We constantly receive many compliments about our products. Whether it is a phone call or an email sent to us, it makes us very happy that red reishi is improving the lives of our customers. With our hectic schedules, it is very hard for us to post each and every single feedback we get. We would like to open this specific blog for anyone that would like to share their experience with red reishi to our readers.
The Health & Fitness Blog is a collection of diary entries, news, gossip and other Health and fitness related information.
A Healthy Chinese New Year to you all!
This Thursday 7th February is the Chinese New Year – the start of the year of the Rat and a time for celebration for Chinese people across the world. As with the western New Year it is a time for a party, but also a chance for all of us to make resolutions and changes, especially with regards to health.
Whilst we might not all be celebrating the Chinese New Year, we can all benefit from taking a look at Chinese health remedies and medicines. Among the most ancient and well used in history, many Chinese remedies are now becoming popular across the globe and the Chinese New Year presents a great opportunity to take a look at some of those currently hitting the UK shelves.
Bucking the trend – The Forgotton Omega
Whilst Omegas 3 and 6, the essential fatty acids, have been hailed as the ‘must have’ ingredients for healthy skin, there is another Omega that could play an even bigger role. The richest source of this Forgotton Omega is an oil from a prickly shrub known as Sea Buckthorn, which now it has reached the shores of the UK could quickly find itself as the must have of 2008
Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae Rhamnoides) is a well recognized source of traditional herbal medicine, vitamins and nutrients, and has been used in China as an anti-aging and medicinal skin care product for many hundreds of years. Whilst the berries of the Sea Buckthorn plant have been hailed as ‘exotic’ superfoods, with numerous uses and being rich in many important nutrients, it is their effect on skin that has received the most attention.
The first person to think of extracting the oil from this prickly shrub and rub it on their skin must have been thought mad by their piers, but due to its high content of nutrients, essential for the metabolism of skin cells, Sea Buckthorn helps to combat wrinkles, dryness and other symptoms of malnourished or prematurely aging skin.
Scientists now believe our most delicate body tissues, especially the skin membranes, use Omega 7 fatty acids as vital building blocks and one of the most concentrated sources of Omega 7 is Sea Buckthorn. Environmental stressors, such as sunlight and pollution, poor diet, and even normal aging, can challenge these sensitive membranes, and Omega 7 fatty acids are now being hailed as important agents to nourish, protect, replenish, moisturise, and restore.
Studies now support the use of Sea Buckthorn Oil1 for problem skin, including conditions such as eczema and dermatitis, and confirm that it is largely the berries’ high content of Omega 7 that is behind the benefits. This effect of Sea Buckthorn on external membranes has led to further research into how supplementation can help with digestive and genital tract lining problems 2.
Sea Buckthorn also contains Omegas 3, 6 and 9 and has been linked to various other health benefits including boosting the immune system and further anti-aging properties.
So, to give your skin a new start in 2008 and help get it looking fresh and young you should remember the prickly Sea Buckthorn and the Forgotten Omega.
Sea Buckthorn is a new product in the UK, but a high quality Sea Buckthorn supplement is available from Superdragon at www.superherb.co.uk
Radical Reishi
Claimed to be the Oriental secret of youth, health and beauty and with global sales estimated at 3 billion dollars annually, Reishi is big business. Despite this and numerous high profile studies the Oriental mushroom remains relatively unknown in the UK. The launch of Mikei Red Reishi Essence may be about to change this though and we could soon be singing the praises of this truly ‘radical’ mushroom.
Whilst exotic culinary mushrooms have seen a huge surge of sales in the UK, as we have become more experimental in the kitchen, medicinal mushrooms remain largely undiscovered. With some serious research supporting their benefits however and hundreds of years of medicinal use behind them, we could be seriously missing out.
Reishi is a very rare mushroom and one of the highest regarded remedies in Chinese medicine, having been taken medicinally in extract form for at least 2,000 years. With claimed beneficial effects including improved sleep4 and skin condition, lowering blood sugar levels, anti-inflammatory and immune boosting properties5, protecting the liver6, improving energy levels7, lowering blood pressure8, and acting as an anti-tumour agent and antioxidant3 it is clear to see why the mushroom plays such a central role in Eastern medicine and is known as ‘God’s Herb’ and the ‘Mushroom of Immortality’.
