More on the Benefits of Cocoa¹

Cocoa contains large amounts of polyphenols, in particular a sub-class call flavanols or flavan-e-ols.  It is the flavonols in cocoa that give it the bitter taste found in dark chocolate.  The main flavanols are catechin and epicatechin which give cocoa its antioxidant properties.

In addition to their antioxidant activity, cocoa increases the levels of nitric oxide.  Nitric oxide acts to cause dilation of arteries and prevents leukocyte adhesion and migration, smooth muscle cell proliferation and platelet adhesion and aggregation.  Low nitric oxide levels leads to hardening of the arteries and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

In the last ten years, several studies have been done with patients who have cardiovascular disease, diabetes and no disease.  Those eating the highest levels of cocoa had significant lower levels of all-cause mortality, cardiac death, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, heart attack, stroke and diabetes.  One of the thoughts of how cocoa reduces the risk of cardiovascular problems is by reducing the inflammatory response within the body which that leads to the development of these diseases.

The adhesion of platelets can also contribute to the increase risk of cardiovascular disease.  A review of twenty-five studies which looked at the effects of polyphenol-rich foods showed that cocoa was the only food with consistently positive finding of inhibiting platelet aggregation.

Although there have been few human studies there is evidence that cocoa may reduce insulin resistance.  Insulin resistance is known to lead to type II diabetes.  This benefit may be a result of either antioxidant or nitric oxide properties of cocoa.

There is promising preliminary evidence for decreased inflammation of nerves(as in Parkinson’s disease), improved cerebral blood flow(important in memory function and in preventing dementia and stroke), and protection of neurons ( a factor in stroke and Alzheimer’s disease).

Because of the antioxidant properties of cocoa, redness of the skin may be prevented when exposed to sunlight and improvement of microcirculation occurs when cocoa is ingested.

Obesity may also benefit from the ingestion of cocoa or chocolate in small amounts, they do not cause weight gain.  The increase of nitric oxide improves the uptake of glucose and inhibits fat synthesis.  It has also been shown that just the smell of chocolate can suppress the appetite.

1. Taken from HerbClips of the American Botanical Council

Using Cocoa in Reducing Hypertension¹

Fruits and vegetables have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular health due to their flavonoid contents.  Flavonoids influence nitric oxide which regulates vascular hemostasis and is helpful in reducing blood pressure by the relation of smooth muscle that lines our arteries.

Cocoa contains large amounts of flavonoids, the most important ones are epicatechin, catechin, and procyanidins.  Studies have shown that epicatechins can be measured in the blood following the consumption of chocolate or cocoa products.

Epidemiological studies of groups with lower blood pressure which could be attributed to their intake of cocoa and chocolate. The blood pressure-lowering effect is connected to the increase in nitric oxide in plasma and urine.  In addition there is improvement of flow-mediated dilation which indicates improved vascular function and reduced oxidative stress.

Sufficient amount of Nitrous Oxide bio availability is associated with normal vasodilation and blood pressure, while lowered Nitrous Oxide concentration lead to improved vasodilation and elevated blood pressure.

The Safety of Using Sage in Treating Hyperlipidemia¹

Hyperlipidemia (abnormally high cholesterol or triglycerides) can cause cardiovascular disease.  Because some people are resistant to conventional treatment, alternative treatment is necessary.

A double blind placebo controlled pilot study has been done that evaluated the efficacy and safety of sage leaf extract in treating primary hyperlipidemia. Male and female outpatients with newly diagnosed with primary hyperlipidemia participated in this study in Iran.  Patients were excluded if they were taking antihyperlipidemic agents, estrogen, steroids, beta-blocker or thiazide.  Patients were also excluded if they had cardiac disease, renal disease, hepatic disease, hematological disease, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, tachycardia, vertigo, seizure, or a history of gallstones or gall bladder surgery.

