STAR ANISE  (Illicium verum) contains anethole, methylcavicol,  pinene,   limonene. Popular use suggests star anise as a digestive, carminative, antispasmodic, galactagogue, in flatulence, intestinal fermentation, swelling and post-prandial intestinal spasms, especially if of nervous origin.  “Il Sole 24 ore” of November 3, 2005 reported the news that star anise was sold like hot cakes in the Beijing markets, because “it contains the main active principle of Tamiflu, the antiviral which has proved quite effective in treating those affected from avian flu“. The newspaper goes on to warn, however, that “there is no evidence that the infusion can be effective in treating the disease”, as the infusion is prepared with the star anise fruit which is woody and which, with difficulty, will be able to transfer all the active ingredients by simple infusion in boiling water but 4 or 5 drops of essential oil, to be taken daily, could act from quote. In the psychic field it helps to digest negative experiences. It opens the Chakras and connects the various energy levels with an opening effect. Stimulates the solar plexus, intestines, stomach and respiratory system. Ayurvedic medicine considers the TURMERIC (Curcuma longa) has many medicinal properties, but only recently, Western researchers have recognized its properties. Turmeric has also become popular as a product to fight depression and is currently under investigation for use against Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and liver disease. Its active ingredient, curcumin,   has an interesting anti-inflammatory activity affecting both the lipoxygenase system and cyclooxygenases. It is also equipped with antimutagenic activity, antioxidant and chemopreventive on multiple models in vitro. It is currently one of the most important chemopreventive agents being studied for the prevention of cancer. Anti-HIV activity has been documented in vitro with an action on the LTR, various proteases, cytokines such as TNF-alpha and integrase. The CARDAMOM (Elettaria cardamomum) has antiseptic, antispasmodic, digestive, tonic properties. Useful in tiredness and mental fatigue, weakness, digestive disorders, abdominal colic, meteorism, bad breath. Indicated to awaken the mind. Particularly Suitable to promote and soften the flow of prana in the body, it brings clarity and stability to the mind. Traditionally the GINGER (Zingiber officinalis) is used as a carminative, in indigestion, stomach pain and fever. In Ayurvedic medicine it is used to treat discomforts caused by morbidity of both Kapha and Vata. Ginger is an important component of many Ayurvedic preparations as it is thought to be useful in abdominal pain, anoressia, dispepsia atonica, bleeding, cancer, chest congestion, chronic bronchitis, cold extremities, colic, colitis, cough, cystic fibrosis, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, dropsy, flatulence, gallbladder disorders, hyperacidity, hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia, nausea, vomiting. In the psychic field, Ginger It circulates and harmonizes energy. Reactivates all body functions. Strengthens the spleen. Useful to bring any disorder back into balance. The CENTELLA (Centella asiatica), thanks to its active ingredients, is able to increase the elastic containment of the venous connective sheaths and increase the return venous circulation, this allows the plant to be useful in venous stasis. QSPCs are included in the formulation partly to flavor the compound and partly for their function. BITTER ORANGE (Citrus aurantium) It is the main remedy for the heart, it is rich in bioflavonoids,  whose action on the cardiac apparatus is well known: It is useful in states of nervous excitement, insomnia, headaches, palpitations, heart spasms. It associates the Solar qualities with the Lunar ones, restores the solar qualities by reharmonizing the masculine with the feminine, the unconscious with consciousness,  sleep and wakefulness. It reunifies the relationships of dualization. The LEMON activates and strengthens the organic defenses, stimulating the production of red and white blood cells. It has bactericidal properties and is therefore useful in the prevention and treatment of infectious and viral diseases such as flu and colds, healing, antiseptic, antianemic, depurative, blood thinning, antitoxic, stimulant. In the psychic field it is used in depression, awakens vital energies, gives security, trust, reduces confusion, calms and lifts morale. Bring light away darkness (“… I see everything black…”). The CORDYCEPS SINENSIS (Caterpillar fungus) is a fungus that grows in the mountainous regions of China and Tibet, It is characterized by the powerful toning action and considered