Sceptics will no doubt claim Reishi to be another snake oil, but with literally hundreds of studies and thousands of astonishing testimonials supporting its use, it is hard to argue that there isn’t serious scope for the mushroom to play an important role in improving people’s health and lifestyles. Even Cancer Research UK were so taken by the claimed benefits of the mushrooms they commissioned a report that highlighted the potential of Reishi mushrooms to boost the immune system and help in cancer treatment.
Making it harder to argue against the benefits of Reishi is the fact that its effects can be felt so quickly and there are no side-effects from its use. Within just a matter of days you should start feeling better in yourself from taking good quality extracts of Reishi.
The key to Reishi mushrooms’ effectiveness are their adaptogenic qualities; that is to say that they help to normalise the body and aid its natural processes via active substances found in the mushrooms such as water-soluble polysaccharides and triterpenes. The efficacy of the mushrooms can vary dramatically depending on how they are grown however. The mushrooms draw nutrients up through their stalks from the medium on which they are grown and this determines the quantity of active substances within the mushrooms themselves. Mikei Red Reishi Essence mushrooms are grown in aged Japanese Oak logs in the most natural conditions possible and take a full year to reach maturity, resulting in one of the highest quality and most effective extracts available.
Mikei Red Reishi Essence is a Reishi extract that couldn’t be easier to use and comes in ready to swallow vegetable based capsules; for general health and well-being only one capsule needs to be taken daily. Extracted from mushrooms grown in Japan, Mikei Red Reishi Essence is the most concentrated and high quality Reishi extract on the market and is now available in the UK from Haeon Limited. Buy online at www.haeon.com or from leading health stores.
From Manchuria 221BC to Hollywood 2008AD
We tend think of the concept of detoxing, the process by which we rid the body of toxins to help us look and feel better, as a new one; but a detox trend that has recently hit Hollywood isn’t so much new as over two thousand years old.
Madonna, Lynsey Lohan, Kirsten Dunst, Meg Ryan and, most recently, Halle Berry are among stars to have been seen drinking a unique health drink called Kombucha.
Whilst modern research has shown that Kombucha may help combat the effects of toxins in the body9, increase life span10 and beat stress induced conditions11 Kombucha tea is in fact an ancient remedy that originates from China. With records of consumption dating back to the Chinese Tsin Dynasty of 221BC, Zen masters declared Kombucha to be a source of ‘Chi’ – life energy which aligns and harmonises the body with the soul.
Kombucha is a totally unique drink, produced in a natural and organic process from an infusion of green tea, black tea and sugar being metabolised by the Kombucha mushroom (a symbiotic colony of friendly bacteria and fission yeasts). As the yeasts breakdown the sugar and combine with the tea, a beautifying and energizing and potent brew of organic acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals is created, which is thought to be behind a whole host of health benefits.
Kombucha is full of probiotic-rich acids12, which help to populate the large intestine with ‘friendly bacteria’ and dissolve harmful micro-organisms. The gut contains a natural level of these ‘friendly bacteria’ which keep levels of possible disease causing bacteria under control.
A further detox benefit of Kombucha is, because it is packed full of anti-oxidants 13, its action as an adaptogen – a natural substance that increases the body’s resistance to stresses such as trauma, anxiety and bodily fatigue. Adoptogens, and Kombucha in particular, are said to work on a wide array of conditions from wrinkles to diabetes and help to restore balance and support the immune system 13, leading to you feeling better on the inside and out.
Furthermore Kombucha is thought to help curb alcohol cravings; especially useful for those detoxing in the New Year!
The drink itself is a tangy, carbonated beverage. The UK’s leading brand is Gourmet Kombucha Probiotic, which has just been re-launched in January 2008 as Gaia’s Organic Kombucha. It will be available directly from Gaia Brands Ltd at www.gokombucha.com and from leading independent health stores, in Peach, Blackcurrant and original Green Tea flavours.
By ImmuneSystemRemedies.com
Reishi Mushroom benefits your health in many ways. Known in China as an “elixir of immortality”, researchers have found this mushroom to strengthen your immune system, fight viruses and bacteria, reduce cholesterol and help prevent fatigue.
Reishi is a purely medicinal mushroom and not usually used in cooking because it is hard and it tastes very bitter. You probably will not find Reishi mushrooms at your local supermarket, but they can be found as concentrated extracts and in combinations specifically formulated to improve your immune system. The triterpenes, polysaccharides, and vitamins in reishi mushrooms are thought to be responsible for their therapeutic effects, which include the ability to increase blood flow, stimulates the immune cells. and reduce inflammation.