Sage was harvested in August from the western Mazandaran province, Iran and its identity was authenticated.  The leaves were dried and made into a powder.  The dried leaf powder dose of 500mg in a capsule or a placebo capsule was taken every 8 hours for 2 months.  Blood was collected at baseline and at the end of the study.  Cholesterol, HDL, LDL triglycerides, creatinine and liver function tests were evaluated.

The sage treatment group reduced total cholesterol by 19%, triglycerides by 22.8%, LDL by 19.7% compared to baseline.  Sage increased HDL levels by 20.2% compared to baseline.  There was no significant effect on liver function and creatinine levels.

1 Taken from Herb Clips from the American Botanical Council

Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to attend The Medicines of the Earth conference at the Blue Ridge Assembly YMCA in Black Mountain, North Carolina. As part of this conference, I had the privilege to spend 4 hours on a tour at the farm and processing plant of Gaia Herbs.

Gaia Herbs is located in Brevard, North Carolina, in an idyllic valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains.   The energy felt here is one of peace and calm.  This is an ideal place to have a farm since it rains 80 to 90 inches a year, providing a lush and abundant vegetation throughout this area.

Our tour was led by owner Richard Scalzo who is a very affable person and like the rest of his staff, is very passionate about Gaia Herbs.  He explained to us that Gaia maintains a certification from the Certified Organic Grower determined by the Oregon Tilth, which is the strictest and most stringent organic certifier in the country.  They use only organic fertilizers and pest control.

The growing process starts in the green houses where thousands of plants are growing from seeds harvested from last year’s crops.  From there they go to “hot houses” where they acclimate to the local climate and are transplanted from here to the fields.

Gaia has 250 acres of the most fertile land I have ever seen, you could literally sink your hand through the soil.  They are currently cultivating about 195 acres, which supplies 25 percent of the herbs used to make all of their products.  The rest of their herbs come from an organic farm they own in Costa Rico and from other organic farms throughout the world.   Products which come from other organic farms must past stringent tests in order to be accepted by Gaia.   After the products have been processed, the left over plant material is composted and used on their farm, this is truly the circle of life from seed to compost.

Gaia uses outstanding quality control to product their products.  They have a team of chemists with PHD degrees, along with Naturopathic Physicians and herbalists to round out their research team.  Gaia does multiple checks on their products including raw material validation, microbial and heavy metal testing, microscopy analysis and too many more to list them all.

Gaia has a feature that is unique only to Gaia.  It’s called “Meet Your Herbs”, by entering a code that is on the product labeling you can find out how the herbs were grown, harvested, extracted and validated.  This is one of the many examples of how Gaia Herbs stands out in the dietary supplement market and should be given serious consideration when choosing a dietary supplement.

Despite millions of dollars spent on fad diets and diet medications there has been a dramatic increase of the number of people who are overweight and obese in the US.  According to a 2009 report by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Colorado and Washington DC are the only areas in the US with less than 20 percent of their population who were obese.  The severe restriction of calories often seen in yo-yo diets, instinctively the body stores energy (since it is in a starvation mode) as fat since fat has higher calorie content.  The body will continue to store a little more fat when you go off the diet because it remembers the starvation period.  That is why after a period of time off the diet you can gain the weight back.

Eating sensible starts with us helping to appropriate digest food correctly by completely chewing your food.  Slowing down and chewing our food in a relaxed atmosphere helps in the breakdown of the food and helps in the absorption of the nutrients.

Reducing the caloric intake by 250 to 500 calories a day will assist you in losing 1-2 pounds a week, losing more than this a week isn’t healthy.  Counting calories and fat grams are important, however concentrating on foods that are low energy foods (like fruits and vegetables) instead of higher energy foods like meat, dairy or refined foods can be a great option to lose weight.

