Cordyceps sinensis with an incredible life cycle
Have you heard about this fascinating fungus with its peculiar appearance and way of existence? The names „Chinese caterpillar, Himalayan gold or mushroom of longevity“ do not reveal much ...
Iron - the Elixir of Youth
Anyone who admires the muscular Arnold Schwarzenegger has surely seen the documentary Pumping Iron about his complex transformation from a skinny teenager to an absolute physical Olympian. His musculature is still admirable today. And it was ordinary iron that helped him achieve it. Of course, it's a joke; he mainly lifted iron. However, to make his muscles look like Hercules', he needed iron in a completely different form.
Liver and Gallbladder Balm - Dandelion
Dandelion (in Slovak, 'púpava', Latin, Taraxacum officinale, also known as milkweed, smotánka, májik) is a well-known and ubiquitous weed (especially when it randomly appears overnight on a perfectly manicured lawn, even sprouting through cracks in asphalt), but foremost, it is a healing plant with a long history of use in herbal medicine. The milky tubes contain white sap that hardens in the air andleaves colorful stains on hands. Dandelion seeds can travel kilometers. It is among the longest-blooming plants, wholly edible, albeit having a not very pleasant bitter taste.
Fascinating Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)
It is not by chance that in various countries it is referred to as the "mushroom of immortality" and the "mushroom of eternal life". In Japan, "Reishi" means "spiritual power". In China, it is known as "Lingzhi", which means "divine mushroom". It is one of the most valuable mushrooms in traditional medicine, used for the treatment of chronic diseases, and acknowledged for over 4000 years for its strong effects (similar to ginseng) documented in ancient books. It's also called the "mushroom of happiness" for its ability to alleviate ailments such as arthritis, insomnia, chest tightness, persistent weakness, high blood pressure, dizziness, mushroom poisoning, and heart diseases ...
The First of Vitamins - B1
Maybe it's burnout ... that's the current description of the state when we feel different. When the coffee we loved no longer works and in the afternoon we are overwhelmed by unbearable fatigue, when in the evening we have no strength for anything, neither for sports nor for friends. And certainly not for another day at work. A nutritionist would describe this state with further findings of our diet with the words - „ You have a lack of thiamine (B1), which is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system and the conversion of food into energy. Your diet is full of processed carbohydrates, but almost without B1. And when the body doesn't have enough thiamine, you can feel fatigue, forgetfulness, irritability, and even anxiety. And caffeine? It depletes thiamine in the body even more!“ We certainly wouldn't think that this state could be caused by a “triviality”. After all, many of us don't register thiamine, I admit it was also my case. This first of the discovered vitamins in 1912 was named by the Polish biochemist Funk with the term vita (necessary for life), amine (substances that contain nitrogen). Since then, it has gained more names, like aneurin, and for 25 years we have called it thiamine. It is essential, meaning it cannot be synthesized and must come from the diet. It sounds almost frightening that without it we wouldn't survive longer than a few days, at most weeks. This is because the body cannot store it for long and it is necessary to ensure its intake regularly, as it is irreplaceable for the proper functioning of the organism. On the contrary, its abundance helps improve concentration and memory.
Vitamin B2 Riboflavin
Besides the well-known B-Complex mix of B vitamins, individual vitamins can also be purchased as solo supplements. Why is this good? The well-known set of B vitamins is a suitable dietary supplement if you have an overall deficiency of vitamins in the body. However, if you are dealing with a specific problem, it is sometimes more appropriate to reach for the exact type of vitamin you need to supplement. So why is vitamin B2 needed?