KSM-66 Ashwagandha
A high-concentration extract of the Ashwagandha root, KSM-66 offers even more potent health benefits of the traditional Indian medicine and is well-known in the elite sports world. It can enhance athletic performance, support mental clarity, concentration and alertness, and promote healthy responses to, and reduce the effects of, everyday stress, over-work and fatigue.
Ashwagandha has been long been used by humans for treating several medical conditions. It can protect the immune system, combat the effects of stress, improve learning and memory function, reduce anxiety and depression, stabilize blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol and boost sexual potency.
Do any of these common symptoms sound familiar?
- Stress
- Fatigue
- Lack of energy
- Difficulty concentrating
The use of the Ayurvedic herb, Ashwagandha can help alleviate these symptoms and support an energetic and rejuvenating sense of wellbeing.
Ashwagandha contains many useful medicinal chemicals, including withanolides (steroidal lactones), alkaloids, choline, fatty acids, amino acids, and a variety of sugars. While the leaves and fruit have valuable therapeutic properties, the root of the Ashwagandha plant is the part most commonly used in Western herbal remedies.
Medical researchers have been studying Ashwagandha for years with great interest and have completed more than 200 studies on the healing benefits of this botanical. Some key examples of the healing effects of Ashwagandha are:
- Protects the immune system
- Helps combat the effects of stress
- Improves learning, memory, and reaction time
- Reduces anxiety and depression without causing drowsiness
- Helps reduce brain-cell degeneration
- Stabilizes blood sugar
- Helps lower cholesterol
- Offers anti-inflammatory benefits
- Contains anti-malarial properties
- Enhances sexual potency for both men and women
In Ayurveda, there are specific herbs with adaptogenic benefits, Ashwagandha is one of them. Adaptogens are substances (a combination of amino acids, vitamins, and herbs) that modulate your response to stress or a changing environment. Adaptogens help the body cope with external stresses such as toxins in the environment and internal stresses such as anxiety and insomnia
Rhodiola Rosea
Rhodiola Rosea is known to strengthen the immune system, fight depression, boost memory function, improve energy levels and fight fatigue. It’s also one of the most well-known adaptogens – substances that increase the body’s overall health and strength, and normalise bodily functions.
Rhodiola Rosea also known as “golden root” is an adaptogen herb with tremendous fat burning, energy enhancing and brain boosting power.
Adaptogens are a group of plants that can help your body adapt to physical, chemical, and environmental stress and rhodiola is one of the most effective in this family.
This unique herb grows at high altitudes in the arctic areas of Asia and Eastern Europe.
The Russians have used rhodiola benefits extensively over the past 70 years mostly for improving work performance, insomnia, fatigue, depression, and increasing athletic endurance.
Rhodiola has been proven to have four major health benefits including:
- Burning Belly Fat
- Increased Energy and Athletic Performance
- Lowering Cortisol
- Fighting Depression and Improving Brain Function
One of the many incredible characteristics of rhodiola benefits is that it helps your body burn stored fat as fuel. Rhodiola contains an active compound called rosavin that has been proven to trigger a fat burning response in your body.
Rosavin works by stimulating an enzyme called hormone-sensitive lipase which can breakdown fat that is stored in adipose tissue (belly area). Also, human clinical studies found that if you combine taking rhodiola extract with doing moderate exercise the breakdown of belly fat increases even more.
A controlled placebo study done on 130 overweight patients at Georgian State Hospital showed that taking rhodiola rosea extract daily led to a mean weight loss of 19 pounds (11% reduction in body fat), compared to only 8 pounds of loss by the placebo group eating the exact same low calorie diet.
We all know that exercise especially interval exercise like burst training can increase fat loss, but if you want an edge taking rhodiola along with exercise can accelerate your weight loss efforts.
