8 Medicinal Rainforest Plants Combined In New Herbal Supplement

Amazon Vitality is the name of a new product that has just been launched in the UK. And its name couldn't be more appropriate. It contains a blend of eight medicinal plants from the Amazon rainforest in Peru; calaguala, cats claw, samambaia, chanca piedra, fedegoso, pico preto, gervo, and tayuya.

These plants have emerged from under the rainforest canopy with an adapted knowledge of survival in one of the worlds most ruthless conditions. Plus they've been found to have protective effects on just about every part of the body including the skin, brain, liver, kidneys, gastric tract, heart and immune system.

Amazon Vitality's therapeutic potential is seemingly limitless, but two of its most intriguing uses appear to be the possible prevention and treatment of cancer and Alzheimer's disease and its ability to reverse sun-related skin damage.

How a psoriasis treatment could help Alzheimers patients

The two main ingredients in Amazon Vitality are calaguala and samambaia. They make up about 50 per cent of the overall formula and are renowned for their ability to treat skin conditions. There is a great deal of research to support samambaias benefits in this area. In 2004, Harvard researchers published their findings on a human study that revealed how samambaia can help prevent sunburn and skin ageing resulting from prolonged sun exposure.1

Other research has found that it can reverse the loss of normal elastic fibres associated with intrinsic ageing of skin.2

Its protective benefits in this area are reported to be due, in part, to its antioxidant effect, as well as its ability to protect and increase the amount of elastin in skin cells.

Samambaia has also been found to decrease the overgrowth of skin cells and skin thickening and reduce the severity and extent of skin lesions in psoriasis patients.3

In Spain doctors routinely prescribe a drug called Anapsos, which is made from samambaia, for the treatment of psoriasis.

In fact, it was following the prescription of Anapsos for psoriasis that another, seemingly unrelated benefit was uncovered. In those patients who were also suffering from Alzheimer's disease, reports started to mount that the drug was improving Alzheimer's symptoms in addition to clearing up psoriasis.

In response, the manufacturer funded a clinical trial on its use for brain disorders. In a double-blind placebo-controlled human trial, researchers reported that patients with senile dementia experienced significant improvements in cognitive performance, and had increased blood supply and electrical impulses to the brain, following the use of Anapsos.4

Considering that the same ingredient in Anapsos, combined with calaguala another herb with brain-boosting properties make up roughly half of Amazon Vitality, its hardly surprising that people who have tried the formula are reporting that their thinking is clearer in as little as three to five days.

Cats claw is proving to be another promising contender in the fight against Alzheimers

Another ingredient in the formula that is showing promise in the fight against Alzheimers is cats claw. Although better known for its immune-boosting properties, its ability to help with DNA cellular repair means it could offer a potential preventative for Alzheimers.5-7

When oxidative stress causes disturbances in cellular energy (ATP) levels, it can result in the formation of plaque within the cell. Some newer research on cats claw indicates that it might reduce a specific type of plaque, called amyloid plaque, normally found in the brains of Alzheimers patients.8

Liver supporting herbs that could play a role in warding off cancer

Another herb in the formula is chanca piedra, which we covered in a report in HSI over four years ago in your October 2000 issue when we told you about its benefits for breaking up kidney stones.

Studies have shown that it is also a potent liver protector that helps repair damage to the liver and eliminates harmful toxins in children and adults with hepatitis and jaundice.9

Plus, animal studies suggest that chanca piedra may have anti-cancer benefits, including an ability to lower the risk of liver cancer.10

Its potential in this area may lie in its documented ability to stop cells from mutating. One study indicated that it inhibited several enzyme processes that encourage cancer cells replication and growth.11

The herb fedegoso has also been the subject of clinical research for applications involving the liver and immune system. Animal studies indicate that it has the ability to protect the liver from various chemical toxins, normalise liver enzymes and processes, and repair liver damage.12

Some of this research has also unveiled significant immuno-stimulant activity.13

The next ingredient is pico preto, which has general antioxidant and cell-protective actions.14

Other research has demonstrated that pico preto extract can inhibit chemical processes in the body like the formation of pain-producing substances called prostaglandins and arthritis-inducing cyclooxygenase (COX).15

These two Amazon herbs offer vital defence against a range of serious conditions

Next up on Amazon Vitalitys ingredient list is gervo, which has numerous therapeutic benefits. In laboratory studies, three of gervos primary phytochemicals verbascoside, scutellarein, and hispidulin have been found to have brain cell protective, antiviral, antibacterial, liver protective, heart protective, and anti-tumour activity.16-20

And finally we have tayuya, which research has shown has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and general pain-relieving properties, and, more recently, to have anti-cancer potential.21, 22

Researchers from the Kyoto Pharmaceutical University in Japan reported that five different chemicals, called cayaponosides, in tayuya exhibited significant anti-tumour activity.23

What to take for best results

The recommended dosage for Amazon Vitality is one capsule taken twice a day if you weigh up to 150 lbs, and two capsules taken twice daily if you weigh more than 150 lbs. In either case, you should take the capsules with food specifically with carbohydrates, since the active phytochemicals from the plants found in Amazon Vitality are better absorbed with starch.

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