The History of Vitamin C

The most serious consequence of a vitamin C deficiency is scurvy, which you may associate with sailors in the olden days and its symptoms include: bleeding gums, joint pain, extreme fatigue, and red spots appearing on the skin. Nasty. But why were sailors prone to getting scurvy?

The reason is diet. The body can’t make vitamin C so we have to get it from the food we eat. Pre 18th century, before canned and tinned food was available, sailors who were at sea for long periods of time didn’t have access to fruit and vegetables so developed vitamin C deficiencies. The famous Portuguese explorer and navigator, Vasco de Gama, lost half of his ship’s crew to scurvy, and it wasn’t until 1753 when James Lind set up an experiment to try and treat scurvy, giving suffers lemons and limes to eat which eased the symptoms, was scurvy connected to a vitamin C deficiency. Dr. Linus Pauling Ph. D won the Nobel peace prize in Chemistry in 1954 for his research into vitamin C- identifying it as a vital vitamin essential to human health and development.

Avoid Vitamin C Deficiency by Eating Lots of Fruit and Veg

Although scurvy is a rare disease nowadays, certain groups of people are at greater risk from the disease than others- basically people with no fruit and vegetables in their diets due to perhaps poverty or addiction. However, taking supplements and eating a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables can easily treat a vitamin C deficiency.

Symptoms of a deficiency include dry skin and hair, dental problems, and skin bruising easily. Here are some of the top sources of vitamin C- you might find some unexpected contenders in there!

• Chilies- red or green
• Thyme and parsley
• Potatoes
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Blackcurrants
• Papaya
• Strawberries
• Brussel Sprouts

And of course, last but not least,

• Oranges

It’s worth noting that cooking food can destroy the vitamin C concentration in fruit and vegetables, so fresh, raw foods have the best sources.

Both the Mayo Clinic and the UK’s NHS Choices website do warn about taking too much vitamin C, anything is excess of 1000mg a day is too much and can cause stomach pain, diahrroeah and flatulence. It should be easy enough to get the right amount by eating at least five potions of fruit and veg a day, and if you can’t stomach eating fresh veggies, then taking a vitamin C supplement three times a day will be enough to give your health the boost it needs.

One of these is Valerian root, which has been used for centuries as a sleep aid. It was documented by Hippocrates and Galen in the 2nd century, and used by physicians in the mid 19th century to treat nervous conditions.

In modern times, there has been significant research into Valerian root’s effectiveness for treating insomnia. In 2006, the American Journal of Medicine said that: “The available evidence suggests that valerian might improve sleep quality without producing side effects.” More research needs to take place for valerian root to be hailed an official sleep aid, but studies continue as it could serve as a safe and powerful answer to insomnia.

How Valerian Root Works

This ancient herb has been used to treat anxiety disorders because of its calming and relaxing effect. This is down to the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neuron transmitter that reduces and anxiety and stress. Although conclusions are speculative, valerian root is helpful in increasing GABA receptors that “shut down” brain activity. GABA is sometimes referred to as the ‘euphoric amino acid’, calming nerves and promoting sleepiness.

Where does Valerian Root Grow?

This powerful herb likes to grow in damp meadows and can be found in parts of Europe and the US. You can even grow it at home if you have most, fertile soil in your back garden.

How to Take Valerian Root

• Valerian is often drunk as a tea, but the taste is very strong and bitter and not the most pleasant of aromas! Mixing it with mint is said to help mask the taste, or mixing it with plenty of honey
• It can also be taken as a powder or in dried pill form, taken at meal times
• Like all herbal medicines, a tincture made form the root contains the most powerful concentration of the active ingredient, and a few drops in water with food will help the body digest it quicker
• If you are able to grow Valerian in your back garden, then boiling the roots in water will make a powerful, pungent mixture.

Check out this delicious remedy to help calm the nerves from the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk//tv/features/growyourowndrugs/episode5.shtml

If you are searching for a holistic, safe, and natural remedy for stress, anxiety or insomnia, then valerian root comes highly recommended. Ask your local herbalist or natural health store for details.