Rhodiola can calm your body when your system goes into a “fight or flight” mode from everyday stressors. When the hormone cortisol stays high for a long period from emotional or physical stress it can cause your body to experience:
- lowered blood glucose response
- abdominal weight gain
- thyroid issues
- hormone imbalance
- decreased memory
- weakened immunity
Rhodiola increases the sensitivity of your neurons (cells of your brain and nervous system) including two neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. These two neurotransmitters are known for increasing focus, memory, pleasure, and improving mood.
Siberian Ginseng /Eleuthero
Eleuthero / Siberian Ginseng is known in Chinese medicine as the ‘Kine of Adaptogens’. A powerful herb that is known to help you content with stressful living but making your stress response more efficient, strengthen your memory and help you stay clear-headed even when you’re under pressure and helps you enjoy sustained energy without the dreaded ‘jitters’ or added anxiety that some people get from consuming caffeine.
Eleuthero is classified as an adaptogenic herb, a truly sophisticated and powerful group of plants. Unlike so many herbs, these adaptogens seem to work subtly with the body in a systemic way to increase your overall health. They are known for helping your body adapt to changes in the environment. And they can be used safely over a long period of time. For this reason, traditional Chinese Medicine classifies adaptogenic herbs as Superior Herbs. But while adaptogens were considered superior, the benefits of eleuthero make it a ruler among adaptogens... is such an important, complex, safe and powerful adaptogenic herb, Chinese herbalists also called it “The King of the Adaptogens”.
- Eleuthero is known to help you contend with stressful living in several ways:
- Eleuthero is known to help your body adapt to stress and makes your stress response more efficient.
- Eleuthero is known to strengthen your memory and help you stay clear-headed even when you’re under pressure.
- Eleuthero helps you enjoy sustained energy over the long-term without the jitters or energy roller coasters of stimulants like caffeine.
Now, to be clear, eleuthero cannot get rid of the sources of stress in your life. However, by strengthening your body, energizing you and helping you stay calm under pressure, eleuthero gives you powerful support for contending with the problems of modern life.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a calming and relaxing mineral. It regulates the nervous system and may help you cope with stress so as to prevent anxiety, fear, nervousness, restlessness and irritability. Magnesium is also very protective of your heart and arteries, which is important for anyone experiencing regular anxiety.
Magnesium is a vital nutrient that is often deficient in modern diets. Our ancient ancestors would have had a ready supply from organ meats, seafood, mineral water, and even swimming in the ocean, but modern soils can be depleted of minerals and magnesium is removed from water during routine municipal treatment. The current RDA for adults is between 320 and 420mg daily, and the average US intake is around 250mg daily.
Anxiety is not generally something you want to treat with prescription medication. It's not that prescription medications are bad necessarily - although there are several side effects and addiction risk that make them less than ideal. The problem is that they don't actually cure the problem.
Natural treatments are much more preferable. Their advantage is that they not only treat anxiety - they also give you an opportunity to relieve anxiety without medications someday in the future. They cause no dependency, no side effects, and using them doesn't impact your ability to learn valuable coping strategies.
Magnesium plays a role in over 300 different chemical reactions in the body, and many studies have shown that a deficiency in magnesium contributes to several mental health problems, including anxiety.
Magnesium also is designed to offset calcium. Most people know how important calcium is to bone health, but what few realize is that magnesium is arguably equally as important, and balances out calcium to ensure a working body. Without magnesium, calcium can actually become toxic and affect your brain health.
Several studies have also looked how stress levels affect magnesium. They found that during periods of extreme stress, magnesium is often used up by the body.
That means that not only is a significant portion of the country magnesium deficient, potentially leading to anxiety - there may also be a high number of people that use up their magnesium reserves because of their anxiety, thus contributing to more anxiety and more stress.
Early studies do indicate that magnesium may be effective at treating anxiety. A study in France of 264 patients with generalized anxiety disorder found that a statistically significant number of men and women reported improvements on a magnesium regimen.
Another study found that magnesium may have a positive effect on depression as well. Both depression and anxiety are often linked, because both result in fatigue and disaster thinking.
