The oldenlandia plant has been used by the Chinese for medicinal purposes for centuries. The book “An Illustrated Guide to Antineoplastic Chinese Herbal Medicine” lists oldenlandia as having the following:

Properties: sweet, bland, slightly bitter, and slightly cold. Clears heat and toxin, activates blood circulation, removes blood stasis, promotes diuresis, and relieves stranguria (urinary obstruction).

Indications: various kinds of tumor, especially tumors of the digestive tract, lymphosarcoma, carcinoma of the liver and larynx. Also for appendicitis, hepatitis, pneumonia, cholecystitis, urinary infection, furunculosis, cellulites, and snake bite.

In an article titled “Oldenlandia and Scutellaria: Antitoxin and Anticancer Herbs” by Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Traditional Medicine, Portland, Oregon, USA, it is said that the oldenlandia is from the Rubiaceae family, and is collected from the wild. It is found mainly in the southeastern provinces of China-Guangxi, Guangdong and Fujian-growing at low altitude in moist fields. According to Dr. Dharmananda, Dr. Jiao Shude, in his “Ten Lectures on the use of Medicinals”, says that he “frequently adds about 30-40 grams of this medicinal to an appropriate decoction medicine devised according to the principle of pattern identification” for treating various forms of cancer. He also suggests adding some other anticancer herbs, such as scutellaria.

In “Pharmacology and Applications of Chinese Materia Medica”, it states that: “The herb at the dose of 30-60 grams is often added to conventional prescriptions for carcinoma.” In “Chinese Medicinal Herbs of Hong Kong”, among the indications for oldenlandia is “early stage of cancer of lungs, liver, and rectum.” It is recommended there that oldenlandia be used in a dosage of 60 grams along with 30 grams of scutellaria as a decoction, taken once a day.

Various laboratory studies of the action of oldenlandia suggest that the herb may contribute to inhibiting growth of cancer cells, promoting cancer cell death (apoptosis), and enhancing immune attack against cancer cells.

In the 2006 report “Evidence for Oldenlandia diffusa-evoked cancer cell apoptosis through superoxide burst and caspase activation” by Yadav SK and Lee SC from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, the researchers concluded that “the ethanol extract of the herb effectively evokes cancer cell apoptosis, possibly through burst-mediated caspase activation.” This study was published in PubMed.gov, the online publication of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health

In another study, the “Apoptotic effect of Oldenlandia diffusa on the leukaemic cell line HL60 and human lymphocytes”, published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Volume 114, Issue 3, 3 December 2007, the researchers reported that their findings“support a cytotoxic action for Oldenlandia diffusa”

Oldenlandia may be used as a preventive health care agent to inhibit mutation of cells by carcinogens. As it also builds up the immune system, this herb may be beneficial for anyone undergoing modern cancer therapies. Fortunately for me, oldenlandia diffusa grows wild here and beverages containing oldenlandia are cheap (the equivalent of 50 US cents per bottle) and easily available where I live. I particularly like one from China which is a sparkling mineral water with oldenlandia extract. It comes in a green glass bottle and the Chinese have been drinking it for decades. You can probably find oldenlandia beverages in most Asian supermarkets and grocers as well as Chinese medical shops.

In Chinese, oldenlandia diffusa is known as “baihuasheshecao” (sometimes written Bai Hua She She Cao). “Baihua” means white flower, “she” means snake, and “shecao” means tongue weed, referring to the long thin leaves of the herb. English-speakers sometimes refer to it as the snake-needle weed.

Cheers to good health!

Many women recommend glucosamine together with methyl sulfonyl methane (MSM) to control inflammation and keep joints healthy. There are many natural food sources of MSM but very few for glucosamine. Good natural sources of glucosamine are the connective tissue of animals – such as in bone marrow and neck meat – and the exoskeletons of shellfish and crustaceans like shrimp, crab and lobster. To obtain glucosamine from animal connective tissue, one way is to make a broth from bones. In several Asian countries, dishes featuring large bones with marrow cooked in spicy gravy are popular, and fans relish cracking the bones open with hammers and sucking the marrow out of them.