There are so many products out there promising to solve diet and weight loss problems without sufficient information to back them up. Doing your own research into these products is vital, so that you can avoid being scammed and sold products that don’t work, and be confident that you are buying the right product to suit your body. Read on to find out the facts behind raspberry ketone, one of the most popular weight loss supplements on the market since the Dr. Oz show featured it and declared it “The number 1 miracle in a bottle to burn your fat.”

Scientific Research into the Fat Fighting Effects of Raspberry Ketones

Scientists have identified the protein, Adiponetctin, which is present in raspberry ketones. This chemical affects how the liver processes fat and speeds up the body’s metabolic rate. In 2005, The Journal of Life Sciences published their results, proving that raspberry ketones helps dieters lose weight due to the higher level of Adiponectin in the supplement.

Celebrities who Use Raspberry Ketones

Health professionals and personal trainers have been quick to rate raspberry ketones as a natural weight loss supplement for their clients, and celebrities have come out to rave about their diet successes thanks to this new product that’s taking the diet world by storm. Talk show host, Oprah Winfrey, has been using raspberry ketones to lose weight and puts her diet success and trim figure down its remarkable properties.

American socialite, Kim Kardashian, also owes her current svelte figure and huge weight loss success to raspberry ketones.

What are Raspberry Ketones?

You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out that raspberry ketones have something to do with raspberries. So why not simply eat a ton of raspberries instead? You’d have to eat around 90lb of fruit in order to get the right concentration of the enzyme for it to be effective. Dr. Oz recommends around 1000mg a day for good results. Scientists have been able to identify and extract the enzyme, turning it into dried pill form that is now available for sale over the counter and online without a prescription.

Raspberry ketones also contain a high level of anti-oxidants, the same ones that are present in red berries such as blueberries and acacia berries that support the body’s natural detox routines. Not only do raspberry ketones increase the metabolic rate of the liver, but help the body flush out unwanted waste and toxins. Anti-oxidants are also said to help protect the body against free radicals, slowing down the ageing process.

What about Side Effects?

There are no known side effects of taking raspberry ketones, and it is considered a very safe, natural, weight loss supplement. Unlike many other diet pills, which are stimulants, there is not jittery or jumpy side effects on the nervous system- like caffeine.

Raspberry ketones are safe to take over a long period of time, and are actually more effective if used long-term.

However, a small number of people are allergic to raspberries, so do not take raspberry ketones if you are allergic to raspberries.

The Science Behind Raspberry Ketones and Weight Loss

You’ve heard most of the facts, and now it’s time to get into the science behind them.

We mentioned Adiponetctin earlier, the protein that controls the body’s metabolism. This is crucial to the function of raspberry ketones, which contains enzymes that raise the level of Adiponectin in the blood thus increasing the metabolic rate- making your body you burn fat faster.

Basically, your body believes that it’s already thin, and is burning fat faster than an overweight person’s. Coupled with an increase in exercise and reduced calories intake, raspberry ketones significantly speed up the weight loss process

The Dr. Oz show demonstrated how this process takes place in a simple studio experiment. You can watch it on the Dr. Oz blog, or on YouTube

If you’ve been searching for a natural weight loss solution that’s safe and has no side effects, then start today with Raspberry Ketones.

The Benefits of Raspberry Ketones

• 100% natural supplement found in fruit
• Safe for long-term use
• No known side effects
• Significantly speeds up the weight loss process

Buying Tips

Up until around a decade ago, coconut oil received a bad press for being an unhealthy oil due to its saturated fat content; (saturated fats are all solid at room temperature, like lard, which you don’t want to be putting on your skin!). However, thanks to the unique ingredients found naturally in coconut oil, it is now hailed as one of nature’s most precious, healing and nourishing gifts that has many different purposes and benefits to health, from fighting disease to treating dandruff. Here, we’ll be focusing on its benefits to skin care and why it’s a far superior choice to other synthetic cosmetics that are costly and damaging to skin.

Who Uses Coconut Oil?

We should be asking who’s not using coconut oil! Celebrities across the globe are trading in their lotions and potions for a single jar of coconut oil.

