Guggul is a natural herb supplement that may help lower cholesterol, yet few in the Western hemisphere know much about it. Guggul is otherwise known as the Mukul myrrh tree, and is a plant of the Burseracae family with small red or pink flowers. It is found across central Asia over to North Africa, although is very common in the northern areas of India where the climate is more semi-arid than equatorial. Guggul does not like a lot of water and can thrive in ground where the soil has few nutrients. Its Latin name is Commiphora wightii, and it grows about 12 feet high. It has been predominantly used in the Ayurvedic medicine of ancient India, and like many such ancient remedies and treatments, is now used in modern medicine to treat specific conditions: conditions such as some forms of heart condition, where it has been found to be able to lower your blood cholesterol levels, weight loss and some forms of arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. However, it has been used so s

No matter where we turn, it seems as if prices are going up. Over the past five years, the price of eggs has risen 54% and the prices of navel oranges has risen 34%. And what about the extreme change in gas prices nowadays? Sometimes, prices are the result of uncontrollable forces, such as a shortage in oranges in Florida. In more sinister cases, members of the industry manipulate economics so that prices are artificially inflated and reduced to best serve their bottom line, which is a practice known as predatory pricing. Lately, the supplement industry has been undergoing these rising costs which can be attributed to both the cost of fuel and environmental practices against the business practices of raw material suppliers in China, the place where most supplements originate. A trend that appears to parallel the rising cost of fuel, the supplement industry has seen a great deal of price increases during the last year, which has lead to some serious vitamin sticker shock. For e

Recent research has proven that healthy vitamin D levels may protect the body against osteoporosis, cancer, and multiple sclerosis. There is now evidence that suggests that vitamin D may help protect against a potentially dangerous rise in blood pressure which occurs in some people as they get older. A study that was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition had researchers finding that as many as 60 percent of whites and more than 90 percent of blacks who participated in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey had insufficient blood levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D can be obtained through the diet or produced in the skin, thanks to the effects of the sun. Researchers also investigated the association between vitamin D, blood pressure, and age. This investigation found that people with lower blood levels of vitamin D had significantly higher increases in systolic blood pressure as they aged than did those people who had healthy levels. Actually, t

Primary dysmenorrheal, which is painful menstruation, is a common disorder for which the conventional treatment involves a lot of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). However, guava leaf tea is a traditional treatment used in Mexico for the abdominal cramps and discomfort that is associated with menstrual disorders. In this clinical trial, the investigators examined that guava leaf tea and its efficacy in the treatment of dysmenorrheal, as compared to a placebo and ibuprofen, which is a NSAID. One hundred and ninety-seven female subjects between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five years old who have regular menstrual cycles and primary dysmenorrheal. These subjects were randomized into four treatment groups. Group one, which contained fifty-two members, received one capsule every eight hours of guava leaf extract that was standardized 3 milligrams/flavonal a day. Group two, containing fifty-seven members, received two capsules of guava leaf every eight hours standa

With heart disease being the number one cause of death in Americans and high blood pressure being the “silent killer,” high homocysteine levels are considered by most researchers to be as dangerous as high cholesterol levels. An aging heart is proven to be less efficient and much more likely to develop disease. Thankfully, certain nutrients and specialty compounds may help to promote healthy blood pressure, homocysteine levels and heart function, which ultimately exert a positive impact on heart disease. One of the most significant remedies in traditional medicine is Dansheng, which has historically been associated with the circulatory and cardiovascular systems consequently, leaving it to be recommended for conditions surrounding the blood and heart. Many studies have shown that dansheng dilated coronary arteries, increased coronary blood flow, and scavenged free radicals in ischemic diseases, which reduce the cellular damage from ischemia and improve heart conditions. Studies

National press has recently taken an interest in the benefits of folic acid, with coverage increasing throughout the media. Folic acid, a B vitamin and other folates helps the body to form red blood cells and aids in the formation of genetic material within every body cell. Folic acid also helps to prevent birth defects. Proponents of dietary supplements have encouraged the use of folic acid by women who are of the child-bearing age for a long time. The public is becoming increasingly aware of the importance of this nutrient to prenatal development. In a survey done by U.S. Health and Human Services in 2007, about 40% of all women surveyed reported the daily consumption of a supplement that contained folic acid, while about 42% of women surveyed reported that folic acid is the most important vitamin for women of child-bearing age. This study also found that awareness of the benefits differed by age group. Younger women were the least likely to know about the benefits of folic

Guar gum is what is known as a soluble fiber, and it is well known that it promotes a healthy colon. You will not find soluble fiber in what you believe to be 'high fiber foods', yet it is a very important part of your diet, particularly if you have problems with your colon such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or even colon cancer. Traditional high fiber foods, such as bran, leafy vegetables and cereals, contain insoluble fiber that mechanically act as an aid to digestion and the movement of your food through your gastrointestinal system. Soluble fiber, on the other hand, is found in what are more commonly regarded as starchy foods, although unlike starch, the chemical bonds that attach the various sugar molecules together cannot be broken by the acids and enzymes used by your gastric system to digest them. They thus pass through the body undigested, in the same way as insoluble fibers, and so contribute to the mechanical system upon which the peristaltic pumping motion of the int

To understand the truth behind the medical claims for green tea and the antioxidant properties of EGCG, it is first necessary to have a close look at what green tea is, and why these claims are being made. Green tea is a form of tea made from the leaves of the Carmellia Sinensis, a shrub that is native to China and has spread to other areas of Asia including Japan and the Middle East. Drinking it is believed to impart many health benefits, including the prevention of obesity, heart disease and some forms of cancer and it has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 400 years. Tea is known to have been consumed in China for around 5,000 years, and used, not only in Chinese medicine, but also in that of Japan, Thailand and India for a number of ailments including regulating blood sugar, treating wounds and digestive problems. The drinking of green tea to benefit the heart and other vital organs is described in the Kissa Yojoki (Book of Tea), written in 1191 by Eisai, a Ja

It is known that aging is largely a result of the effect of free radicals on our body cells, and that green coffee bean extract can be used to fight against these. While we intuitively understand what the term ‘aging’ means, very few people can actually describe it in words, although there are several theories of why it occurs. The most viable of these include the Error Catastrophe Theory, related to faulty molecular transcription and errors in cellular function, the Crosslinkage Theory, in which progressively increasing cross-linking between proteins slows the body functions down, and the Neuroendocrine Theory, in which changes in homeostasis and hormone levels occur through time due to an increasing loss of sensitivity of receptors to feedback inhibition. However, by far the most acceptable and best understood theory is the Free Radical Theory of Aging, which green coffee beans have been found to help fight, and it is on that which we shall focus here. The Free Radical Theory

Grapefruit pectin fiber is a source of soluble fiber that can bind to cholesterol and inhibit the formation of atherosclerosis. It is also effective in maintaining good blood sugar levels, and promoting a healthy colon. However, before discussing how grapefruit pectin fiber works in these ways, it is first necessary to explain how they occur in the first place. CHOLESTEROL LEVELS First cholesterol. This is a steroid lipid, most of which is biosynthesized by your body rather than being present in your diet. Although it has a bad name health wise, cholesterol is actually essential to good health because it helps your digestive system break down fast, it strengthens cell walls and is a major ingredient in the manufacture of vitamin D by your liver. It is also essential for the formation of several hormones, including cortisone, cortisol and aldosterone by the adrenal glands, and also of estrogen and testosterone. A bloodstream without cholesterol is therefore not good for you. Given