Most commercial glucosamine supplements are made from prawn or shrimp shells. Actually, prawn shells are delicious when used to make soup stock. The next time you make a dish using shrimp, don’t throw away the shells. Slow-fry the shells – heads included – in a Chinese wok or bake them at a low heat in the oven to dry them out until crispy. Once the shrimp shells are nicely toasted and fragrant, pound them into a powder with a mortar and pestle, or put them in a grinder. Store the resultant powdered shrimp shells in a glass jar in the fridge. You can use this powder to make aromatic and flavourful dishes, including broth and fried rice.

If you prefer, you can skip making the prawn shells into a powder form. After toasting the shells in the wok or the oven, simply add them to boiling water and simmer to make delicious soup stock. However, without grinding the shells into a powder form and ingesting them, you won’t get as much glucosamine from the shells.

For the lazy cooks in our midst, you can buy tiny dried shrimp with the shells intact from Asian markets and grocers.

A word of caution, people with a shrimp allergy may not want to try this, although the allergy is usually attributed to the shrimp meat rather than the shell.  Taking an oral glucosamine supplement like Neways Glucosamine Plus is a safer and easier option for most people, and will also provide you with much higher levels of glucosamine than what you can get from food.

Researchers have found that dark chocolate has cancer-fighting properties, as well as helps lower blood pressure and stroke risk. Care for some chocolate-powered antioxidants?

Recent research on chocolate and stroke risk includes two large studies which suggest that dark chocolate helps lower the risk of stroke. In the first study, 44,489 people ate one serving of dark chocolate per week. Tough work, but somebody had to do it. Anyway, the researchers found that these people were 22% less likely to have a stroke than people who did not eat chocolate.

The second study covered 1,169 people who ate 50g of chocolate once a week. The chocolate-eaters were found to be 46% less likely to die after a stroke compared to people who did not consume chocolate.

Other studies have shown that consuming a small portion of dark chocolate every day can reduce blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. Chocolate is also said to reduce LDL cholesterol. This dark confection contains serotonin too, which acts as an anti-depressant.

Before you celebrate this good news by wolfing down a whole box of chocolates, here’s a cautionary word from researcher Sarah Sahib of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario: “More research is needed to determine whether chocolate truly lowers stroke risk, or whether healthier people are simply more likely to eat chocolate than others.”

If dark chocolate isn’t your thing or if you’re concerned about putting on weight, an antioxidant supplement containing cocoa bean extract, like Neways Revenol, might suit you better.

Sadly, wisdom often comes at a great price. I know now that what you put IN your body, as well as ON your body, affects your health. Before I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I was never one to take health supplements, let alone herbal remedies. Now, supplements, herbal remedies and safe personal and household care products have become a part of my ammo against cancer and other diseases. Blood tests don’t lie.

One mainstay in my health supplement cabinet is a concoction of echinacea root, Asian ginseng root, hawthorne berry, hyssop, Irish moss, rosemary, mullein leaf and other goodies. These herbs are known to boost the immune-system and help keep the body functioning properly. This herbal concoction is based on an ancient Chinese medicine recipe, but conveniently formulated into little brown pills, under the label VMM by Neways. So much easier to use than searching for each herb and boiling them for hours, don’t you think?

This combination of herbs is a power-packed herbal remedy because:

Echinacea stimulates the body’s immune system by activating white blood cells, protecting cells from harmful foreign. Echinacea works as a natural antibiotic, which can suppress the activity of viruses. It has an immune-stimulating effect through the activation of T-cells (natural bacteria killers of the immune system).