Model and actress, Gisele Bundchen, rates coconut oil as an ideal after care skin treatment for sunburn.

Gwyneth Paltrow loves to treat her skin to coconut oil after an Epsom salt bath.

Both women are glowing examples of health skin, and have otherwise infuriated the beauty industry by shunning expensive, synthetic alternatives.

What’s so Special about Coconut Oil?

Unlike other saturated fats found in other oils, coconut contains 50% lauric acid. This is a powerful chemical that is otherwise very hard to come by naturally. It is a nurturing, nourishing and protective substance that can be found in human breast milk and acts as a natural barrier against bacteria and viruses. Lauric acid is naturally anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral; fabulous news for skin helping it fight infection and other skin born problems such as warts, boils and ringworm.

Coconut Oil is a 3 in 1 Beauty Product

1. Coconut oil is a substantial and heavy oil, which is solid at room temperature. It easily lifts off makeup including thick eye makeup and lipstick making it an ideal natural makeup remover.
2. Because coconut oil is anti-bacterial and has a robust consistency, it removes grease and dirt from deep inside the skin whilst also fighting any other bacteria that might be in there, making it a deep and nourishing natural cleanser.
3. Most other moisturizers have a high water content, meaning that skin dries out quickly. Coconut oil is a hard working moisturizer that leaves skin feeling soft and supple for longer because the skin absorbs it slowly. One application a day is enough to keep skin feeling soft and glowing. It is is particularly effective for people prone to dry, flakey skin.

Tip: Use 100% organic, natural and virgin coconut oil. Cheaper products often contain unnecessary ‘extras’ that clog pores and cause buildup.

Coconut Oil and Anti-ageing

You might be surprised to learn that many synthetic anti-ageing products actually speed up the ageing process. This is because they often contain polyunsaturated fats that oxidize quickly and turn rancid, causing free radical damage. Free radicals are single electrons that kill and damage cells, including skin cells.

The medium chain fatty-acids in coconut oil actually reduce free radical damage thus slow down the signs of aging: wrinkles, liver spots and sagging skin. Apply a small amount of coconut oil daily by rubbing into the face and hands.

• Choose 100% virgin, organic coconut oil so that the lauric acid content is at its maximum and contains no pore-clogging fillers
• Avoid coconut oil that has been heated as this reduces its effectiveness
• Always buy from a source that you trust

Invest in a jar of organic coconut oil and treat your skin to a deep and nourishing long-lasting treatment.

Traditionally, green tea was simply the leaves from the camellia sinensis plant gently steeped in hot water and sipped. But drinking tea in Asia is more about just glugging it back- it’s a whole ritual and art form that takes place during ceremonies and is used as a symbol to celebrate and honor special guests and occasions. In Korean Buddhism, tea drinking and tea preparation is part of the meditative practices of monks that live high up in the mountains.

If you travel to the China or Korea, it’s possible to visit green tea plantations and walk in between the rows and rows of green tea bushes that grow on the hillsides. Many plantations still use artisan methods of drying, such as sun-baking in baskets and charcoal-firing. You can watch staff prepare the tea, handpicked from the bush, and even indulge in green tea ice cream and eat green tea infused noodles.

How is Green Tea Beneficial to Health?

Green tea traditionally undergoes very little processing, unlike black teas that have chemicals and preservatives added to them to make them palatable to Western markets. Because of the simple production processes, green tea retains its maximum health boosting properties, and the production of it has a low impact on the environment.

All tea contains polyphenols, antioxidants, enzymes, amino acids and minerals but many of these are lost when tea is treated and refined. Green tea however retains much of its nutrition because of the simple processes it goes through, prompting scientific research into the health benefits of green tea and selling it up to western markets. There is however little conclusive evidence that proves that green tea helps fight cancer and heart disease, but studies do show that green tea is high in antioxidants, called catechins, that help neutralize free radicals (the single electrons that destroy cells and contribute to the ageing process). There is no doubt that regularly drinking green tea is good for your health, and will help with the body’s natural detox, rehydrate you, and provide a good caffeine free alternative to coffee and black tea.

