elissa - Glossary - Page 4 of 57

Bilberry Extract

Produced from the fruit of Vaccinium myrtillus—a shrub closely related to blueberry. Bilberries are rich in anthocyanosides—flavonoid pigments responsible for the fruit’s deep blue/violet color. Berry anthocyanins have been shown to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic activities. Bilberry extracts specifically have been shown to have vasoprotective, myeloprotective and possible chemopreventive effects. There is...

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Slippery Elm Bark

The inner bark of the tree, Ulnus umbra.  The bark was used by Native Americans and early European settlers to the US as a laxative, antiseptic, analgesic and emollient.  It’s high in mucilage, a sticky, gelatinous substance containing polysaccharides and glycoproteins that coat and sooth irritated tissues.  This property of Slippery Elm accounts for its medicinal uses as a treatment for sore throats, colitis and wounds.  It...

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Cascara Extract

Also known as Cascara Sagrada (“sacred bark”). An extract of the bark of Rhamnus purshiana, a species of Buckthorn native to North America. Cascara is used as an herbal laxative: the active compounds (“cascarosides”) stimulate the lower intestine and promote contractions.  Although Cascara is used in a number of over-the-counter “cleansing” and “detox” supplements, the FDA does not...

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Bromelain

A proteolytic (protein-digesting) enzyme found in pineapple.  Bromelain has a variety of medicinal uses.  When taken with food, it can assist with digestion.  When taken on an empty stomach, however, bromelain can help accelerate wound healing and reduce inflammation. See “Bromelain Benefits and Side Effects” for more...

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Turmeric

See Curcuma longa Extract.

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Curcuma longa Extract

A perennial plant belonging to the ginger family.  Dried Curcuma longa is used as a spice: turmeric.  Turmeric is also used in Asian folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent, as well as for “indigestion, hepatitis, jaundice, diabetes, atherosclerosis and bacterial infections“.  The best-researched component of turmeric is curcumin, which has therapeutic potential for treating/preventing cancer, Alzheimer’s and...

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