Ginseng, used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, is an immune system booster and natural detoxifier. It has beneficial elements called ginsenosides, which work like natural steroids and helps develop brain activity as well as creates activity similar to estrogen. Most varieties of ginseng contain eight ginesenosides, whereas the Chinese/Korean form contains 24 to as much as 28. Ginseng stimulates the immune system by promoting the production of the body’s own virus-fighting chemicals. It is an antioxidant which helps to prevent the cumulative cell damage which can cause dreaded diseases like cancer. It reduces cell damage from radiation and chemotherapy, and increases the absorption of nutrients in the intestines.

Ginseng helps keep the liver, adrenal glands, and thyroid healthy, helps prevent illnesses and slows down the aging process. Many Asian studies have discovered this medicinal plant’s ability to slow the progression of cancer. For instance, two compounds in ginseng, ginsan and polyacetylinic alcohol, show promise in killing lung cancer cells and slowing tumor growth.

Hawthorn berry is loaded with B-complex vitamins, as well as many minerals, flavanoids and biovflavanoids. It contains potent antioxidants which help fight harmful free radicals. Hawthorn is recognized as having cardiotonic properties, as it benefits the heart and cardiovascular system. It has the ability to dilate the coronary arteries, thus improving blood and oxygen supply to the heart muscle. It also strengthens the heart muscle, helping the heart to beat more forcefully and efficiently. Hawthorne also seems to dilate the highways of other blood vessels around the body, allowing blood to circulate more freely with less strain on the heart.

Hyssop is a healing herb that was used even in Biblical times. David was recorded as saying, “Purge me with Hyssop and I shall be clean.” (Psalms 51:7) Ancient healers knew hyssop to be a cleanser of the body. This herb increases the secretion and discharge of urine and removes any obstruction to body secretion or excretion by opening the natural passages or pores of the body. It also promotes bowel movement.

Irish Moss, a kind of seaweed, contains 15 of the 18 elements that make up the human body, including Vitamins A, D, E, F and K. It is rich in iodine, calcium and sodium as well as sulphur, potassium and phosphorus. It has been used to treat bladder disorders, bronchitis, bad breath, intestinal disorders, glandular problems, goiter, swollen joints, lung difficulties, thyroid conditions, tuberculosis, tumors, ulcers and varicose veins. Irish moss also helps soften the skin and prevent wrinkles.

Rosemary has been used for centuries to treat a wide range of ailments, such as stomach upsets, digestive disorders and headaches. Modern research shows that rosemary can also help prevent cancer and age-related skin damage, boost the functioning of the liver and act as a mild diuretic to help reduce swelling. The herb is able to inactivate toxins and then eliminate them from your liver.

Two of the most important ingredients in rosemary, caffeic acid and rosemarinic acid, are potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. Interestingly, rosemary offers a safe and natural alternative treatment to Tamoxifen. Researchers from the Department of Chemical Biology, New Jersey State University in the US, found that a 2 per cent concentration of rosemary extract administered for three weeks was able to significantly inactivate excess oestrogen. Rosemary stimulates liver enzymes, which in turn inactivates estrogen hormones like estrone and estradiol, the most dangerous form of estrogen.

Mullein, a member of the snapdragon family, was used by ancient Greeks to treat respiratory disorders. It relieves the symptoms of sore throats, coughs, bronchitis, asthma, and some allergies. Traditionally, it is also used to treat diarrhoea and gastrointestinal aliments. The plant has anti-inflammatory properties and can be used topically to soothe skin irritations such as rashes, boils and chilblains.

Thyme, another popular ancient herb, is used to treat acute and chronic bronchitis, whooping cough, and inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, as it possesses expectorant and bronchial antispasmodic properties. All the members of the mint family, including thyme, contain terpenoids which have cancer preventive properties. Rosmarinic and ursolic acids are major terpenoids in thyme with anti-cancer properties.

Give your health a boost. Get your disease-fighting and immune-system boosting Neways VMM here.