able to increase physical resistance, mental energy, sexual vigor and longevity. The discovery of the properties of this mushroom is to be reported to the ancient Tibetan shepherds of yaks and goats, who, having noticed a vigorous behavior of their animals after grazing on the great altitudes of the plateaus, have researched the cause, discovering that together with the common grass , grew another “vegetable” particular, also grazed by their beasts. From that moment began the experimentation and discovery of the medicinal powers of the fungus. It is believed to be able to improve athletic performance, increasing systolic reach. Studies and trials have been carried out to demonstrate its effects on human performance. It turned out that with taking Cordyceps increases adenosine triphosphate (ATP)  at the cellular level, molecule present in all living organisms, for which it represents the main form of immediately available energy storage. When ATP loses a phosphate it becomes Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and the energy released by breaking the bond is immediately available for all body processes that require energy such as muscle contraction, nerve impulses, protein synthesis and cell divisions. An increase in cellular ATP means a real increase in energy, not like that perceived by the use of stimulants such as caffeine, ephedrine and amphetamines. With amphetamines, the brain receives altered information about the availability of energy to be consumed, but when it is exhausted the body is forced to resort to reserves.  Cordyceps sinensis is an excellent tonic of sexual life. It is an aphrodisiac tonic, but not from “one shot a time”, like blue tablets, but as a drug that It stably improves sex life by helping health. Gratifying results have also been observed in the case of erectile disorders of vascular origin. In recent years, researchers have carried out countless researches to expand knowledge on the effects of this fungus:  it is attributed a protective capacity at the renal level, able to prevent the damage produced by certain antibiotics and a protective capacity on the immune system and liver disorders. During an important conference held in Rome, Italian and Chinese professors met, some of whom are experts in acupuncture and in treatment with traditional Chinese medicines, such as Professor He Jialang, professor at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University and well-known acupuncturist also in Italy. Jialang, together with the well-known Italian immunologist Professor Samuele Paparo, of the second Faculty of Medicine of La Sapienza in Rome and two other Chinese academics, father and son (Yueai Ke and Chuaiti Ke), of the Institute of Medical Research of the University of San Diego in California and Professor Yong Sheng Fan of Zhejiang Medical Chinese University, have carried out research on the mushroom to demonstrate its surprising properties. Cordyceps sinensis has received increasing attention from chemists, biologists and doctors. This mushroom contains cordycepiacid and ergosterol components, components that, in combination, increase the functionality of the immune system. The secret of this mushroom lies in being able to perfectly balance Th1 and Th2 lymphocytes which are very important for the body’s immune responses. Cordyceps is able to reduce the negative effects of innumerable diseases through the increase of the immune activity thus strengthening the resistance to bacteria and viruses. It has an effective action in cases of leukopenia and cell damage caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It increases SOD (Superoxide Dismutase), an enzyme that eliminates the free radical form of O2 (superoxide), harmful and highly reactive. Aerobic bacteria are usually protected from the lethal effect of superoxide by this enzyme. The role of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) is to accelerate the dismutation of the toxic  superoxide radical (O2),  produced in oxidative processes, into hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen. Without oxygen we could not live, our cells use oxygen as the final electron acceptor in respiration, in this way they are able to obtain much more energy from food than they would in anaerobic conditions. But oxygen is also a dangerous element. Reactive forms of oxygen such as superoxide radical (oxygen with an extra electron) can escape cellular respiration enzymes and wreak havoc on cells. Superoxide can also cause mutations in DNA or attack enzymes that synthesize amino acids or other essential molecules. This is not a negligible danger: research has shown that about every 10,000 electrons transferred along the respiratory