Whether green tea will make you live longer is still yet to be confirmed. But by selecting a fair trade brand of green tea you are helping support environmentally sound food production, and helping keep alive the ancient rituals that make tea culture so fascinating, as well as benefiting your health.

You may have already heard the buzz about Green Coffee Extract that’s trending through the weight loss world at the moment. Perhaps you’re wary of all the hype and want to do some further research before trying it out. Good for you. It’s crucial that you select the right weight loss product from a source that you trust so you can be confident it’s not a scam, and that the products you are buying are safe.

More and more people are turning to Green Coffee Extract (also referred to as Green Coffee Bean Extract) as a natural and safe way to lose weight. Health professionals, including medical celebrity Dr. Oz, have endorsed the product for its fat busting properties that helps people lose weight without even dieting. Those who diet and use Green Coffee Extract are seeing even more significant changes, making it an all round weight loss winner.

Research and Studies

The American Chemical Society based in San Diego sampled Green Coffee Extract with 16 overweight men and women and found that each person lost on average 17lb in 22 weeks, with no changes to diet or exercise.

Dr. Mehmet Oz stepped up the research by doing a live experiment on his weight loss show. 100 overweight participants agreed to take the supplement three times a day for two weeks, and then take part in a weigh-in conducted by the show’s doctors. The results were remarkable, showing that the average person lost 3lb over the test period. Participants were also told not to make any changes to their diet or exercise routines, and simply carry on as normal.

Who Rates Green Coffee Extract?

Nutritionist, Dr. Lindsay Duncan, who co-hosted the Dr. Oz show experiment made this statement about Green Coffee Extract on her website.

The Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity Journal have also conducted their own experiments and have published articles about the weight loss properties of Green Coffee Extract.

Since the public endorsement of this natural fat-busting supplement, online stores and natural health shops across the US and abroad are quickly selling out of stock.

What is Green Coffee Extract? Is Safe?

You might be even more skeptical of Green Coffee Extract when you learn that it is simply the unroasted coffee bean. There is no chemical interference, roasting, or added substances to the product, making it one of the most natural weight loss products on the market. Always choose a 100% natural product with no added ‘extras,’ you don’t need them!

Side Effects

Green Coffee Extract contains caffeine, the same as roasted coffee beans. As you probably already know, if you drink a lot of coffee, you tend to feel jittery- too much caffeine can lead to headaches, insomnia and feeling irritated. However, Green Coffee Extract is more effective if taken in small to moderate doses, meaning that caffeine-like side effects are very mild. The correct dose should be about 1200mg a day taken in 400mg doses at each mealtime. However, the supplement has also proven to be effective at just 200mg for each dose.

Research also shows that Green Coffee Extract may help lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, although this has yet to be proven. People have however reported feeling naturally more energetic thanks to the mild caffeine effect.

This all sounds very simple and straightforward – so why doesn’t drinking coffee have the same effect? Read on to learn about the science behind the new wonder weight loss supplement of this little green bean.

Green Coffee Extract and Weight Loss: How it Works

Green Coffee Extract works two-fold when it comes to weight loss, and it’s all down to chlorogenic acid. This chemical allows the body to slow down the release of glucose in the body, thus giving it a larger window of time to process it. Instead of quickly using up glucose and storing the excess as fat, it is processed and used up as energy, so your body literally becomes a fat busting machine!

Chlorogenic acid is lost when the coffee bean goes through the roasting process, which is why the green, raw bean is used and why drinking coffee won’t make you thin!

The second weight loss function of Green Coffee Extract is the effect it has on liver function, increasing its metabolic rate of burning fat cells. These two methods make Green Coffee Extract a powerful and effective weight loss supplement.

A Few Other Bonuses you might not be Aware of…

Green Coffee extract also contains polyphenols, which are made up of anti-oxidants and also have anti-inflammatory properties. This helps the body with its natural detox routine, flushing out waste and balancing fluid.

Using Green Coffee extract in conjunction with a healthy, reduced calorie diet and regular exercise will help you lose weight, fast. Balancing nutrition and exercise is the key to sustainable weight loss, and Green Coffee Extract can help you achieve those goals.