If you’re undergoing chemotherapy, taking high-potency antioxidants, multivitamins and minerals is absolutely essential to protect against deficiencies and improve your prognosis. Remember, chemotherapy drugs are POISON and they usually do not discriminate between cancer cells and healthy cells. You need to protect and build up your healthy cells. What are some antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which may be helpful during chemotherapy or radiation?

Vitamin A
In a study of mice with vitamin A deficiency, vitamin A supplementation enhanced the anticancer action of cyclophosphamide, a chemo drug (Ghosh J, Das S. Role of vitamin A in prevention and treatment of sarcoma 180 in mice. Chemotherapy 1987;33:211-8.). A controlled French trial reported that when postmenopausal late-stage breast cancer patients were given very large amounts of vitamin A (350,000–500,000 IU per day) along with chemotherapy, remission rates were significantly better than when the chemotherapy was not accompanied by vitamin A. Similar results were not found in premenopausal women (Israel L, Hajji O, Grefft-Alami A, et al. Agumentation par la vitamine A des effets de la chimiotherapie dans les cancers du sein metastases apres la menopause. Ann Med Interne 1985;136:551-4).

Beta-carotene
Chemotherapy frequently causes mouth sores. In one trial, people were given approximately 400,000 IU of beta-carotene per day for three weeks and then 125,000 IU per day for an additional four weeks. Those taking beta-carotene still suffered mouth sores, but the mouth sores developed later and tended to be less severe than mouth sores that formed in people receiving the same chemotherapy without beta-carotene (Mills EED. The modifying effect of beta-carotene on radiation and chemotherapy induced oral mucositis. Br J Cancer 1988;57:416-7).

Vitamin E
In a study of chemotherapy-induced mouth sores, six of nine patients who applied vitamin E directly to their mouth sores had complete resolution of the sores compared with one of nine patients who applied placebo. Others have confirmed the potential for vitamin E to help people with chemotherapy-induced mouth sores (Wadleigh RG, Redman RS, Graham ML, et al. Vitamin E in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced mucositis. Am J Med 1992;92:481-4); (Lopez I, Goudou C, Ribrag V, et al. Treatment of mucositis with vitamin E during administration of neutropenic antineoplastic agents. Ann Med Intern [Paris] 1994;145:405-8).

Preliminary human research found that adding antioxidants (beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E) to cyclophosphamide therapy increased the survival of people with small-cell lung cancer treated with cyclophosphamide (Jaakkola K, Lahteenmaki P, Laakso J, et al. Treatment with antioxidant and other nutrients in combination with chemotherapy and irradiation in patients with small-cell lung cancer. Anticancer Res 1992;12:599-606).

Vitamin C
An animal research report indicated that vitamin C may increase the effectiveness of cyclophosphamide without producing new side effects (Taper HS, de Gerlache J, Lans M, Roberfroid M. Non-toxic potentiation of cancer chemotherapy by combined C and K3 vitamin pre-treatment. Int J Cancer 1987;40:575-9).

Selenium
Patients being treated with cyclophosphamide and cisplatin for ovarian cancer were given a multivitamin preparation, with or without 200 mcg of selenium per day. Compared with the group not receiving selenium, those receiving selenium had a smaller reduction in white blood cell count and fewer chemotherapy side effects such as nausea, hair loss, weakness, and loss of appetite (Sieja K, Talerczyk M. Selenium as an element in the treatment of ovarian cancer in women receiving chemotherapy. Gynecol Oncol 2004;93:320-7).

N-Acetyl Cysteine
NAC, an amino acid-like supplement that possesses antioxidant activity, has been used in at least four human studies to decrease the kidney and bladder toxicity of the chemotherapy drug ifosfamide. These studies used 1-2 grams NAC four times per day.

