Description

Vitamin A
(Retinol)

A fat-soluble vitamin, stored mainly in the liver. The UK Dietary Reference Values express the requirement for vitamin A in terms of retinol equivalents.

Globe artichoke is a member of the botanical family that includes the daisy. It grows mainly in Mediterranean countries where it can reach up to 2 metres high. It has a large purple and green flower head, the hearts of which are cooked as a delicacy. Cynarin is the key active component. Not to be confused with the root vegetable, Jerusalem artichoke.

Riboflavin is water soluble and part of the B-vitamin group.

Niacin is water soluble and is part of the B-vitamin group. Vitamin B3 comes in two common forms: Nicotinamide and Nicotinic Acid.

A water soluble vitamin and member of the B-Complex group.

Vitamin B12 is a water soluble vitamin and member of the B-Complex group.

Beta Carotene is a precursor form of vitamin A which means that it is converted to vitamin A in the body on an ‘as-required’ basis.

Bilberry is a short, shrubby perennial bush that grows in the forests and on the moors of northern Europe. The main active ingredient in its fruit is anthocyanoside – a powerful antioxidant.

Formerly known as Vitamin H or Co-enzyme R, biotin is a water-soluble vitamin and a member of the vitamin B group.

A water soluble vitamin.

Calcium is an essential mineral.

Chamomile comes from the dried daisy like flowers of the Matricaria recutita plant (sometimes called Matricaria chamomilla, Chamomilla recutita or German chamomile). The healing properties of Chamomile are attributed in part to its volatile oils which contain the active compound apigenin.

Chromium is an essential trace mineral.

Fish Liver Oils such as Cod Liver Oil are a rich source of vitamin A & D.  Both fish liver oil and fish body oil are also sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) of the omega-3 series [eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Co-enzyme Q10 is a naturally occurring substance produced by the body. It is found in the mitochondria cells.

Copper is an essential trace mineral.

A native American plant, closely related to the blueberry.

A fat-soluble vitamin.

A fat-soluble antioxidant vitamin.

A plant native to the USA. Echinacea is a wild flower with purple daisy-like blossoms.

Evening Primrose Oil comes from the seeds of the evening primrose. It is rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is involved in production of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins regulate a number of body functions.

Feverfew is a member of the same botanical family that includes the daisy. It has yellow and white flowers and feathery green leaves, which contain its active ingredient, parthenolide.

Fish Oils contain rich sources of essential omega 3 family of polyunsaturated fatty acids, the most important members of which are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) & DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).

Folic Acid is a synthetic water-soluble vitamin and is part of the B-group vitamins. Folic acid is generally consumed in the form of food supplements or in fortified foods.

Known for its pungent odour, garlic has been used as both a food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years. Construction workers who built the Egyptian pyramids were supposedly given huge rations of garlic to sustain their resistance against fevers.

Ginger is native to India, China, Jamaica and other tropical areas, where its use as a culinary spice spans at least 4,400 years. Ginger grows in fertile, moist, tropical soil.

Ginkgo biloba is one of the world’s oldest living tree species, and its existence can be tracked back more than 200 million years. Ginkgo has been used therapeutically for many centuries and is now one of the most popular plants prescribed in Europe.

Ginseng is extracted from the root of several different species of the Panax group of plants from the Far East and North America.

Glucosamine is a substance made in the body and which occurs naturally in our joints and connective tissues.

Iodine is a trace element - only small amounts are needed to maintain good health.

Iron is an essential trace mineral.

A fat soluble vitamin.

To be added shortly.

Cultivated in Turkey and Greece, the liquorice plant is a member of the pea family. Its root contains glycyrrhizin, which its main active ingredient. There is another form of liquorice called DGL (deglycyrrhizinated liquorice), which has glycyrrhizin removed, and which can be used at higher intakes without raising blood pressure.

Magnesium is an essential mineral. It is the second most abundant nutrient stored in body tissue.

The peppermint plant is a hybrid of spearmint and water mint. Its active ingredient is a volatile oil made up of more than 40 components.

Next to calcium, phosphorus is the most abundant mineral in the body, making up about 1% of total body weight.

A probiotic is a live microbial food supplement that contains microbial substances normally found in the gut.

Royal Jelly is a milky-white substance produced by the salivary glands of worker bees as a food source for the queen bee. It is an essential food for the queen bee.

The saw palmetto is a small palm tree that grows wild in the USA. It has spiny saw-toothed stems that lie at the base of each leaf.

Selenium is an essential trace element.

Soya is the most important dietary source of isoflavones, which are compounds naturally present in plants that are biologically active in the human body. The main isoflavones found in soya are daidzein and genistein. Soybeans are also comprised of other nutrients including unsaturated fats, carbohydrates, saponins, phospholipids, lecithin, protease inhibitors, phytates, trypsin inhibitors, and a variety of vitamins and minerals.

To be added shortly.

A shrubby perennial with bright yellow flowers. St John’s wort comprises of many active components. The best-studied active components are hypericin and pseudohypericin, found in both the leaves and the flowers. Other components include flavonoids, xanthones, phenolic carboxylic acids, essential oils, carotenoids, alkanes, phloroglucinol derivatives, phytosterols, and medium-chain fatty acid alcohols.

Valerian is a perennial plant native to North America and Europe. It has pinky white flowers and its root contains therapeutic compounds – valepotriates, valeric acid and volatile oils – which combine to give sedative effects.

Zinc is an important part of many enzymes, some of which have key roles in the formation of new proteins - one of the processes involved in tissue growth. Zinc is required to aid growth of the immune cells plus maintenance of hair, skin and nails. Superoxide dismutase (a powerful antioxidant enzyme that neutralises potentially damaging free radicals) requires zinc.