Fifty percent of our diet should consist of fruits and vegetables, 2 servings of fruit and 7-10 servings of vegetables.  A serving is one cup of raw or cooked vegetable or fruit or the amount of fruit that will fit in the palm of your hand.  Twenty-five percent of diet should come from carbohydrates found in whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, oatmeal and barley).   Protein (grass feed beef, wild fish, poultry and legumes) should be the final twenty-five percent of your diet.  A serving of meat is equivalent to the size of a deck of cards in your hand.

Dairy products in your diet should come from cultured products like whole milk yogurt, defer, sour cream or blue cheese.  Avoid drinking milk, not only does this lead to weight gain, but it can cause gas and bloating along with allergy symptoms including sneezing, eczema, hives and asthma.  The cultured products are easier to digest and are beneficial to our bowel bacteria.

Having a diet rich in fruit and vegetables will insure that we are consuming an appropriate amount of fiber.  Fiber helps in reducing the absorption of carbohydrates, which reduces the peaks and valleys of sugar levels.  It is when our sugar levels fall that gives us the symptoms of hunger and craving for sweets.

Exercise should be part of healthy life style to lose or maintain a healthy weight.  You should have a goal of fifty minutes a day, five days.  Walking is still one of the best forms of exercise without the risk of injuring your joints.  In addition adding light weights twice a week will increase lean body mass, which will help you to burn more calories.

This information was a compilation of articles from Medicines from the Earth compendiums.

The word garlic comes from gar meaning a lance, referring to its leaves and lac meaning a plant. Garlic is known as one of the oldest cultivated plants dating back more than 5,000 years.  Native Americans used garlic as a treatment for earaches, scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) and flatulence.  Garlic has been used in cooking as a food and to add flavoring along as medicine.

The active constituents found in garlic are sulfur containing compounds.  The major component of these compounds is alliin.  An enzyme called allinase reacts on alliin to form the allicin.  This reaction doesn’t take place until garlic is crushed or cut and this is when the familiar aroma of garlic is appreciated.

Cardiovascular Benefits

Garlic can be protective to the cardiovascular system.  It has been shown to reduce total cholesterol levels by blocking the production of cholesterol in the liver.  In addition to lowering total cholesterol it can increase HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) and help to reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides.  Garlic helps in reducing the risk for atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) not only by reducing cholesterol levels, but also by reducing the platelets ability to stick to them.  Because garlic has antioxidant properties and is helpful in reducing your blood pressure, these are two other factors that reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

Cancer Prevention Benefits

Studies have shown that populations who regularly incorporate garlic in their daily diet have significant fewer number of gastric and colon cancer.  Garlic inhibits the formation and growth of a tumor.  In addition, garlic activates enzymes that reduce the ability of toxic substance that cause cancerous growths.

Antimicrobial Benefits

Throughout the years, garlic has been used in a multitude of infectious diseases. Small studies have shown that garlic has activity against bacteria, viruses and fungus.  Garlic’s effectiveness against microbes appears to work best when it has direct contact with the pathogen.  This could explain why people who have high intake of garlic have a reduction in the risk of stomach cancer.  This occurs by the direct contact of garlic on the bacteria H. Pylori which is found in our stomachs. The presence of H. Pylori in our stomachs has a direct correlation with stomach ulcers and cancer.

Dosage and Precautions

The dosage of garlic should be 1 clove or 2 grams of fresh garlic or the equivalent 650/mg/day of garlic powder (capsule or tablet) standardized to contain 6mg allicin.   Allimax and Alliultra offer great choices of the most absorbable form of garlic supplements.

Because of garlic’s ability to reduce the stickiness of platelets, it should be used cautiously with people taking aspirin or blood thinning products.  As always, prior to taking any herbal product you should consult your primary care provider.

