Garlic has long been a key ingredient in Mediterranean and Eastern cooking, but many people don’t realize its potent effects on our immune and digestive systems. Garlic supplements offer a convenient option to regularly eating raw garlic; these can be used as a dietary supplement to fight infection, reduce blood pressure, and even manage blood-sugar levels. Nature’s Way Garlicin offers a simple way to enjoy many of the health benefits of garlic in a safe, natural formula.

History Lesson
Garlic was commonly used as a treatment for leprosy by ancient Greeks and Egyptians, and mixed with other herbal ingredients and antioxidants for its powerful therapeutic properties. Before the advent of modern medicine, raw garlic was prescribed to heal wounds, combat colds and fevers, and neutralize inflammation in the body. Some researchers in China believe that garlic has natural cancer-fighting benefits that can improve the body’s resistance to tumors, helping to prevent cancer-causing agents from circulating in the body.

The most important compound in garlic is allicin, the substance that is released when garlic is cut, chewed, or crushed. This is why many cooking techniques require garlic to be crushed before adding it to meals; the release of allicin makes it easy to absorb the key ingredients of garlic, and standardized allicin is found in a variety of garlic supplements. Since garlic also works as a natural blood thinner, it should not be taken by those who regularly have low blood sugar, or are taking medication that has anticoagulant properties.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re like most people, you don’t give a lot of thought to your liver, but you literally couldn’t live without it. This organ plays multiple roles, including filtering out toxins, regulating your metabolism, producing energy, assisting with digestion, storing essential vitamins, and controlling cholesterol production. Since it does so much for you, wouldn’t it be nice if you could do something for your liver? You can. There’s a supplement you can take that has proven benefits for your hard-working liver: Thisilyn.

How Thisilyn Helps
Offered by Nature’s Way, Thisilyn contains milk thistle extract. Milk thistle is an herb native to the Mediterranean region that has been a folk remedy for liver and other disorders for thousands of years. The milk thistle extract in Thisilyn is primarily composed of a flavonoid complex known as silymarin. Silymarin protects the liver by preventing absorption of harmful toxins.

Silymarin is so effective in preventing liver damage that it is sometimes used to treat patients who have eaten extremely poisonous mushrooms. The use of milk thistle can dramatically increase the survival rate of patients in this predicament.

Read the rest of this entry »

Chamomile has long been known as a powerfully soothing, relaxing herb, but you’ll find even more benefits of this potent plant when using it in aromatherapy. Chamomile is commonly associated with treating insomnia, and is often added to sleep aids as a natural relaxant. Most people find comfort in a cup of chamomile tea, but there are other ways to use the herb if you’re suffering from anxiety, nervousness, tension, or even skin problems.

What Is Chamomile?

Chamomile oil itself has a fairly sweet fragrance, and its essence is extracted from the flowers of the herb. It was used heavily during the Middle Ages as a natural soothing agent, to improve digestion, reduce inflammation, and soothe irritated skin. Egyptian cultures used it to treat fevers and heal wounds.

It is made from the flowers of the Matricaria recutita plant, and is a natural anti-inflammatory. Since it can soothe the body both inside and out, it’s one of the most versatile essential oils available.

Chamomile also contains the active ingredient azulene, which can help fight infection and speed up recovery time. This natural pain reliever has been shown to reduce joint inflammation and can even stimulate the production of white blood cells, which are essential for healing, and keeping the immune system in balance.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ginkgo is one of the best-selling natural remedies in America, and some herbalists feel that it is the most beneficial herb to be used for general well-being. For centuries, it has had a wide variety of uses, and it is a powerful antioxidant that removes toxins from the body. It also increases the brain’s absorption of glucose and oxygen—which are essential to its proper functioning—and acts as a natural antidepressant as well

Today, ginkgo is mainly recognized as a memory enhancer, and much of the scientific literature also suggests that 120 to 240 mg of this herb daily is helpful to people who are in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease or suffering from some other form of dementia. (To a lesser degree, it has proven to be effective in the treatment of tinnitus as well. Often referred to as “ringing in the ears,” tinnitus is an exasperating condition in which a person hears sounds in the ears or head that do not come from an outside source.)

Other Benefits

Several studies also indicate that ginkgo provides some relief to patients suffering from claudication (leg pain caused by clogged arteries either during exercise or while at rest) symptoms, but it may not be as beneficial in dealing with this problem as prescription drugs or exercise therapy. It is also used to decrease inflammation of the lungs in people who have asthma.

Arteriosclerosis, commonly known as “hardening of the arteries,” decreases the normal flow of blood by thickening the arterial walls while creating an excessive buildup of plaque in the blood vessels. Since this can lead to coronary artery disease, it is extremely dangerous, and treatment with ginkgo—a vasodilator—may allow the blood vessels to expand and contract as the heart pumps, while helping to dissolve plaque on blood-vessel walls. Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t you hate it when you realize Mom was right about something?

Remember how she always told you to eat your greens? You probably responded by pushing them around your plate until she gave up. If you wanted dessert, you might even have gone so far as to touch the broccoli or asparagus to your lips, but that was it. Well, even back then your mom knew her stuff. Green foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, water, and antioxidants. Experts stress that the key to getting all the benefits that greens offer is to include different shades of green in your diet. Don’t think that because you’re eating a side salad with every meal that you’re getting enough greens in your system. Remember, the more variety, the greater the benefits. Read the rest of this entry »

After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned ephedra in 2004, thousands of manufacturers of diet and weight-loss drugs turned their attention to finding natural and synthetic alternatives that would mimic its effects. Many of the ingredients in these fat burners also pose a number of health risks, but some of them may still be safer than ephedra. Understanding how ephedra works in the body can help you determine if alternative supplements are right for you. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re experiencing symptoms of acid reflux, regularly have chest pains even though your heart checks out fine, or you find it difficult to breathe after eating, you may have a form of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Read the rest of this entry »

Are you up all night tossing and turning? If so, you’re in good company. According to a National Sleep Foundation poll, nearly half of all Americans report dealing with sleeplessness some of the time, and more that 20 percent experience it nearly every night. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether you’re aware of it or not, you probably are already familiar with the aroma of the herb thyme. If you’ve ever attended Thanksgiving dinner, you know the smell. It’s part of a popular culinary herbal trio often used to spice up the turkey, which also includes rosemary and sage. Rarely growing over a foot high and yielding numerous gray-green stems with tiny oval leaves, this little evergreen’s official botanical name is Thymus vulgaris. You may also find it called common thyme, garden thyme, or French thyme. Receiving its name from the Greeks, it originally meant “to fumigate,” while also symbolizing courage and a source of invigoration. Even then, they knew it possessed medicinal qualities beyond its potent yet pleasant aroma. Read the rest of this entry »

Garlic has been used both as a medicinal herb and a food source for thousands of years, and studies have shown a significant relationship between garlic and the prevention of infection and disease. It’s one of the few foods that has a high natural sulfur content, and it also contains amino acids that are not easily obtained from other sources. Read the rest of this entry »