Magnesium is unlikely to cure anxiety in everyone. Instead, the most likely reason that magnesium is so effective is because many people are experiencing the more pronounced anxiety symptoms as a result of their magnesium deficiency. By taking magnesium supplements, these individuals are no longer deficient, and any effects magnesium may have had on their health become less problematic.
Rapid recovery from major depression using magnesium treatment http://george-eby-research.com/html/magnesium-for-depression.pdf
L Theanine
An amino acid that is uncommon in the diet, L-Theanine works to calm and relax the body without having any sedative side-effects. Known for its ability to reduce stress and improve attention, it can also assist in quality sleep and reduce the harsh edge of stimulants like caffeine.
Theanine is an amino acid (a building block for proteins) found in green tea.
People use theanine for treating anxiety and high blood pressure, for preventing Alzheimer’s disease, and for making cancer drugs more effective.
If you're wanting to boost GABA levels in your brain (which will reduce anxiety for many people) then taking theanine might just be the perfect way to do it.
Not only does theanine boost GABA (an inhibitory neurotransmitter), it also tones down some of the stimulating neurotransmitters that make you anxious.
What's more, it seems to boost brain dopamine – which is one of the “feel good” neurotransmitters – and this might be the reason many people report feelings of well-being and mental focus when they take theanine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18296328
200 mg of Zen: L-Theanine Boosts Alpha Waves, Promotes Alert Relaxation http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/10762800151125092
Zinc
Zinc plays a vital role in protein synthesis and helps regulate the cell production in the immune system of the human body. Clinical studies revealed a link between zinc and disorders like depression and anxiety. Zinc deficiency been shown to induce depression and anxiety, supplementation with zinc has been used as an effective treatment for major depression. Zinc also improves the effect of antidepressants in depressed patients. Zinc plays a leading role in weight loss for obese individuals. Several studies have connected zinc with a decrease in appetite, which prevents overeating.
One of 24 micronutrients needed for human survival, zinc is essential for healthy human bodily function. It is a well-known aphrodisiac and testosterone booster, and has beneficial effects on the immune, hormone and enzyme systems. And given that zinc is lost through perspiration, supplementation is incredibly important for physically active athletes who do not gain enough in their diets.
Clinical studies and experimental work using animals have both revealed a link between zinc and neuropsychological disorders like depression and anxiety. Not only has zinc deficiency been shown to induce depression and anxiety, supplementation with zinc has been used as an effective treatment for major depression. Zinc also improves the effect of antidepressants in depressed patients.
Skin Care:
Studies have shown zinc to be an effective home remedy for curing pimples and acne. The consumption of antibiotic medication is still considered to be more effective, but the side effects and potential hormonal imbalance that those medicines can cause also must be considered. Also, since one of zinc’s most vital functions is to stimulate white blood cell function. White blood cells are integral in the healing process and can defend the body against several infections, including those that commonly attack canker sores, ulcers, burns, surgical incisions, and other various wounds. It is also required to produce collagen, a connective tissue that is required for skin repair and regrowth.
Cognitive Function:
Recent research has shown zinc to have a strong impact on mental function, because it can pair up with vitamin B6 to ensure the proper function of neurotransmitters that communicate with the body. It is also found in high concentrations in the hippocampus, which controls thought and memory. For those who have suffered from an injury, extra zinc will keep brain function strong, because the body naturally diverts zinc to the other parts of the body for healing purposes.
Cold:
Zinc supplements help in decreasing the severity and duration of colds and other mild illnesses. It reduces the amount of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which aggravate the body during colds or other infections. Also, its ability to stimulate white blood cell activity makes it ideal for reducing colds and infections.
Weight loss:
Zinc plays a leading role in weight loss for obese individuals. Several studies have connected zinc with a decrease in appetite, which prevents overeating. This is related to zinc’s manipulation of the ghrelin hormone, which tells the body when it wants to eat.
Biological Functions:
Zinc plays a key role in many biological functions such as reproduction, diabetes control, stress level modulation, immune resistance, smell and taste, physical growth, appetite and digestion.
