Histamine Control
Histamine is often perceived negatively, especially for its role in allergic reactions and intolerance. As with many things in life, black-and-white thinking is not suitable for this biogenic amine. As a neurotransmitter, it participates in many critical processes. In defending the body, for example, it supports the enlargement of blood vessels, making it easier for immune cells to access the site of inflammation. At the same time, it stimulates the production of gastric juices (essential for food processing), regulates the sleep cycle, controls appetite, and plays a role in learning, memory, and emotions. Histamine naturally occurs in the human body, and its balance is crucial for health. In the digestive system, it's broken down by the enzyme diamine oxidase. However, if histamine intake is greater than the body can break down, histamine intolerance develops. This imbalance can be caused by stress, poor lifestyle, medicines, or other factors. Excess histamine can lead to unpleasant symptoms, often resembling food allergies or digestive issues. It's essential to understand histamine as an important helper in our body.
Alchemilka - female cloak
Lady's mantle is a perennial herb that originates from England but has spread throughout the world. Its leaves and flower tops have been used for centuries to relieve menstrual problems, which is why it is often called "woman's cloak". However, it is also suitable for men, effectively helping with pain, laryngitis, bleeding gums or as a gargle for laryngitis. Its name comes from the Arabic word al-khimia. Alchemists tried to make gold from various metals, but also to discover ordinary things. One of the secret ingredients in the production of gold was water captured in the leaves of this plant. As far as we know, it didn't help...
Vitamin B1 Thiamine
Vitamin B1 belongs to the B1 to B12 groups, which we refer to collectively as the B complex. All vitamins in this group should be supplemented under this name. But do I only need one of them? You need the whole group – the most important vitamins from the B group can be obtained separately.
Cordyceps - zombies in reality
Cordyceps sinensis – this is our zombie predator. In China, they call it "winter insect, summer herb". Imagine a fungus that shoots out its spores (seeds) during reproduction in summer, which then attach themselves to the body of an insect. It gradually overgrows the insect's body and parasitises it, literally eating it from the inside, while the insect continues to live, changing its external appearance but continuing to hunt for food until it burrows underground, where it dies and mummifies. The fungus can survive in it for a long time. The fungus literally takes over the host's body, growing out of it in the summer and forming slender "sticks" 5-20 cm high. This inspired the Last of Us video game series, where the Cordyceps fungus turns humans into zombies. In real life, this video game takes place in the real life of insects. The victims are butterfly larvae, large ants, spiders...
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.
Ashwagandha - cortisol tamer
You certainly know the feeling when you feel threatened. A big dog ran at you from behind the fence, your boss plowed into you in a meeting and carried you under the ground, or your mortgage is due tomorrow and you just got fired from your job. In such cases, the body produces a steroid hormone - cortisol. This already protects us in dangerous situations and the body prepares the "fight or flight" position. The heart pumps, blood rushes to vital organs, pain levels suppress... You say to yourself - the most useful thing under the sun!