A nice alternative to coffee is tea.  Next to water, tea is the most popular beverage in the world.   Drinking tea dates back to 2700 BC.   Black, oolong and green tea comes from leaves of the same plant (Camellia sinensis).  Black and oolong teas are allowed to ferment.  While green tea leaves are usually stemmed or roasted shortly after they are picked to prevent the fermentation process to occur.  It is this fermentation process of black and oolong tea that reduces the beneficial ingredients called polyphenols.   The caffeine level in black and oolong tea is increased during the fermentation process. Green tea isn’t fermented and it maintains a higher level of polyphenols and has increased health benefits when compared to black and oolong tea.  This lack of fermentation of green tea allows it to retain much of its tannic acid levels which help the caffeine in green tea to be released more slowly and prevents many of the symptoms from over stimulation of caffeine.

Green tea gets a lot of its benefits from catechin which is the major polyphenols found in green tea.  Catechin is a strong antioxidant that is more powerful of an antioxidant than Vitamin E. It reduces the ability of platelets to adhere, thus can be effective in the prevention of stroke and heart attack. It is helpful in regulating cholesterol levels and increasing HDL (good cholesterol) levels.  Diabetes can be helped with drinking green tea since it helps complex carbohydrates breakdown more slowly and reduce the spikes in blood sugar levels.  Green tea has been shown to be effective in the prevention of gingivitis and dental caries (cavities).   It also has been shown to be beneficial in the prevention of colon cancer and reduce the risk and incidence of pancreatic, esophageal and lung cancers.

In preparing green tea you never want to let it steep in boiling water.  Use water that has a temperature of about 180 degrees F or 82 degrees C.  For a more stimulating effect let it steep 90 seconds to 3 minutes.  For a more relaxing effect let it steep for one minute in which 95 percent of the caffeine will come out.  Pour this tea out and then steep for 3 minutes.  You can drink this tea throughout the day, the dosage should be 4 to 10 cups a day.  An alternative to this would be Green Tea Supreme by Terra Vim in which one capsule would supply the recommended daily dosage of green tea extract.   Natura also offers a product with green tea extract and turmeric in Botanical Treasures.

Panax Ginseng

Panax comes from the Greek word “Panacea” meaning to “cure all”.  Panax ginseng has been used for medical purposes for thousands of years by the Chinese. Ginseng was used by the ancient Chinese to increase the vital energy, increase the body fluids and to promote a good healthy long life.

Today it is used as an adaptogen for improving our response to stress and as a tonic to increase our energy.  Other uses of Panax Ginseng include:  improving the stamina of an athlete, improving immunity, and is helpful in the control of blood sugar in Type II diabetes. Ginseng can also reduce symptoms of menopause,   help us to think more clearly and be beneficial in improving lung function with chronic lung disease.

Siberian Ginseng

Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthercoccus senticosus) also known as Eleuthero isn’t a true ginseng because it doesn’t contain any ginsenosides.   It is not found in Siberia as the name implies but in NE Asia, including the SE section of the previous USSR, Japan, Korea and China.  Because Eleuthro has similar adaptogenic properties of Panax Ginseng it has been called a ginseng.  Clinical studies have shown it to be useful with:  chronic fatigue, insomnia, irritability and mild depression.  Eleuthero is also helpful in assisting with recovery from acute or chronic disease, trauma and surgery.

American Ginseng

Native to North America, American Ginseng was first used by various tribes of Native Americans.    In the 1700’s this herb was exported to China and has become part of herbal formulas used in Chinese Medicine.  It wasn’t until the mid-1800’s that it became recognized as an official herb in the United States.  Most of the American Ginseng grown in the United States is grown in Wisconsin.

This herb was initially used for stomach ailments and mental exhaustion.  American Ginseng hasn’t been studied as much as the previously mentioned ginsengs.  Its primary use is controlling blood sugar levels with Type II diabetics.  It has potential use in improving mental clarity, relieving fatigue and increasing body fluids.

All herbs have different properties including cold, hot and neutral temperatures.  Panax tends to be hot, while Eleuthero is neutral and American is cool. It is best to mix these herbs together to balance the temperature of a formula.  That is why it is best to ask your herbalist before taking any formulas with these ingredients.