Antioxidant:
Zinc acts as an antioxidant and is involved in some of the biochemically decisive reactions in the body, including protein synthesis, enzymatic function and carbohydrate metabolism. Since zinc is involved in so many integral systems and functions of the body, it cannot be stressed enough – You must have zinc in your diet!
Zinc in human health: effect of zinc on immune cells. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18385818
Role of zinc in the development and treatment of mood disorders. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20689416
Study Suggests a Link Between Zinc and Anxiety http://www.naturalhealthresearch.org/33570-2/
Lotus Leaf (Nelumbo Nucifera)
Lotus Leaf can directly interact with neural receptors in the brain to influence mental state as well as positive mood. Other negative factors such as stress levels, headaches, and irritation are also regulated. Although Lotus flowers are usually linked with peace, the roots offer more of this positive aspect to the human body.
Featuring in tradition Chinese and Indian medicine, the lotus leaf is used to treat afflictions of the stomach, spleen and liver. It is also commonly used to treat summer heat syndrome, sunstroke, fevers and diarrhoea. Lotus leaf can also improve male virility and reduce premature ejaculation, whilst having a calming effect on the mind and body.
Studies using isolated Neferine note anti-depressant and sedative properties which are seemingly potent, and some possible anti-obesogenic (not necessarily fat burning) and anti-diabetic properties. Some fat burning properties have been noted with the whole plant, but these are not overly remarkable.
For a body to function properly, there should be proper blood circulation so that the oxygen is pumped to all the blood cells. When this happens correctly, functionality and energy levels of all the vital organs can be enhanced. Though Lotus is fortified with multiple nutrients, the ones to make a mark re iron & copper (essential participants in the production of red blood cells). A good number of red blood cells in the body prevents anaemia and enhances the proper blood flow.
Anti-obesity and hypolipidaemic effects of Nelumbo nucifera
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23824592
Effects of extracts and neferine from the embryo of Nelumbo nucifera seeds on the central nervous system.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19010651
http://www.plantsjournal.com/vol2Issue6/Issue_nov_2014/7.1.pdf
Milk Thistle
Milk Thistle is unique in its ability to protect the liver and has no equivalent in the pharmaceutical drug world. It is a potent detoxifier and is known to: Lower cholesterol levels, which benefits the heart; reduces the growth of cancer cells in breast, lung, colon, prostate, cervical and renal cancers; improves blood sugar levels; contains numerous anti-aging properties; reduces cell damage caused by radiation and chemotherapy treatments; works as a free radical scavenger and powerful antioxidant; reduces hot flashes and other related menopausal symptoms; helps with intestinal / indigestion issues.
This naturally occurring flower is used to treat problems of the liver including cirrhosis, jaundice, hepatitis and gallbladder disorders. Milk thistle can also be used to lower cholesterol and reduce the effects of type 2 diabetes.
Milk Thistle is unique in its ability to protect the liver and has no equivalent in the pharmaceutical drug world. In fact, in cases of poisoning with Amanita mushrooms, which destroy the liver, milk thistle is the only treatment option. It has been so dramatically effective that the treatment has never been disputed, even by the traditional medical community.
Milk thistle acts in a similar fashion to detoxify other synthetic chemicals that find their way into our bodies, from acetaminophen and alcohol to heavy metals and radiation.
Milk thistle was approved in 1986 as a treatment for liver disease and it is widely used to treat alcoholic hepatitis, alcoholic fatty liver, cirrhosis, liver poisoning and viral hepatitis. It has also been shown to protect the liver against medications such as acetaminophen, a non-aspirin pain reliever.
- 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
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, is needed by the body to maintain the health of the nervous system, the skin and red blood cells. Medical research has confirmed that low Vitamin B6 levels can cause panic attacks and anxiety in women.
It is also used to treat some nerve disorders caused by medications, including peripheral neuropathy. Supplementation is vital for those who do not get enough B6 from their diets, or have conditions or medications that cause low levels of B6.