Melatonin
High amounts of melatonin have been combined with a variety of chemotherapy drugs to reduce their side effects or improve drug efficacy. One study gave melatonin at night in combination with the drug triptorelin to men with metastatic prostate cancer.17 All of these men had previously become unresponsive to triptorelin. The combination decreased PSA levels-a marker of prostate cancer progression-in eight of fourteen patients, decreased some side effects of triptorelin, and helped nine of fourteen to live longer than one year. The outcome of this preliminary study suggests that melatonin may improve the efficacy of triptorelin even after the drug has apparently lost effectiveness (Lissoni P, Cazzaniga M, Tancini G, et al. Reversal of clinical resistance to LHRH analogue in metastatic prostate cancer by the pineal hormone melatonin: Efficacy of LHRH analogue plus melatonin in patients progressing on LHRH analogue alone. Eur Urol 1997;31:178-81).

Zinc
Irradiation treatment, especially of head and neck cancers, frequently results in changes to normal taste sensation. Zinc supplementation may be protective against taste alterations caused or exacerbated by irradiation. A double-blind trial found that 45 mg of zinc sulfate three times daily reduced the alteration of taste sensation during radiation treatment and led to significantly greater recovery of taste sensation after treatment was concluded (Ripamonti C, Zecca E, Brunelli C, et al. A randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effects of zinc sulfate on cancer patients with taste alterations caused by head and neck irradiation. Cancer 1998;82:1938-45).

This list of anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals which can either help to boost the effectiveness of some chemotherapy drugs or reduce the side-effects, and improve cancer survival rates, is certainly not exhaustive. If you’re looking for a complete anti-oxidant health supplement, as well as multi-vitamins and minerals, with high bio-availability, get the best. Find out more about Neways “Revenol”, “Cascading Revenol”, “Maximol Solutions” and “Megatonin” here.

Interestingly, noni’s Sanskrit name is Ayushka, meaning longevity. Indeed, virtually every part of the noni fruit and plant has been used for its medicinal properties. Noni fruit has a pungent smell, but it can also be eaten raw with salt. It is also cooked as curry by many of the tribal populations of Southeast Asia, Polynesia and Australia. The seeds of the noni fruit can be roasted and eaten. The protein-rich young leaves of the noni plant are sometimes eaten as vegetable as well. The leaves are also used as poultices.

It is traditionally believed that noni:

- stabilizes cholesterol at normal levels
- increases energy when consumed over a period of time
- delivers abundant antioxidants to scavenge free radicals
- helps maintain the immune system
- helps maintain a healthy heart
- supports a healthy cardiovascular system
- reduces inflammation
- enhances energy and wellbeing

The noni fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, amino acids and antioxidants. Over 150 nutraceuticals have been found in the noni fruit, including all the B vitamins, 18 amino acids, antioxidants such as vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium, linoleic acid, and minerals like magnesium, iron and potassium. Noni fruit contains a number of phytochemicals, including lignans, oligo- and polysaccharides, flavonoids, iridoids, fatty acids, scopoletin, catechin, beta-sitosterol, damnacanthal, and alkaloids.

What is particularly significant is that a rare compound known as proxeronine, a precursor of xeronine, essential for the regeneration and growth of healthy cells, is found in the noni fruit. Noni also contains an anthraquinone compound called damnacanthal, which has promising anti-cancer properties. The journal CANCER LETTER [73 (2-3) 1993, 161-166], reported that Keio University and The Institute of Biomedical Sciences in Japan observed that damnacanthal caused normal morphology and cystoskeletal structure in K-ras-NRK pre-cancer cells. Put simply, this compound found in noni fruit may possibly turn pre-cancer cells into normal healthy cells. The researchers reported that damnacanthal reversed the proliferation of cancer cells, showing an ability to block or inhibit the cellular function of RAS cells, which are considered pre-cancerous cells.

The Cancer Research Center of Hawaii has been studying noni juice health benefits with regard to cancer treatments, since a 1999 study suggested that Noni Juice helped to stop the growth of tumors. Laboratory studies have examined noni’s effect on the growth of cancerous tissue in mice. One such study in vitro found that noni reduced growth of capillary vessels sprouting from human breast tumor explants and, at increased concentrations, caused existing vessels to degenerate.

