Jiaogulan (Gynostemma Penthaphullym) is a smart herb. It senses what your body needs and works accordingly. With it’s dual (bi-phasic) effects on various body systems, Jiaogulan can enhance the activity of body systems that are underperforming. At the same time, it can also suppress the activity of over-functioning systems. Eventually, jiaogulan works to re-establish the lost balance in the body. This makes Jiaogulan helpful in a wide range of health conditions.

When most people talk about vitamin K, they usually mean vitamin K1 – a vitamin best known for its role in blood clotting. But there is more to vitamin K, which is a basically a group of essential fat-soluble vitamins which come in different forms, including vitamin K1 and vitamin K2.

Vitamin C is mostly known for its role in boosting immunity and preventing scurvy. It works as an antioxidant in the body AND plays an important role in the production of collagen, fibrous protein that hold together your connective tissue present in muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones, blood vessels, skin and eyes. These two properties are responsible for the majority of vitamin C health benefits.

Resveratrol has been the focus of many animal and human studies; mostly because of its potential role in preventing premature ageing and associated chronic diseases.

Many high-quality studies show that health benefits of curcumin are enormous, especially for the heart and brain. And much of curcumin’s competence in keeping your body overall healthy comes from its ability to reduce oxidative damage (as a powerful anti-oxidant) and curb pain and inflammation.

Chronic stress has far more serious health implications than you can ever imagine. And we are not just talking about the mental or emotional kind of stress that comes from financial worries, relationships or a work environment that is just too demanding.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has been using Reishi mushroom (scientific name Ganoderma lucidum) for more than 2,000 years to promote good health and longevity. There is also a great deal of scientific research that supports many medicinal uses of Reishi [1], which is also called ‘Lingzhi’ and ‘The God of Fungi’.

Your body uses Vitamin C to do a lot of important stuff. This powerful anti-oxidant fights free radicals, lowers oxidative damage in cells and prevents chronic inflammation. While its role in boosting immune functions, and fighting off infections is probably well known, it is also required for collagen synthesis and tissue repair. It also plays an important role in a range of metabolic functions; for example, absorption of iron and activation of folic acid. [1]

In part 1 of this series, we discussed how most sunscreens are full of potentially hazardous chemicals. Not only is it a fat that these products offer an incomplete protection against sun damage, they even contribute to skin cancer, which ironically is the main reason why you are applying sunscreens in the very first place.