. . . . . . . . . . . . . Lavender Health Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Information about the ingredients in the Lavender Health Plus capsule.

For this capsule, we have prepared a special, unique, proprietary blend edible essential oils - consisting of Wild Sage, Wild Rosemary, and Wild Lavender.

1. Oil of Wild Sage, harvested only from Mediterranean plants, is one of the most powerful antioxidants known. And the Oil of Rosemary we use, harvested from special mountain-grown plants, is also a potent antioxidant agent - far more powerful than vitamin C or E. This antioxidant action helps prevent fat in the body from degenerating. This is very important. For when fat in the body is exposed to oxygen, it becomes peroxidized (rancid). These rancid fats directly inhibit immune functions and also break down, releasing free radicals, which further impairs the performance of the immune system. Peroxidized fats are mutagenic (can damage DNA), thrombogenic (can cause abnormal blood clots) and atherogenic (can cause aterosclerosis).

I want to address this last aspect - arterosclerosis. By helping prevent the oxidation of fat, you are helping prevent good" cholesterol (HDL) from developing into bad cholesterol (LDL). Since LDL cholesterol can eventually lead to the blockage of arteries (via peroxidation of fat and resultant fat deposits), the antioxidant action of both Wild Sage and Wild Rosemary plays a role in helping block the destructive accumulation of fat in the arterial walls. However, the antioxidant benefits of Wild Sage and Wild Rosemary are not limited to the body's arteries. The antioxidant action of these oils also helps combat the build up of fat in other parts of the body.

2. In addition to the anti-fat action provided by Wild Sage and Wild Rosemary, anti-aging benefits are also provided. Let me explain:

Oxygen is not only a necessity, it can become a poison. This explains why organisms exposed to excessive oxygen can suffer severe damage. Even in the course of normal metabolism involving ordinary amounts of oxygen, extremely reactive chemical compounds or atoms with unpaired electrons are sometimes created. These are the free radicals that are formed in the breakdown of peroxidized lipids (rancid fats). These free radicals can attack any organic substance found in cells.

Free radical reactions have been investigated as possible factors in the aging process since the late 1950s, when noted medical experts Dr. Denham Harman first formulated the free radical theory of aging. A great deal of evidence supports Dr. Harman '5 conception that free radical damage is a major factor causing aging - as well as many other disease conditions. Changes due to free radicals include 1) accumulative oxidation alterations in collagen (the connective tissue which constitutes about 30 percent of body protein) and elastin (an elastic protein found, for example, in artery walls) and in DNA and RNA genetic material...2) breakdown of the large carbohydrate molecules that make up mucus (used as lubricant in joints, for example) through oxidative degradation...3) accumulation of age pigments through oxidative polymerization...4) lipid membrane peroxidation...and 5) narrowing (or closing) of small arteries and capillaries due to toxic peroxidation products of serum, the formation of vessel wall irritants, and suppression of the synthesis of PG1 2 (a natural hormone that helps prevent formation of abnormal blood clots).

It should be noted that in a published report, "Aging at the Cellular Level," Dr. B.L. Strehler cited 23 research models compiled by the Association for the Advancement of Aging Research. Of the physiological enigmas listed, a preponderance of the biochemical changes associated with aging could be triggered by or be the direct cause of oxidation in body tissues. In addition, a number of eminent researchers
- Drs Denham Harman, William A Pryor and Johan Bjorksten among others - have offered evidence that the existence of free radicals in the body and cross-linking of various biomolecules are a significant factor in the aging process.

3. Further benefits are provided by the Wild Lavender ingredient. The oil from this botanical can create a soothing effect on people. This is why Lavender, taken internally, has been used to counter mood disturbances, such as restlessness and insomnia, as well as abdominal complaints, such as nervous stomach irritations and nervous intestinal discomfort. Today, some aromatherapists recommend Lavender-scented pillows to combat nighttime restlessness and sleep deprivation. In addition, research has shown Lavender to play a supportive role in healing injured skin, burns, infections and nervous disorders. Basically, the major component of Lavender is linalool, which acts as a sedative - helping case mental tension.

Obviously, further research can show additional benefits from the ingredients of the capsule, but I think the above is sufficient to justify anti-fat, anti-aging and "soothing" aspects as delineated in the literature.