Research indicates that noni fruit stimulates the immune system, regulating cell function and cellular regeneration of damaged cells. As the Noni fruit seems to operate at the very basic and critical cellular level, noni may help to heal a wide variety of conditions.

Noni juice also contains a precursor to melanin, which enhances all body functions depending on melanin. This could explain why the prolific consumption of noni juice has been reported to reverse diabetes, macular degeneration, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease in some people.

The strong odor of the noni fruit as well as its bitter taste may make noni difficult to consume in its raw form. Fortunately, pleasant-tasting noni juice is available from some manufacturers of health supplements. While noni juice from the Polynesian islands of Hawaii and Tahiti is well-known, noni fruit grown in Hawaii is said to be the best because of the pure air, water, and volcanic soil in which they are grown. Neways Authentic Hawaiian Noni dietary supplement, for instance, uses 100 percent pure Hawaiian noni, grown far from areas where nuclear testing occurred near Tahiti in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia.

For the highest quality noni health supplement and best results, always choose noni products which are never fumigated with deadly chemicals or irradiated, and grown without pesticides. The authenticity of the noni product must be guaranteed by its manufacturer and should use only the Noni fruit pulp, not other parts of the noni plant.

Besides noni fruit puree, Neways Authentic Hawaiian Noni juice is enhanced with raspberry and blueberry fruit concentrate, as well as momordica fruit extract. Red raspberry delivers high levels of ellagic acid, a powerful, natural substance that supports the body’s defence mechanisms against carcinogens. Blueberry has powerful antioxidants proven to scavenge free radicals that can damage DNA molecules and lead to cancer. Mormodica fruit is an antioxidant and immune system booster which has been popular with the Chinese for centuries. You can find it in Chinese medicine shops and groceries, where it is usually better known as “lo han kuo”.

Neways Authentic Hawaiian Noni is as pure as it gets, with no added sugars, no added preservatives, colors or artificial flavors. If you can’t stomach the natural taste and smell of noni fruit, this delicious, power-packed cocktail will help you get the goodness of noni into your body. Buy it at the wholesale price here.

I’ve been put under for surgery a couple of times in my life, and I can tell you it’s not a nice experience. The drug certainly knocks you out quickly, but waking up always made me nauseous. Each time, I felt like I was in a deep, dark hole, from which I was forcibly being dragged out of. My mind would feel groggy and heavy, and my body would feel like it weighed a ton. When I was roused from this deep state of artificial slumber, or rather unconsciousness, I would be disoriented and the room would seem to sway.

Imagine regularly putting yourself through such a dreadful experience at home! If you must take a pill to help you get to sleep, make sure it’s completely safe and will really help you to enjoy natural sleep. As far as I’m concerned, sleeping pills and drugs like Diprivan / Propofol are an absolute no-no. Practically all drugs have side effects, so I avoid them like the plague.

There are all kinds of commonsensical ways to soothe yourself to sleep. Taking melatonin, an antioxidant as well as an anti-aging health supplement, just 30 minutes before bedtime, is a safe option for those who are still wide awake when it’s time to sleep. Neways’ Megatonin can help your body set its internal clock to snooze. It contains safe ingredients like melatonin, gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), and L-Theanine. Melatonin, a hormone as well as an antioxidant naturally produced by the body, supports the body’s sleep-wake cycle. GABA is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter in the brain, while L-Theanine is a beneficial phytonutrient found naturally in green tea.

Natural healing, natural wellness – it’s the way to go for a good night’s sleep. Don’t ever put your life in danger.

Coenzyme Q10
This facilitates the work of enzymes and it is important for cell growth and energy production in each cell in the body. Coenzyme Q10 is found in every cell, with the highest concentration being in the heart and the liver. It is a potent antioxidant which helps the immune system work better, and has shown promising results in the treatment of cancer and parkinson’s disease. People with chronic diseases have been found to have low levels of coenzyme Q10. Coenzyme Q10 levels also decrease with age.