chain in Escherichia coli cells, three electrons end up producing superoxide instead of following their normal path up to the enzyme which transfers them to the oxygen to produce water. To avoid this, most cells produce the enzyme Superoxide Dismutase  (SOD)  which transforms superoxide into less dangerous  molecules (oxygen and hydrogen peroxide). As the name implies, the SOD enzyme dismutes superoxide. Dismutation is a particular type of reaction in which two opposite reactions take place simultaneously, an oxidation and a reduction, on two equal molecules. The SOD enzyme acts on two superoxide radicals, strips away the extra electron from the first and transfers it to the second. In this way one of the two molecules finds itself with one less electron and therefore becomes molecular oxygen O2, the other finds itself with an extra electron and, after binding two H + ions, becomes  hydrogen peroxide H2O2. Since hydrogen peroxide is also a dangerous compound, the cell tries to destroy it in the shortest possible time using the enzyme Catalase which converts hydrogen peroxide into water and molecular oxygen. The enzyme Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) has recently gained notoriety as it is implicated in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. This is a serious degenerative disease that leads to the selective death of motor neurons in the central nervous system and spinal cord leading to progressive and irreversible paralysis within a few years. Most cases of ALS occur in adulthood and its cause was, until recently, unknown. About ten percent of ALS cases are hereditary, caused by genetic mutations that are passed on to children. Recent research has shown that one of these mutations is found in the gene that codes for the SOD enzyme. Scientists are now studying the role of the SOD enzyme in this disease hoping to discover something that leads to new treatments and more effective cures. This medicinal mushroom is extremely rich both in beta-glucans, recognized as an aid in cancer therapies,  and in polysaccharides; The latter are long chains of sugars with numerous sections of oxygen inside and, when broken down by the body, oxygen molecules are released and absorbed at the cellular level. We know that cancer in all its forms is unable to exist in an oxygen-rich environment and that, without adequate oxygen levels, the body finds itself falling into degenerative states that favor cancer, heart disease, immune disorders and diabetes, allowing numerous viral diseases such as hepatitis C, Lyme disease and others to take hold. The action at the level of the respiratory system is manifested through the relaxation of the bronchial and bronchiolar muscles, facilitating the passage of air and breathing, increasing the blood flow at the muscle level. These properties explain its action on asthmatic manifestations, chronic bronchitis and tuberculosis. Animal lungs, damaged by different types of causes, have regained their elasticity after being treated with Cordyceps sinensis. Chemistry has only confirmed what doctors who treat patients with the classic plants of traditional Chinese medicine have known for millennia. At the liver level, Cordyceps acts not only as a cellular protector, but also in cases of hepatitis and cirrhosis, while at the heart level, its action extends to cardiovascular disorders and in cases of hypertension.

 

Trials carried out in China have shown that:

 

 

AGARICUS BLAZEI Murill(ABM) is a famous edible medicinal mushroom, native to a small village, Piedade, in the highlands of the Atlantic forest near São Paulo of Brazil and was discovered by Japanese researcher Takatoshi Furumoto. It is traditionally used for the prevention of various diseases, including: cancer, hepatitis, atherosclerosis, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, dermatitis, heart disease, etc. Due to its health effects, the mushroom was brought to Japan in the mid-1960s and subjected to biomedical research. ABM is rich in immune-modulating substances, such as β-glucans and proteoglycans. Japanese researchers experimentally demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro immunostimulatory anti-infection and anti-tumor effects in miceThe most biologically active metabolites can be extracted from the fruiting body at different stages of ripening and in particular It is believed that the polysaccharide phytocomplex is specifically responsible for the production of interferon and interleukins that promote and stimulate immune function in the body by activating macrophages, neutrophils and lymphocytes. This activation is caused in particular by  β-glucans that can modulate carcinogenesis at different levels and/or