Most people have likely heard of alfalfa in relation to its use as an important animal feedstuff without understanding that it is one of nature0s most nutrient-rich foods. It appears to be a trait with most people, that what is used for animal feed cannot possibly be healthy to humans.
This completely ignores the fact that humans are themselves mammals, and what is good for the biochemistry of one mammal is likely (though not necessarily) good for most. A look at alfalfa and why it has been used to feed livestock is a good place to start a discussion on its merits as a nutritional supplement for human beings.
Alfalfa is a legume, or member of the pea and bean family, that has long been used as animal food and has been given the nickname 0Queen of Forages0. It is behind only corn, wheat and soybeans as the fourth largest crop grown in the USA, and the vast majority is for animal forage. In fact there is twice as much alfalfa grown in the USA as cotton. Its nutritional value is not only from its high protein content of around 20%, but also from its exceptional vitamin and mineral […]
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Since its discovery in 1922 Vitamin E has become generally regarded as one of the body0s most powerful, versatile and useful anti-oxidants. And as such its importance should not be underestimated, because anti-oxidants are the principal defence against the free radicals which are responsible for much of the degeneration and consequent disease which afflicts the human body as it ages.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of vitamin E in protecting against and restricting the progression of cardiovascular disease, including atherosclerosis. Vitamin E also appears to have anti-coagulant properties similar to the drugs prescribed for this purpose, and may therefore help to protect against the highly dangerous blood clots which can lead to stroke 0 still one of the main causes of premature death and disability in the western world.
Vitamin E is also needed in large quantities by the brain, the proper functioning of which is highly dependent on the efficient transmission of messages between cells through their fatty membranes. As a fat-soluble anti-oxidant, vitamin E is an important protector against the free radical damage to these cell membranes which may well be one of the principal causes of age-related vision loss, cognitive deterioration and perhaps even […]
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Para-aminobenzoic acid, or PABA, is a relatively little known, but nevertheless important nutrient; commonly, though not strictly accurately, classified as one of the B-complex vitamins. The confusion is perhaps understandable because PABA plays an important role in the manufacture in the body of one of the most important B-complex vitamins, folic acid.The many vital benefits of folic acid have been well documented, the most important probably being the prevention of serious birth defects, particularly spina bifida; as well as protection against stroke, cardiovascular disease and even certain cancers. Indeed, adequate supplies of folic acid are regarded as so crucial to health that staple foods such as bread are routinely enriched with it. But the typical Western diet is nevertheless believed by many nutritionists to be severely deficient. PABA's role in encouraging the synthesis of the body's vitamin may therefore be regarded as sufficient in itself to make it a vital nutrient in its own right.But there is far more to para-aminobenzoic acid than this. The nutrient has also been classified as a general anti-oxidant, helping counteract the ageing and degenerative effects of damaging free radical activity; and as an anti-inflammatory which may be beneficial in […]
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