Stress can come from a variety of sources including personal, work, environmental and even food.  The pollutants in the air and water can be a stress upon our bodies.  Food that contains additives and preservatives along with a diet high in refined foods and saturated fats are an additional source of stress in our lives.

Stress affects the major organs of our endocrine system by what is known as the HPAT Axis (Hypothalamus, Pituitary, Adrenal and Thyroid Axis).  The adrenal gland responds to stress by producing cortisol.   Cortisol is a hormone that is important in carbohydrate (sugar), bone, muscle, central nervous system, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and hematological metabolism. It also has anti-inflammatory and catabolic (breaking down) properties.

The inability of the body to react or adapt to chronic stress can lead to adrenal fatigue.  Not only is the quantity of cortisol reduced, but so is the quality. Along with chronic fatigue a person may experience medical problems such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, fibromyalgia and osteoporosis.

There has been research in Russia since the 1950’s on a class of herbs call adaptogens.  Adaptogens help us to have a healthy response (adapt) to stress.  Adaptogens are defined as being non-toxic, normalizing and nonspecific.  They are safe to take, even for long periods of time.  They help our bodies maintain a healthy balance of all our organ systems.  Adaptogens are nonspecific meaning they are helpful whether you have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or diabetes.  Finally, herbs must have scientific support to be classified as an adaptogen.

There are three different types of adaptogens:  primary, secondary and companion.  Primary adaptogens effectiveness is supported by extensive scientific studies.  Examples of a primary adaptogen include Eleuthro root, Ginseng, Rhodiola and Schisandra.  Secondary adaptogens have been studied scientifically but not as extensively as primary adaptogens. Examples of secondary adaptogens are Reishi mushroom, Cordyceps and Licorice.  Finally companion adaptogens have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.  Examples of a companion adaptogen are Green Tea, Turmeric and Ginger.

Adaptogens should be used as the foundation of your herbal supplements. Among the many benefits of adaptogens, they help in improving your energy and balance all of your organ systems.  Adaptogens support your immune system and help in the ability to think more clearly.  Adaptogens help you to achieve a long life that is full of vitality.

Spring is the season of renewal.  Just as the seasons renew themselves, our bodies also call for a time of renewal.  Following the thoughts of the ancient Chinese it is normal to be less active during the winter months and as a result we put on extra weight.  Now is the time to get active and start walking to lose those excess pounds.   Walking is still one of the best forms of exercise with minimal stress on our joints.  Try to set a goal of 5 times a week for 30-40 minutes.   You can get just as much benefit out of walking 10 minutes 3 times a day.

In addition to exercise you may want to follow a Mediterranean diet which is high in grains, vegetables, fruit, olive oil and lean meats.  Adding more fiber which is found in this diet will also help curb your appetite. Drinking green tea is a natural way to lose weight or using the supplement Green Tea Supreme 600 by Terra Vim can give additional help in losing weight. (12 cups of green tea =2 capsules to receive this benefit.)

Terra Vim has great choices to assist you in weight loss/fitness protocol.   1) Natura’s Thermo-Fit or Gaia’s Thyroid Support will help to stimulate your thyroid and increase your metabolism and energy. 2) Adding Natura’s Beyond Whey or Terra Vim’s Body Builder will help in to keep your metabolism in a building mode, assisting in building muscle. 3) Natura’s Night Gain will help to balance your youthful hormones like testosterone, estrogen, DHEA and growth hormone.   We also recommend a daily tonic like Natura’s Vital or Power Adapt or Gaia’s Adrenal Support or Energy Support.  These products help in the balancing of the endocrine system and increasing your energy.

“I just wanted to send a quick note of thanks.  Terra Vim is the best supplement store I have found.  With outstanding customer service, super-fast shipping and the best prices on the net, I couldn’t ask for more! Keep up the good work!”D.E.  03-17-2011.