Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 The Protection of Plant Pigments
Pomegranate juice is loaded with health-giving plant compounds like anthocyanins and tannins. anthocyanins are pigments found in plants that act as a kind of "sunscreen," protecting the plants from sun damage and acting as powerful antioxidants.
They have a similar protective function in the human body. Tannins are bitter-tasting plant compounds found in tea, wine, and certain fruits, notably pomegranate. |
Thomson Healthcare, Inc.
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 Antiplatelet Aggregation
A study involving 30 healthy subjects with normal platelet aggregation investigated the effects of administration of Vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanins (Myrtocyan 480 mg) daily, ascorbic acid 3 g daily and Vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanins plus ascorbic acid on collagen- and ADP-induced platelet aggregation (Pulliero G et al, 1989). Platelet aggregation in blood samples taken from participants after 30 and 60 days' treatment was clearly reduced in all subjects compared with baseline values. |
| In a randomized, double-blind trial involving 51 patients with mild senile cortical cataracts who received Vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanins plus vitamin E twice daily for 4 months, treated patients showed significant improvements in lens opacity compared with placebo recipients (Bravetti et al, 1989).
Dysmenorrhea
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanins 320 mg/day taken for 3 days before menstruation was conducted involving 30 patients with chronic primary dysmenorrhea. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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| As a bonus, these same anthocyanins may significantly reduce your risk for colon cancer, the third leading cancer in the United States.
But That's Not All, Folks!
Besides anthocyanins, cherries have three other compounds in them that are of great interest to the field of natural healing: quercetin, ellagic acid, and perillyl alcohol.
Quercetin has been found to be a potent anticancer, as well as a powerful anti-inflammatory, agent (see page 101, allergies and asthma). And in animal research, ellagic acid inhibits the growth of certain tumors. |
Bryan Hanson, PhD
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 The chief structural difference between flavonoids and anthocyanidins (and anthocyanins) is that in the latter, the oxygen in the middle ring bears a positive charge. The medicinal activity of the anthocyanidins and anthocyanins appears to be similar to the flavonoids. Cyanin is one of the blue pigments found in blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus). Delphinidin, discussed in Chapter 3, is another example of an anthocyanidin (see Figure 3.11). Note that pro-anthocyanins are a type of tannin and are discussed under that heading. |
David W. Grotto, RD, LDN
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 Tart cherry anthocyanins inhibit tumor development in Ape (Min) mice and reduce proliferation of human colon cancer cells. Cancer Lett. 2003 May 8;194(1):13-19.
Carlson L, Connolly DA, McHugh MP, Padilla-Zakour OI, Sayers S. Efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of muscle damage. Br J Sports Med. 2006 Aug;40(8):679-683.
He YH et al. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of cyanidin from cherries on rat adjuvant-induced arthritis. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2005 Oct;30(20): 1602-1605.
Heo H, Kim D, Kim Y, Lee C, Yang H. |
| Currants are rich in the phytochemical ellagic acid, a phenolic compound that may reduce some cancers and cholesterol, and anthocyanins, which have shown antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Home Remedies
BLACK CURRANTS: Boiled black currant juice has been used for sore throats. The leaves have been used to reduce fevers and increase urination. Extract from the bark of the black currant tree has been used for hemorrhoids. Black currant jelly mixed with hot water has been helpful for colds. |
| A mouse study found that anthocyanins, a phytochemical in tart cherries, reduced colon cancer cell growth.
HEADACHE: Eating around twenty cherries a day may help with reducing headaches, according to researchers from Michigan State University.
EXERCISE-INDUCED MUSCLE PAIN: Men who drank tart cherry juice after performing weight-training exercises had less muscle pain and strength loss. (Women may also benefit but this particular study looked exclusively at men. |
| Beta-sitosterol, a plant sterol that has been linked to lower blood-cholesterol levels, and anthocyanins give the cherry its red color and may also reduce inflammation and pain. Quercetin may help prevent heart disease. Amygdalin may reduce tumor growth and size. Ellagic acid may help fight bacterial infections and also cancer. Perillyl alcohol is an antioxidant that may have antitumor activity. Sour cherries have more phenolic compounds than sweet cherries and are also a natural source of free radical scavengers called superoxide dismutase (SOD). |
| Red cabbage also contains anthocyanins, a phytochemical also found in blueberries, beets, and Bermuda onions. Sauerkraut is an excellent source of vitamin K and vitamin C, and a good source of folate, potassium, iron, and fiber. Sauerkraut is equally rich in the friendly bacteria lactobacillus acidophilus. However, it is also high in sodium whereas cabbage is not.