Benefits of Green Coffee Extract

• Has a two-fold weight loss effect by helping the body burn fat quicker
• May help lower cholesterol and blood pressure
• Mild caffeine side effects
• Effective in low doses

Buying tips

• Look for a product with a minimum of 45% Chlorogenic acid
• For your safety, ensure it is made in an FDA registered facility
  and is cGMP certified
• Always go for a 100% natural product that contains no fillers or binders, these often replace the chlorogenic acid and can have unwanted side effects
• Do not take if: under 18, pregnant or breast-feeding or if you are allergic to caffeine

Glucosamine has been marketed at sufferers of osteoarthritis, a painful condition of the joints due to ‘wear and tear’ of the skeleton as people age. It has also been recommended for people recovering from joint-related injury, such as a knee or shoulder dislocation, suggesting that it helps repair damage in and around the joints and can help build cartilage and is often taken with a similar, complementary chemical, chondroitin.

Does it Work?

Doctors and physiotherapists have been recommending and prescribing glucosamine and its compound products (glucosamine sulphate and glucosamine chondroitin) for decades, and in 2008, spending on glucosamine products reached £2 billion in the UK. The UK’s Daily Telegraph published an article suggests that glucosamine was such a popular complementary supplement purely because it had no side effects, unlike other anti-inflammatory medication that is designed to relieve the painful symptoms of osteoarthritis. The newspaper reported a large set of trials and studies that took place at the University of Bern in Switzerland that concluded that the supplement had little or no effect on pain relief for osteoarthritis sufferers:

Results however have been conflicting, and throughout the decades various clinics and universities have produced results that demonstrated glucosamine does relieve pain for some osteoarthritis sufferers, but not everybody experiences that same success.

What about chondroitin?

Glucosamine is often taken in conjunction with chondroitin as a complementary supplement, a naturally occurring molecule in the human body that makes the tough connective tissue that sits in between joints (when this wears down or is damaged, joints become extremely painful).

Chondroitin can be extracted from animal cartilage, such as shark or bone, or, it can be made synthetically in a laboratory. Some scientists say that taking both glucosamine and chondroitin together is more effective than on their own.

What is the best way to take glucosamine and chondroitin?

These supplements come in tablet, powder, liquid or capsule form, and some argue that liquid (including gel capsules) is the best way to take any supplement because the body absorbs it quicker. When you’re choosing the best method to suit you, think about your preferences and diet. If you have difficulty swallowing, go for a liquid or powder that can be mixed with water.

When you are choosing a product, always check the ingredients. It’s best to avoid supplements that come with a huge list of ‘added extras’, often synthetic ingredients that are simply there to bulk out the product, meaning it often has a lower concentration of the active ingredient necessary for it to be effective.

If you suffer from osteoarthritis, or have a painful joint condition due to injury, then it’s worth giving glucosamine or a combination of it a try. It may help relieve pain and rebuild damaged joint, and you have nothing to lose other than a few dollars.

It is one of the most traded spices in the world, and during medieval times in England, one pound of ginger was worth the equivalent of one sheep, making it a precious bartering tool. Here’s an overview of how different cultures use ginger for its health boosting properties.

Ginger for stomach trouble: Ginger tea is a tasty remedy to stomach trouble, including morning sickness, and anxiety related nausea. Koreans drink ssaengang cha, simply the ginger root sliced and steeped in hot water with brown sugar or honey as a natural sweetener.

Ginger for coughs and colds: In China, people eat ‘ginger eggs’ to ease coughing and congestion on the lungs. This consists of scrambled eggs with bits of sliced ginger mixed in.

Ginger for the flu: The Burmese treat flu symptoms with ginger boiled together with natural sweeteners from palm trees.

Ginger for headaches: In parts of India, ginger is ground into a paste and rubbed onto the temples to relieve headaches.

Ginger for a long life: Tribes in the Congo mix ginger with sap from trees as an all round life enhancing remedy.

Ginger for back pain: The Japanese use ginger in traditional medicine to ease spinal pain such as trapped nerves, as it acts as an effective analgesia and anti-inflammatory.