may act at the same level through different mechanisms. Responses to  polysaccharides are likely mediated by different receptors that could be present on specific subsets of cells and initiate distinct responses. A combination of these answers could exert a tumor inhibition, through a synergistic action. In vitro studies have shown that ABM extracts can increase some biological activities or inhibit others. Mycelium extracts show the induction of TNF α, (tumor necrosis factor α) and interleukins IL-8-12,1,10, nitric oxide secretion, stimulation of cytotoxic activity obtained through a higher production of IFN γ (interferon γ) and changes in gene expression. ABM extracts have been shown to have antioxidant, fibrinolytic and stimulatory activities on immature dendritic cells obtained from rat bone marrow. ABM also causes a particular increase in mRNA for chemokine ligands and cyclooxygenase.  Studies conducted indicate other potential pharmacological activities of ABM extracts in particular on triglyceridemia, atherosclerosis and hyperglycemia. In patients with hepatitis C, a decrease in γ GTP  of 80% has been observed after the use of extracts of Agaricus blazei. In addition to polysaccharides, another compound has been identified in the lipid fraction, ergosterol, which has antitumor activity. Pyroglutamate is another substance which not only has antitumor and antiangiogenic activity, but which also has an inhibitory effect on the reduction of immunological functions in experimental tumors.. These two mushrooms  (Cordyceps sinensis and Agaricus Blazei)  are currently used by the pharmaceutical industry, as well as as dietary supplements by more informed consumers who are looking for alternatives to more conventional treatments for cancer, AIDS and other problems related to the immune system. The SAGE (Salvia officinalis) has action on both the nervous system and the gonads involving the hypothalamic group. It is essential for regulating the Pituitary-Gonad hormonal relationship and temperature, especially in climacteric syndrome. It has tonic, stimulant, antidepressant, antispasmodic  propertiesand menstruation regulators. Useful in depression, nervous tension, stress, tiredness, menstrual disorders, premenstrual syndrome, menopause, reactivation of circulation, bronchitis, slow digestion, excessive sweating. The CLOVE (Syzygium aromaticum) has a strong local anesthetic power so much so that since ancient times the flower buds were chewed for this purpose (soothe tooth pain) and to this day the essence is used in medicine in oral disinfectants. Relieves headaches and stimulates circulation. Useful for heart patients. Useful for fighting tiredness and depression, clove essence is certainly one of the best remedies, an excellent tonic, invigorating, to be used in times of stress that cause tiredness and exhaustion. Excellent antiviral and antibacterial. recommended in case of cystitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, bacterial colitis (In this regard, it can be used during exotic trips, since it blocks the typical intestinal effects). It has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, tonic, stimulating, invigorating, aphrodisiac, calming, purifying, insect repellent properties. In the psychic field it is useful in those people who do not find the strength to react and that often somatize through intestinal difficulties. The FENNEL (Foeniculum vulgare) is used in infections, activates the functions of the digestive glands, useful as a carminative (sedative of intestinal gas), in certain tumultuous diarrheas, good expectorant; It stops hiccups, diuretics and finally exerts a general sedative function. The CUMIN (Cuminum cyminum) contains thymol and has antiseptic, antispasmodic, depurative, digestive, antifermentative, stimulant, tonic, aphrodisiac, bactericidal, antitoxic properties. Stimulates the appetite, helps peristalsis, prevents spasms and intestinal fermentation. In California it was used to stimulate the immune  systemon people suffering from allergies with excellent results. As a carminative it is excellent for the absorption of nutrients. The LEMONGRASS (Cymbopogon Citratus) has refreshing, sedative properties of the nervous system, tonic and gastric stimulants. Useful in stress, nervous tension, digestive problems, colitis, fever, headache, milk insufficiency, skin disorders, excessive sweating, kidney and bladder infections, fluid retention, varicose veins, lack of concentration, flatulence. Lemongrass is rich in water-soluble vitamin A, great for the immune system, lymphatic system, blood and circulation. Its effect is expressed in particular on the left side of the brain and therefore on the faculty of thought.