Home Remedies
Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations held cabbage in high regard as they felt it was capable of treating a host of health conditions. |
| Fresh and frozen blueberries contain high amounts of anthocyanins but very little is found in dried forms.
Home Remedies
Native Americans found that blueberries helped reduce morning sickness, coughs, and headaches. The leaves were used to make tea and were thought to help purify the blood.
Throw Me a Lifesaver!
MEMORY AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION: Animal research has shown promise for using blueberry extract in the areas of improving balance, coordination, and memory, even in those challenged with Alzheimer's disease. |
Brigitte Mars, A.H.G.
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 Constituents
Calcium, protein, tannin, mucilage, alkaloids (papaverine, rhoeadine, rhoearubine), meconic acid, anthocyanins, essential fatty acids (linoleic acid, oleic acid, linolenic acid), essential oils (aldehydes, aliphatic hydrocarbons), morphine (P. somniferum), codeine (P. somniferum)
Energetic Correspondences
• Flavor: sour
• Temperature: cool
• Moisture: moist
• Polarity: yin
• Planet: Moon/Saturn
• Element: water
Contraindications
Poppy seed is generally considered safe, though in rare individuals it may cause an allergic reaction. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 In addition, black raspberries have a higher content of anthocyanins than most other berry types, as well as phenols, such as ellagic, coumaric and ferulic acid. All of these substances are recognized as "chemopreventive agents," Stoner said.
"We do know from epidemiologic studies that vegetable and fruit consumption is protective against cancer and, from our work, we would suggest that berries be one of those helpings, at least two or three times a week," said Stoner. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 The berries are rich in anthocyanins, widely recognized for their antioxidant qualities. Blueberries are also a good source of ellagic acid, which blocks metabolic pathways that can lead to cancer. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Reduces or ends arthritis pain. anthocyanins are also anti-cancer.
Cranberry: Well known to eliminate urinary tract infections (and even helps protect you from airborne viral infections).
In fact, the simple thing to remember is that every berry contains natural medicines and the smaller the berry, the more potent the medicine. So large berries like cherries, strawberries and grapes are not nearly as medicinally potent as tiny berries like cranberries, black raspberries, red raspberries, acai and red currants. The more vibrant the color of the berry, the more medicine it contains. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 The white mulberries, for example, which are found in the Bliss Mix product, contain powerful disease-fighting anthocyanins. Raw cacao is loaded with brain-boosting and liver-supporting nutrients, and pistachios and macadamia nuts are fantastic sources of heart-healthy oils that reduce the risk of heart disease.
Eating the food items from these gift baskets is not only delicious: It's great medicine! And that's why I'm so happy to be able to announce these: It's a way to give the gift of healing this holiday season. |
Erich Grotewold
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 Thus, anthocyanins can be used as "natural" indicators of the conditions inside the vacuole. The vacuolar lumen is always more acidic than the surrounding cytoplasm and the pH gradient across the vacuolar membrane is actively built and maintained by ATP- or pyrophosphate (PPi)-powered proton pumps residing in the tonoplast (Maeshima, 2001). In petunia flowers, the acidification of the vacuole results in a red color of the flower, and mutations affecting vacuolar pH regulation can be recognized because of the bathochromic shift (toward blue) of the flower color (Figure 4.1G, H). |
| AN3 encoding F3H) have normal pH values, indicating that it is not the absence of the anthocyanins that results in the decrease of pH present in the regulatory gene mutants. Thus, the regulators of anthocyanin biosynthesis are likely to also control a parallel pathway that results in the establishment of the vacuolar pH.