Reishi mushrooms contain polysaccharides (complex sugar molecules) called Beta Glucans that increase RNA and DNA in the bone marrow where immune cells, like lymphocytes, are made. Lymphocytes are cells found in the blood, lymph, and lymphoid tissues, which contain white blood cells, T and B cells. Mushroom polysaccharides, the same type of compounds found in astragalus, increase the activity of macrophages, which have a voracious appetite for harmful microorganisms and cancerous cells. Polysaccharides also trigger the production of a type of white blood cell that kills a wide range of infectious microorganisms and tumor cells.
Reishi mushrooms also have strong antioxidant properties, which can protect the body from the harmful effects of radiation and free radicals. They can be used to boost your immune system and may also increase the effectiveness of antioxidant vitamins when the two substances are used together.
Reishi mushrooms are believed to suppress tumor growth and are often used in cancer prevention efforts for this reason. Russian researchers at the Cancer Research Center in Moscow have had positive results using reishi extracts to boost the immunity of cancer patients.
By Gille Coulombe from Buzzle.com
Reishi mushrooms are capable, according to the scientific community, of resolving a broad spectrum of illnesses by affecting a number of organ systems. Tremendous potential exists for any individual wishing to elevate their health status through the addition of dietary supplementation with Reishi mushrooms. Reishi mushrooms have a history going back to over 4000 years, when they were considered to be a superior herb that improved health, resistance, longevity, energy and memory. The reishi mushroom, called the ganoderma lucidum by Asian rulers, was seek out by the members of their court .This herb of longevity was named Reishi by the Japanese and, in China and Korea, it is known as Ling Chu, meaning the mushrooms of immortality. The Chinese thought of them as the elixir of life. The Romans considered Reishi mushrooms as the food of the Gods. The benefits of Reishi mushrooms have been recorded throughout time as far back as 206 B.C. Reishi was associated with happiness, good health and longevity. Reishi was entrenched in ancient Chinese culture as shown in many fairy tales. Many Oriental civilizations have realized the amazing health inducing benefits associated with certain mushrooms and yet in Western civilization they are relatively unknown.
Therapeutic properties of Reishi
The scientific community did not start investigate the therapeutic properties of mushrooms until the early 1970s. There was not enough standardized Reishi to conduct experimental evaluation of the properties before researchers at Kyoto University initiated controlled cultivation of the mushroom. An interesting discovery occurred when the researchers found that the six colour variations of Reishi were one species. It was found out that all six colours could be grown from the same gene. It was found that Reishi mushrooms possess bio-active, anti-tumour and immune system stimulating abilities including anti-allergic, anticancer and antiviral value. As an adaptogenic agent Reishi mushrooms are capable of resolving a broad spectrum of illnesses by affecting a number of organ systems.
Beneficial health effects of Reishi
After analyzing the bio-active components of Reishi, the researchers concluded that it would be difficult to find a more complete or potent immune enhancing supplement. In fact, reishi mushroom has the ability to restore the efficacy of the cytokine system and greatly enhances NK (Natural Killer) cell activity. Case studies have found it to enable the immune system to deal favorably with a broad range of autoimmune disorders when used in conjunction with dietary and detoxification modifications. Reishi has also shown to be beneficial with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), improving circulation, decreasing serum cholesterol, decreasing serum glucose (anti-diabetic) and relieving the nausea of cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As mentioned above, reishi mushrooms have the ability to stimulate natural killer cells, to improve immune function and to combat viral infection.
According to Wasser and Weis, in a paper published in 1999, the Reishi mushroom has been documented to possess many medical properties. Among those are, anti-inflammatory, antitumour, antiviral, antibacterial, blood pressure regulation, protection of the liver, chronic bronchitis etc.
It is obvious that tremendous potential exists for any individual wishing to elevate their health status through the addition of dietary supplementation with Reishi mushrooms Thousands of researches on Reishi mushrooms and plenty of authors have corroborated their findings.The future looms bright for advances in health with the use of Reishi supplementation. The diverse positive effects of Reishi are still being researched. For example, in a recent paper by Dr. H. Fujiwara, it was concluded that stamina for running distance and endurance was significantly increased by the use of ganoderma extracts.
Reishi can contribute to keep the immune system intact and to avoid all kind of human illnesses and diseases.