Selenium
An antioxidant and anti-carcinogen which attacks destructive cells in the body and boosts the immune system. Selenium works together with Vitamin E to gather free radicals which can cause cell mutation, some cancers, and the effects of aging. This trace mineral is important to healthy muscles, nerves and blood vessels, which is why it is used to treat cardiac-vascular disease, sexual dysfunction, infertility, menopausal problems and skin disorders.

Vitamin E
“Vitamin E” is the collective name for a group of fat-soluble compounds with distinctive antioxidant activities. Antioxidants protect cells from the damaging effects of free radicals, which are molecules that contain an unshared electron. Unshared electrons are highly energetic and react rapidly with oxygen to form reactive oxygen species (ROS). Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that stops the production of ROS formed when fat undergoes oxidation. Plant oils such as soya, corn and olive oil are the richest sources of Vitamin E. Other good sources include nuts and seeds, and wheatgerm.

Vitamin A
Vitamin A is also known as retinol. It promotes good vision; helps form and maintain healthy skin and mucus linings, teeth and skeletal and soft tissue, and strengthens immunity to infections. Vitamin A helps cells differentiate, an essential part of cell reproduction. Cells that are not fully differentiated are more likely to undergo pre-cancerous changes. Good sources of vitamin A include liver, dairy products, eggs, and oily fish (such as mackerel).

Vitamin C
Known also as ascorbic acid, Vitamin C has long been known to be a powerful antioxidant. It is necessary to form collagen that, amongst other functions, helps keep the skin firm. Vitamin C also slows down the visible signs of aging.

Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral that is required by every cell in the human body. It facilitates wound healing, which may help diabetics. Zinc reduces the length and severity of colds, canker sores, sore throats, and skin injuries, including acne. It can also help eye problems. It is also believed to be effective in fighting auto-immune diseases, and inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and fibromyalgia.

Potassium
Potassium is involved in nerve function, muscle control, blood pressure, maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in body cells, and releasing energy from protein, fat, and carbohydrates during metabolism. This mineral plays a key role in cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle contraction, making it an important nutrient for normal heart, kidney, digestive, and muscular function. Potassium is found in many foods, especially meat, milk, fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains, citrus fruit, molasses, and fish.

Turmeric Root Extract
Turmeric is a spice whose active ingredient is curcumin. It is an antioxidant which can reduce inflammation and the pain associated with arthritis, colitis and other inflammatory diseases. Curcumin prevents the spread of harmful amyloid plaques found in the brain of Alzheimer’s sufferers. These plaques have a key role in symptoms such as memory loss and mental impairment. Studies indicate that turmeric slows the growth and spread of existing cancerous tumors. Communities which consume turmeric regularly have been observed to have low incidences of certain kinds of cancer.

Green Tea Extract
The active ingredients in green tea extract are polyphenols in the form of flavinoids like catechins and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Polyphenols, flavinoids, catechins and EGCG are powerful antioxidants that appear to interfere with and reduce the spread of certain types of cancer cells. The antioxidant activity of EGCG in green tea extract is said to be up to 100 times more powerful than that of vitamin C or E.

Rosemary Leaf Extract
This is derived from the natural anti-oxidants present in rosemary, an anti-bacterial anti-oxidant that works synergistically with Vitamin E. Therapeutic compounds found in rosemary include tannins, flavonoids, caffeic acid derivatives such as rosmarinic acid, diterpenes such as carnosol or carnosic acid, and essential oil. Rosmarinic acid has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and may relieve pain. The diterpenes are thought to be potent antioxidants and carnosol has been shown to help prevent tumors in mice.

