicin, the most abundant organosulfurous compound. Its antioxidant capacity is mostly due to polyphenolic compounds. Its antimicrobial and antifungal activity as well is related to the high level of polyphenols content.

Its sulphur-containing compounds are responsible for garlic’s characteristic, pungent odour.  But they are also the source of many of its health-promoting effects. Sulphur itself is also a key part of our health. Cardiovascular benefits of garlic are: lowering of cholesterol level, triglyceride reduction, blood vessels protection from inflammatory and oxidative stress. A very unique cardiovascular protection of garlic is to help prevent clots from forming inside of our blood vessels, thanks to one particular disulphide present in it, called ajoene. Ajoene has repeatedly been shown to have anti-clotting properties: it can help prevent certain cells in our blood (called platelets) from becoming too sticky and by keeping this stickiness in check, it lowers the risk of our platelets clumping together and forming a clot.

Sulphur-containing molecules are called polysulphides: once they are in our blood cells, control our blood pressure by triggering dilation of our blood vessels. And when the space inside our blood vessels expands, our blood pressure get reduced.

Preliminary studies are showing that thanks to a sulphur compound present in garlic, fat cells cannot become fully themselves from a preliminary stage called “preadipocytes”, to a final stage called “adipocytes”. This conversion of preadipocytes to adipocytes appears to be blocked: it’s particularly important because once adipocytes are fully formed, they can only reduce their size but will never disappear again (meaning it will be much easier to regain weight after a diet). Women will be interested to know that ajoene has also been successfully used to help prevent infections with the yeast Candida albicans. Let’s not forget that garlic has important anti-cancer properties. High intake of garlic have been found to lower risk of virtually all cancer types, except cancer of the prostate and breast cancer (sorry).

In order to obtain maximum flavour and nutritional benefits, always purchase only fresh garlic. Any other form (flake, powder, paste) has less health properties. It must also be plump and have unbroken skin. Avoid garlic that is soft or moldy. It’s absolutely not necessary to freeze or refrigerate it for proper storage.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

(For more health supplements and extras, kindly visit: What do you lack? )