Health + Wellness — Ingredients

What Is Grape Seed Extract? Grapes have been cultivated and eaten for a long time. But grapes, along with other parts of the Vitis vinifera plant such as the leaves and sap, have also been used in traditional medicine in Europe for thousands of years. From the Egyptians to the ancient Greeks, the healing power of grapes and wine were realized, and grapes and grapevines were used to treat a variety of conditions including inflammation, pain, constipation, infections, and even various diseases. Today, grape seed extract is made primarily from the seeds of wine grapes. Grape seed extract has a...

Polypodium leucotomos (PL) is a tropical fern plant native to Central America and parts of South America. It grows in the rain forest and has a long history of use as an herbal medicine ingested for a variety of ailments by the indigenous people of Honduras. The Mayans even drank it as a tea. Historically, ferns have been used for medicinal purposes since ancient Europe. Commercial extracts of Polypodium leucotomos have been available since at least the 1970s. Polypodium leucotomos is actually the common name for the herb known as Phlebodium aureum. Other names for PL include: calaguala (in Mexico...

Overview People have been drinking infusions of tea for thousands of years, beginning in China and India. Today, tea is consumed more widely than any other beverage in the world except water. Billions of people drink tea, and a large number of studies show that tea has many health benefits. There are three main varieties of tea: green, black, and oolong. All three varieties are made from the leaves of the same species of plant called Camellia sinensis; the difference is in how the tea leaves are processed. Green tea is made from unfermented leaves, while oolong tea is made...

You may realize that what you eat impacts how you feel; when you eat healthy you have more energy and feel better. You may also notice that what you eat often impacts how you look; healthy food can help your skin look fresh and clear, and may give you a little more “glow” than you otherwise might exhibit. Interestingly enough, there have been a few clinical studies conducted demonstrating that taking an antioxidant call astaxanthin orally can improve the way you look. For more information about astaxanthin, see this article: Astaxanthin: The Wrinkle-Preventing Wonder Compound. Japanese Studies In 2002, a...

Overview Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant present in many of the common foods we eat. Also called rhodopurpurin, it is classified as a carotene, within the broader carotenoid family. Lycopene is a bright red colored pigment, and as such is a popular natural additive used to dye foods. Natural Sources The most common source of lycopene is tomatoes, which have a relatively high concentration of lycopene and are often consumed as tomato juice, tomato sauce, ketchup, or raw. Other good sources of lycopene include gac (a fruit from Southeast Asia), carrots, watermelon, guavas, papayas, and grapefruit. By far the highest...