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Nature's "Brain Food" Also Improves General Circulation
Garlic & Cayenne – The Dynamic Duo Can Cut Cardiovascular Risk
60 Softgels, 300 mg Garlic and 150 mg Cayenne
“Garlic is good for you.” “Pepper perks you up.” Both herbs are hot, and this Kat’s not surprised. Lately it seems science has been catching up with what the Ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, and Native Americans have known for thousands of years: these two humble herbs pack a powerful punch when it comes to protecting and healing your body.
Let’s start with Garlic. Yes, it may ward off vampires and werewolves, but it can also keep heart disease and potentially cancer at bay. Allium sativum , garlic’s botanical name, contains 33 sulfur compounds (including allicin, the compound responsible for garlic’s pungent odor), 17 amino acids, and a slew of other vitamins and minerals.
Many studies, including some from Pennsylvania State University, Tufts University School of Medicine and University of Alabama at Birmingham, offer compelling evidence that garlic helps prevent cardiovascular disease. Garlic’s sulfur compounds combat cholesterol by triggering the release of bile from the gall bladder and decreasing the production of cholesterol in the liver.
In clinical trials, cholesterol levels have been reduced by 9 – 12 percent. On the hypertension front, the gamma-glutamylcysteine in garlic acts as a natural ACE inhibitor, and can reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. A meta-analysis preformed by The University of Adelaide in Australia analyzed data gathered between 1955 and October 2007 and confirmed that garlic can provide a “significant reduction” in blood pressure.
Garlic goes one step further in protecting your heart by reducing the risk of thrombotic clotting, a leading trigger for heart attack and stroke. Tufts Univeristy recently reported that the same components of garlic that help your heart may also help mitigate cerebrovascular deterioration leading to dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Of late, research has examined garlic’s potential in preventing cancer. Studies out of India, Japan, and China have demonstrated that garlic can both protect against cancer and help reduce the size and potency of existing tumors. Garlic appears to be especially valuable against stomach and colon cancers. Lastly, garlic is also a good all-around crusader against infection. Indeed, in 1858 Louis Pasteur announced that garlic killed bacteria.
Dr. David W. Kraus of the University of Alabama noted recently in The New York Times, “People have known garlic was important and has health benefits for centuries. Even the Greeks would feed garlic to their athletes before they competed in the Olympic games.”
At The Co-Op we’ve coupled our Garlic with Cayenne, another ancient, vastly under-appreciated herb. Native Americans have used capsicum annuum, cayenne’s botanical name, for thousands of years in their food and medicine. Cayenne is a natural stimulant that gets the blood flowing. These days, cayenne is red hot and very much in the news. In 2006, Cancer Research reported on a study conducted at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at UCLA that found capsaicin, the active ingredient in cayenne, caused prostate cancer cells to kill themselves. In the study, approximately 80% of the cancer cells self-destructed and those that remained shrunk substantially.
As if that weren’t exciting enough, cayenne has also been shown to improve heart health, fight inflammation, prevent stomach ulcers and help you burn fat and lose weight! Like garlic, cayenne has been shown to reduce cholesterol, lower blood pressure and act as an anti-coagulant. Capsacin, the active component in cayenne, also helps relieve the pain and inflammation caused by arthritis, rheumatism, and joint pain by inhibiting Substance P, a neuropeptide that transmits pain to the brain. Cayenne is a good source of vitamins A and C, B complex, calcium, potassium, flavonoids and carotenoids. As an added bonus, cayenne works as a catalyst, increasing the efficiency of other herbs and supplements you may be taking.
In tandem, this dynamic duo works wonders for your heart and your health. The Kat thinks it’s a purr-fect pair!
Notes:
• Because they thin the blood, individuals on anticoagulants should avoid garlic and cayenne. It is also prudent to stop taking garlic and cayenne a week to ten days before surgery since garlic can prolong bleeding time.
• If you are allergic to latex, bananas, kiwi, chestnuts, or avocados, you may also have an allergy to cayenne.
• Because cayenne passes into breast milk, nursing mothers should avoid both the spice and supplement forms
• The capsaicin in cayenne may increase the risk of bleeding associated with aspirin and may also increase the absorption of theophylline, an asthma medication. |
