Immortality Herb
The
Chinese refer to jiaogulan as an "immortality" herb due to its revitalizing
properties and its capability to aid the body combat stress besides boosting
cardiovascular health. Herbal medicine practitioners categorize it as an
“adaptogen” since it is considered to aid the body without inducing damage or
imbalance.
Also referred to as southern
ginseng, sweet tea vine and fairy herb, jiaogulan is a climbing plant indigenous
to the mountainous parts of southern China and other regions of Asia. It
belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family that constitutes cucumbers, melons
and gourds.
The plant’s leaves were initially
utilized as a food and could either be eaten independently or included in a
salad. They also function as sweetener, and tea produced from its leaves
contains no caffeine and has a somewhat bittersweet flavor.
There are numerous health benefits credited to
consuming jiaogulan with no recorded harmfulness or drug interactions.
Anticancer Effects
Jiaogulan prohibits the body cells from becoming cancerous
and also prohibits the development of cancerous growths
already established by invigorating the immune system cells. Studies have shown
that cancer patients issued Jiaogulan exhibit notable improvement in B and T
lymphocyte levels and leukocyte count antibody levels.
Jiaogulan is among
the leading broad-spectrum adaptogenic plants known, constituting
polysaccharides, saponins, amino acids, flavones, minerals, vitamins and many vital
trace elements. This makes it highly efficient in minimizing the after-effects
of chemotherapy and radiation by revitalizing the immune
system. Research has shown that Jiaogulan
acts against esophagal, breast, prostate, lung, kidney, brain, thymus, uterus
and skin cancer.
Adaptogenic Benefits
The plant has been used
in Traditional Chinese Medicine since time immemorial. It got its nickname,
“herb of immortality”, because people who drunk jiaogulan tea on a daily basis
lived for a very long time. Though Southern China people have consumed the tea
as a restorative from way back in the 15th century, the West
discovered it just recently.
Modern herbalists categorize
jiaogulan as an adaptogen, a terminology applied to denote an herb that aids
the body combat the impacts of stress. Adaptogen plants also encourage
homeostasis, meaning it assists the body to attain a condition of balance by controlling
various internal activities. Particularly, adaptogen herbs such as jiaogulan tackle
both unwarranted output and inadequacy in some body systems, especially the
endocrine and the immune system.
Antioxidant Properties
Antioxidants are crucial ingredients in treating
liver disease, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, arthritis inflammation, cancer and
even the process of aging. Jiaogulan has been authenticated in numerous researches
to possess a commanding antioxidant impact, by safeguarding the body from damage
by free radical.
Jiaogulan constitutes
saponins, chemical compounds jointly called gypenosides. These gypenosides boost
the activity of phagocytes, a special type of white blood cells entrusted with
the responsibility of assimilating cellular waste products and capturing
pathogens. These elements exhibit same protective influence in the endothelium,
the cell layer that outlines blood vessels.
Scientists at China’s Tangdu Hospital believe that jiaogulan gypenosides might present
some defense from oxidative stress within the brain that result in Parkinson's
disease. Published in the May-June 2010 publication of the Journal of
International Medical Research, the researchers detailed that the injection of
gypenosides into mouse brains chemically instigated to mock the traits of the
disease led to rise in glutathione output and activity of superoxide dismutase in
the substantia nigra, the region of the brain highly affected by Parkinson's
disease.
Cholesterol Management
Scientific research investigations
in China have found that Jiaogulan reduces cholesterol by enhancing the liver's
capability to transfer carbohydrates and sugar to the muscles for transformation
to energy rather than conversion into triglycerides which are stored within the
body in form of fat.
It reduces LDLs -bad cholesterol
whilst increasing HDLs - good cholesterol. The herb enhances metabolism of fat,
decreases levels of blood fat and inhibits fat sediment and lipid peroxide
within the blood vessels.
Whilst it
is effective for correcting obesity and high cholesterol problems, jiaogulan
can also boost and bolster the digestion, enabling an underweight individual to
improve intake of nutrients and garner weight in the context of lean muscle buildup.
This regulatory impact on bodily activities is the trademark of an adaptogen.
Prevent
Stroke, Blood Pressure and Heart Attacks
Jiaogulan dramatically reduces the probability of a
stroke by restricting blood platelets from coagulating, which hinders the establishment
of stroke-prompting blood clots. This similar activity restrains artery from
blocking, thereby minimizing chance of a heart attack. Additionally, studies manifest
within a duration as low as two weeks, a little dose of jiaogulan consumed
daily, reduces high blood pressure to a standard range. By enhancing making of
nitric oxide - a chemical charged with relaxing walls of blood vessels - the
herb effectually minimizes the blood pressure. Also, jiaogulan decreases
cholesterol by approximately 25%.
Boosting
Cardiovascular Function
The outcomes of human experiments
ascertain that jiaogulan can boost the contractility of muscles of the heart and
pumping function of the heart. Consequent studies have manifested that the
saponins contained in the herb intensify strength and stamina in the body. Taking
into account these realizations altogether, jiaogulan turns out as the best the
herb for any person who wishes to boost his competitive supremacy in any area
of athletic performance.
Boost
Immune System
Jiaogulan has also exhibited
a capability to fortify the immune system when attacked by destructive agents.
The herb has also manifested its effectuality, in medical research
investigations, as a powerful immunomodulator. It intensifies the manufacture
of Lymphocytes, Serum IGG and Phagocytes.
In China, physicians
administer daily dosages of the herb to patients recuperating from brain and heart
surgery, since the herb reinforces the immune system, assisting in a faster and
more effectual recuperation. Patients undertaking cancer treatments like chemotherapy
and radiation are given Jiaogulan too. Studies have verified that Jiaogulan can
intensify the leukocyte count, which bolsters resistance, hence enhancing the
patient’s capability to recuperate.
Nevertheless, there exist
a few likely side effects related to this herb, comprising nausea. In addition,
since it has triggered birth complications in animals, pregnant women are
highly advised to avoid jiaogulan. Breast-feeding women and small children are
also cautioned to desist from consuming it, because not much is understood
about its likely long-term effects.