White Pine Bark Extract
Pine bark extract, commercially known as Pycnogenol, has an antioxidant potency comparable to Vitamins E and C, and lipoic acid. It plays a part in extending the lifetime of vitamin C in the body, prolonging its beneficial effects as an antioxidant. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, found that pycnogenol also suppresses the production of NO (nitric oxide). Excess NO has been linked to inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease.

Quercetin
Quercetin is a phytochemical which gives the skin of apples and red onions their colour. It is a powerful antioxidant which research indicates may help to prevent cancer, especially prostate cancer, and inhibit agents such as LDL (bad cholesterol) from causing oxidative damage to the body. Quercetin is considered a phytoestrogen. a plant substance with similar functions as that of estrogen. Some phytoestrogens are believed also to have antiestrogenic effects that might reduce the risks of certain cancers. Quercetin was found to have this antiestrogenic activity by inhibiting breast cancer cells in a test tube. Quercetin is also a natural anti-histamine, and anti-inflammatory.

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)
In numerous studies, alpha lipoic acid has shown both antioxidant and detoxification properties. Besides protecting cells from oxidative damage, ALA has demonstrated chelating properties, binding with heavy metals to remove them from the bloodstream. ALA also prevents glycosylation, which occurs from the abnormal attachment of a sugar to a protein, a potentially cancer-causing process.

N-Acetyl Cysteine
NAC helps the body synthesise glutathione, an important antioxidant. The antioxidant activity of n-acetyl cysteine helps protect the liver from the adverse effects of certain toxic chemicals, and it has even been used to treat liver failure. NAC also protects lung tissue. Double-blind research has found that NAC supplements improved symptoms and prevented recurrences in people with chronic bronchitis. In addition, supplementation with NAC has been shown to reduce the proliferation of certain cells lining the colon and may reduce the risk of colon cancer in people with recurrent polyps in the colon.

Don’t know where to find an antioxidant supplement which contains all these potent antioxidants? Cascading Revenol packs in a punch with these antioxidants and much more besides. The word ‘cascading’ refers to this formulation’s unique ability to support antioxidant-recycling capabilities. Get Cascading Revenol here at wholesale price, and give your body the protection it needs against free radicals.

Pa was a self-made man who sacrificed much and worked hard to build up a business. When I was a teenager, he provided me with the money I needed to tour Europe. Then when I was a university undergraduate, he gave my mom, sister and I an all-expenses paid trip to Europe and Britain. He denied himself the luxury of vacation and travelling, as his priority was always to ensure that his family was well taken care of.

Sadly, Pa’s health deteriorated considerably from around his fifties. He had diabetes and had to give up many of his favourite dishes. The next three decades saw his health worsening. A stroke rendered half of his body almost paralysed. He developed all kinds of heart problems and was hospitalised many times. Most of the final year of his life was spent in hospital, hooked up to machines and tubes. He couldn’t walk, eat or drink on his own, or even move his bowels normally. His liver struggled with the toxic overload of the drugs. His kidneys failed and, soon, other major organs followed.

My dad had great faith in doctors. He would always take whatever they prescribed to him, no questions asked. He absolutely refused to try health supplements and wouldn’t even eat brown rice. He believed the doctors knew best, even though some of the drugs prescribed to him were unnecessary and even dangerous. My family dismissed one of his most ‘trusted’ doctors not long before he died, when we discovered that the drugs he had put him on were damaging his brain, making him delusional and incoherent. Unfortunately, it was too late.

Many drugs have side-effects. If taken for too long, drugs can be toxic to the organs and harm the rest of the body as well. Some drugs, like the powerful pre-surgery sleep-inducing drug Diprivan which Michael Jackson apparently used, are so potent that they can cause death if used incorrectly.

If only my dad had been willing to wean himself off a lifetime dependency on drugs and extreme medical treatments and, instead, let nutritional health supplements detoxify, nourish, fortify and heal his body, I believe he would have enjoyed better health and quality of life. Why did he have to be so stubborn!