3.2.2. Alleles ofANl Uncover a Dual Function for Some bHLH Regulators
The cloning of the PH6 gene (Chuck et al., 1993) and, independently, the anthocyanin regulator AN1 (Spelt et al., 2000, 2002) by transposon tagging revealed that ph6 is an allele of AN1. |
| The regulation of anthocyanins in petunia presents some interesting variations that are likely to reflect aspects still ignored in maize and other plants. For example, in this dicot, there are two bHLH proteins, AN1 and JAF13 (Spelt et al, 2000), that interact with AN2, which is one of the two R2R3-MYBs that regulate the LBG (Quattrocchio et al., 1999). JAF13 is phylogenetically more related to R/B, while AN1 is more related to TT8, a regulator of PA accumulation (see Section 2.4). |
| Integration of the resulting biochemical information with a wealth of accumulated genetic data led to a description of the sequence of genes involved in the production of anthocyanins in the maize aleurone in 1962 (Reddy and Coe, 1962). |
The Editors of FC&A
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| The secret lies in anthocyanins. These natural compounds not only give cherries their luscious red color — they also stop your body from making prostaglandins, the hormone-like substances that cause pain and inflammation.
In lab studies, anthocyanins have proven to be about ten times more effective than aspirin at relieving joint pain and swelling. That's a huge plus, because even small amounts of aspirin can worsen gout.
With this fruit in hand, you may not even need to take pain pills. Instead, you can let cherries ease the ache of this arthritis. |
Thomson Healthcare, Inc.
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| The reduction in platelet aggregation was greater in subjects who received Vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanins alone than in those who received ascorbic acid alone and was most marked in subjects who received both preparations. Platelet aggregation returned to baseline values when tested 120 days after discontinuation of treatment (Pulliero G et al, 1989).
Diabetic Retinopathy
Forty patients with diabetic and/or hypertensive retinopathy received 160 mg Myrtocyan twice daily or placebo for 1 month. |
Steven G. Pratt, M.D. and Kathy Matthews
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 Blueberries, particularly wild blueberries, have at least five different anthocyanins. The anthocyanins are concentrated in the skin of berries because, as with many other fruits and vegetables, the plant skin protects the fruit from the sun and other environmental assaults by concentrating antioxidants in this key location.
Anthocyanins are one of the phytonutrients that give blueberries their powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory abilities. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 In addition, a study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry analyzed eight types of strawberries for their content of protective plant compounds like phenols and anthocyanins, as well as for their antioxidant capacity. All eight types of strawberries were able to significantly inhibit the proliferation of human liver cancer cells. And a number of other analyses have shown that strawberries have potent antioxidant action.
Strawberries also contain ellagic acid, which you may have read about in my discussion on cherries and raspberries. |
| Anti-inflammatory anthocyanins can help dampen allergic reactions as well as help protect against the damage to connective tissue and blood vessel walls that inflammation can cause.
Sauerkraut is also a high-fiber food with a ridiculously low number of calories—1 cup of undrained sauerkraut provides almost 6 g of fiber for only 45 calories. It also has 150 percent of the Daily Value for the vitally important bone-building nutrient vitamin K, not to mention generous amounts of calcium, vitamin C, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron. |
| They contain a mega supply of antioxidants known as anthocyanins, as well as fiber and vitamins. They also contain pterostilbene, a powerful antioxidant which is known to fight cancer. And studies with rats show that blueberries improve memory.
4. Eggs: I'm always surprised when books on super-foods omit the incredible egg. What a shame! The egg is the standard for all other foods for protein content. |
| Anti-inflammatory anthocyanins can help dampen allergic reactions as well as help protect against the damage to connective tissue and blood vessel walls that inflammation can cause.
On top of all its phytochemical power, cabbage is a darn good source of everyday vitamins and minerals. It contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, beta-carotene, and even a little of the eye-healthy carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. And let's not forget the fiber. One cup of the cooked stuff gives you almost 4 g of fiber (one cup raw gives you 2 g). |
Thomson Healthcare, Inc.
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| Dysmenorrhea
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanins 320 mg/day taken for 3 days before menstruation was conducted involving 30 patients with chronic primary dysmenorrhea. Significant differences between the active treatment and placebo groups were reported for several symptoms investigated, including nausea and vomiting and breast tenderness. There was no effect on headache (Colombo & Vescovini, 1985). |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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| Strawberries: Contains phenols such as anthocyanins and ellagitannins, which are potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents; they're natural COX-2 inhibitors. Strawberries help improve brain function, reduce macular degeneration, and improve rheumatoid arthritis. The ellagi-tannin helps prevent colon cancer.
7. Raspberries: Contain ellagic acid, quercetin, kaempferol, and other flavonoids that are great antioxidants with anticancer properties; plus, they support eye and cardiovascular health.
8. |
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