Quality: Herbal Conscientiousness
and Healing

By Donald Payne

Hello again, dear readers. Eighty percent, yes, 80 percent of the world’s population uses herbs as medicine—successfully. Yet, our media continue to warn us about the damage of using herbs while more than 100,000 people die annually from the side effects of prescription drugs.

“Houston—we have a (misinformation) problem.”

There does need to be unity between the worlds of traditional and herbal medicine, using both modalities of healing for the benefit of patients. Until this happens, we will continue our educational process of self-healing and preventive lifestyle.

To start, of course, we need high quality in our food and supplements. I learned long ago the most expensive supplement (vitamins and herbs) you will buy will be the one that does nothing—you throw your money away.

So which companies focus on quality? Let’s look at a few and also see why.
Three years ago, with S&S crew members, I went to Utah and toured the Nature’s Way Herb Company. Staff members showed us the laboratories where they identify every species of herb that comes to them and test them thoroughly for any contaminants; they then test every herb for its potency and accept only the best of the best for their products. They encapsulate and tablet every one of their products and test to make sure it dissolves quickly in your stomach—not in your septic tank. I was extremely impressed with their professional approach, and then it struck me—they create herbal and vitamin products with the understanding that people use herbs for medicine and healing! And that’s the purpose—to create a quality product, to enhance and perhaps even heal, certain aspects of their customers’ lives. I support their commitment 100 percent.

Then there is New Chapter Supplement Company. When New Chapter could not find a nonirradiated ginger in the United States to make its ginger extracts and capsules, it went so far as to buy a farm in Costa Rica, build its own manufacturing plant, grow and process its own ginger through to the final product in the bottles, and ship it back to the United States—nonirradiated. Wow! That won me over right away. And (as you all know, I am a “mushroom nut”) Paul Stamets, one of the world’s leading mycomedicinal (mushrooms as medicine) researchers and scientists, is the man who grows all New Chapter’s mushrooms and creates its formulas. “So what?” you say. Well, Paul Stamets makes sure all its mushrooms are grown organically and contain all three parts of the whole mushroom—the fruiting body (above ground), the mycelia (the root system), and the media substrate (the base the mycelia grows in). New Chapter mushrooms always have a low P-value. Low P-value means more pure genetic copies of the original DNA, or that they are closest to the primordial ancient rain-forest mushroom. In other words, you are eating a mushroom identical in healing value to wild ones; it’s just as if you visited the rain forest and picked them fresh yourself. I especially like New Chapter’s Host Defense product, a combination of rain-forest mushrooms to enhance and activate our immune systems against bacteria, viruses, or even to fight and/or prevent cancer. One or two capsules of the Host Defense is a great immune tonic. Extraordinary company and products! Also, I especially like New Chapter’s Reishi mushroom—antitumor, antiviral, cholesterol-reducing, antifatiguing—Reishi is loaded. More than 100 distinct polysaccharides and 119 triterpenoids have been isolated from Reishi. Its triterpenoids (steroidlike compounds) inhibit cholesterol synthesis, allergic responses, and histamines. All this while stimulating production of our immune cells and telling them what to do! And don’t forget about Maitake (I wrote about Maitake in a previous article). Again, New Chapter uses the whole mushroom. Its Maitake increases tumor necrosis factors and in human prostate-cancer trials is being explored as a single treatment. And in a nonrandomized clinical study of 165 advanced-stage cancer patients, “tumor regression or significant symptom improvements were observed in 11 of 15 breast cancer patients, 12 of 18 lung cancer patients, and 7 of 15 liver cancer patients,” and these response rates improved by 12-28 percent when added to chemotherapy treatment! I take mushrooms daily and I hope you will explore them for yourself.

One last company I want to tell you about is Nordic Naturals. Nordic Naturals was the first company to be dissatisfied with ordinary purifying methods for natural fish oils, so it helped create the molecular distillation process. This also means that its fish oils immediately became pharmaceutical grade and 100 percent pure. But it doesn’t stop there. Nordic Naturals is very proactive in preventing global overharvesting of fish. Much of the profit the company makes goes into keeping the oceans clean and pure, which of course benefits the fish, and us too! How nice. Its fish oils contains no lead, no mercury, no PCBs, no pollution, period. So I feel comfortable to sell it to anyone. Pregnant women? Fine. Children? Fine? I especially recommend its Omega 3 formula capsules and/or liquid, which I use myself. I also take for extra Omega 3, DHA its Cod Liver Oil capsules, which are a delightful peach flavor—no burping up a bad fish taste.
There you have it—three great companies focusing not only on quality of supplements for healing people, but they also have large enough consciousnesses to help heal our world. I pray you enjoy all their products the way I do.

Have a great summer.
Donald Payne

Donald Payne is a nutrition specialist at S&S Produce in Chico CA. He has dedicated his life to alternative ways of dealing with allergies and staying healthy. He studied and practice Oriental Medicine in Chicago. He also studied acupuncture and alternative healing methods that led him into a long career in health foods.

This article was re-published using permission from the Lotus Guide Magazine and it is copyrighted. No reproduction of this article is allowed without the express consent of the Lotus Guide Magazine.

The Lotus Guide Magazine is produced and published out of Chico Ca.
For more information about the Lotus Guide Magazine please visit their website at www.lotusguide.com

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