Ginger for menstrual pain: Forward thinking doctors as early as the 1900s prescribed ginger for menstrual pain in the US, and it is still used today as an alternative to painkillers.

Ginger for sexual potency: The Ancient Greeks recorded using ginger as an aphrodisiac, and is said to help balance hormone levels and boost energy in the bedroom. It’s best taken it as a tea rather than rubbing the root directly onto sensitive areas though!

Further research is taking place into the anti-inflammatory effects of ginger, and is believed that it may help arthritis sufferers, particularly osteoarthritis. Studies have shown its effectiveness in reducing swelling and relieving pain for sufferers. Adding some sliced ginger into a hot bath is a relaxing way to ease join and muscle pain, either from arthritis or from a sports injury.

Its anti-inflammatory properties are what make ginger an all round healing spice- from headaches, to sinuses, cramps and even burns on the skin. The Koran even mentions ginger: “A beverage of the holiest and heavenly spirits.” Confucius also rated ginger, particularly effective for a dodgy tummy, he said, in not so many words. And ginger is also mentioned in the classic South Asian folk tales One Thousand and One Nights.

Taking fresh ginger either sliced or grated into a paste and steeped in tea is the best way to get all of its benefits. Ginger is as popular today as it was all those centuries ago.

Garcinia Cambogia is fast becoming one of the most popular weight loss supplements on the market, with shops and online stores regularly selling out of stock. Dr. Oz featured the supplement on his popular weight loss show, declaring it: “The holy grail of weight loss”, causing sales to skyrocket.

Perhaps you’re still skeptical of products that come with bold claims, which is perfectly natural. It’s important to get the right information about any health supplement so that you avoid being scammed by false products, and that you buy the right supplement for your health needs.

Speaking to health professionals and nutritionists, Dr. Oz explained that those who were taking Garcinia Cambogia were losing, on average, around 1lb per week- and that’s without making changes to diet and exercise routines. If the statistics are accurate, imagine what you could achieve if you combined taking Garcinia Cambogia with a reduced calorie diet?

Research into Garcinia Cambogia and Weight Loss

Garcinia Cambogia and the important compound chemical found within it, Hydrotoxic citric acid (HCA), has been proven to have a two-fold way of promoting weight loss: first by suppressing appetite, so dieters natural eat less. Secondly, by speeding up the metabolic rate of the liver so that it turns glucose (sugar) into energy, and not the fat cells that like to accumulate around the belly. This helps reduce Body Mass Index (BMI), making the body leaner as well as slimmer.

These results were published in The Journal of Obesity after Garcinia Cambogia was tested on 700 overweight participants. Their conclusion:

Who Rates Garcinia Cambogia?

Dr. Oz’s sensationalist claims are backed up by Dr. Harry Preuss- founder of The Natural Fat-Loss Pharmacy. He offers an upfront description of how Garcinia Cambogia works to help speed up the weight loss process:

“HCA interferes with an enzyme that triggers the formation of fatty acids, cholesterol and triglycerides. It helps lower blood levels of leptin (the substance that triggers hunger), increases serotonin and fat oxidation, and increases production of glycogen, leading to a filling of “fullness.” Study participants taking HCA ate up to 30% less food at every meal.”

The statistics are remarkable, and more and more people are sending in their own stories of how Garcinia Cambogia has helped them achieve their health goals.

If you’re still in need of reassurance before you decide to buy, then read on for more details about Garcinia Cambogia’s safety and suitability as a weight loss supplement.

What Exactly is Garcinia Cambogia?

Garcinia Cambogia is one of the most natural health supplements on the weight loss market. Its common name is tamarind, a small pumpkin shaped fruit that grows on trees and is indigenous to Indonesia. It is popular in other tropical climates for making chutneys and curries.

The chemical Hydrotoxic citric acid (HCA) is the compound chemical extracted from Garcinia Cambogia that accelerates the weight loss process. You would have to eat a lot of tamarind to get the right concentration of HCA for it to be effective, which is why scientists have extracted it from the fruit and made it into pill form.

Are there any Side Effects?

There are some possible side effects to taking Garcinia Cambogia, and for your safety and well being please read on to help you determine if it is safe for you.

A small percentage of people have reported upset stomach and nausea after taking Garcinia Cambogia, and it is not recommended for people who have existing digestive problems- such as gastroenteritis.

Very few people are allergic to the fruit itself, but this may be unknown to you before taking it. Allergic reactions include swollen arms or legs and hives or a rash on the skin. If this happens, stop taking it immediately and seek professional medical help.

It is important that you choose a product that is 100% Garcinia Cambogia and does not contain any binders, fillers or other substances that are added to ‘bump it out’. These are completely unnecessary and could cause unwanted side effects.

It’s also worth noting that Garcinia Cambogia is not a stimulant, like dozens of other weight loss products out there, so there are no caffeine-like side effects that can cause headaches and jumpiness.

How Does Garcinia Cambogia Help Me Burn Fat?

We mentioned earlier that the chemical, HCA, is the fat burning chemical that is crucial for fat burning. When the pill is digested, HCA gets sent to the liver (where glucose either gets turned into energy or, in most cases, fat cells). The liver is then able to turn sugar into energy rather than fat, helping you lose weight and become leaner.

The level of leptin that is present in the bloodstream is also significantly reduced by HCA. It is the leptin hormone that triggers hunger sensations, so when leptin levels are low, so is the feeling of hunger meaning the body feels fuller, quicker.

We also mentioned serotonin, the hormone released in the brain that controls mood. HCA raises the serotonin level, which helps dieters feel generally more positive. We all know that feeling optimistic is a big part of trying to lose weight, and when we’re down we tend to reach for comfort foods that are bad news for diets.

Let’s recap some of the benefits before you decide to buy:

Garcinia Cambogia: Benefits

• Naturally raises mood by increasing serotonin
• Not a chemical stimulant
• Natural and very safe supplement
• Reduces BMI
• Promotes a safe rate of weight loss

Buying Tips

• Always buy health products that are made in an FDA registered facility and are cGMP certified
• Not suitable for under 18 years of age
• Seek medical advice if pregnant or breast feeding
• Do not take if you have existing digestive problems

How Effective is Echinacea at Killing Colds?

Significant amounts of research into the virus killing effects of Echinacea have taken place over the last decade. One major study in the UK tested Echinacea on 750 participants who were prone to catching colds. Results showed that the herb reduced the number of colds by 60% each year.

A study by the esteemed Cochrane Library, which can be viewed on their website, concluded that “[Echinacea] might be effective in the early treatment of colds in adults but the results are not fully consistent.”

The University of Connecticut Pharmacy studied the results of 14 different trials and concluded that when Echinacea is a taken alongside a vitamin C supplement, the occurrence of the common cold decreases by around 85%. Without vitamin C supplements, Echinacea’s effectiveness at stopping colds is around 65%. The report stated that: “With over 200 viruses capable of causing the common cold, Echinacea could have modest effect against rhinovirus but marked effects against other viruses.”

Although there is no hard, conclusive evidence to say that Echinacea extract can prevent people from catching colds, it has proved to be effective on people who have low immune system defenses and are prone to catching colds.

How Should I Take Echinacea?

Different parts of the flower have differing levels of potency. The part with the highest concentration of the active chemicals required for medicinal purposes is the taproot. Taking Echinacea as a tincture (a liquid with a high concentration) three times a day with food is the most effective way of getting its benefits. Drop 12-15 drops into water and drink-the taste is quite bitter so it’s best to throw it back in a few gulps.

Echinacea has been proven to be a potent herb, and it is advised to have a break from taking it every two weeks so that your liver can break it down properly. It is also advised not to take Echinacea for longer than 12 weeks in total. Always read the label before you start taking it and buy from a reputable source.

Echinacea can also be used to clean open wounds such as ulcers, cuts and grazes, which is more in keeping with its Native America roots as a disinfectant. Dab a few drops of tincture onto cotton wool and put it on the affected area. Gargling with diluted Echinacea can also be effective in treating sore throats and tonsillitis.

Research continues into the healing properties of Echinacea, and has so far proved to be a potentially very potent healing natural remedy.