AGE EXTENDERS: HEALING HERBS
Protecting against aging. Sometimes it seems like everybody’s anti this or anti that. Well, that holds true for some herbal remedies, too. Grape seed, for example, is antioxidant. Oxidation is basically the body’s equivalent of rust, at the cellular level. It tears down, weakens, and ultimately kills cells that make up our skin and tissues-a process associated with aging and degenerative diseases. Antioxidants, which are found mainly in fruits and vegetables, help counter the cellular wear and tear. How much grape seed should you use? Follow the instructions on the label, says Dr. Tyler.
Ending constipation, reducing cholesterol, guarding against colon cancer. All you have to do is drink slime. That’s right. Nice, slimy psyllium in water. Take it flavored or unflavored. Take it as raw husks (which you’ll find at the health food store) or as ground-up seeds like those contained in the commercial preparation called Metamucil (which you’ll find in the supermarket, along with less-expensive generic versions). Use psyllium daily, says Dr. Tyler, with water and other liquids. Lots of liquid-that’s key. This bulking fiber, used daily or more often, gently pushes wastes through the intestinal tract. “It acts like a giant sponge going through the gut, swabbing it out. And it tends to remove carcinogens before they can have much effect,” Dr. Tyler says. As an extra added bonus, psyllium can cut cholesterol, too. For regularity, though, you have to use it, um, regularly. Follow the instructions on the label.
Feeling mote vital. Studies show that taking ginseng, along with a multivitamin, lifts spirits and, in general, makes a man feel better, Dr. Tyler says. It’s a tonic. Of the many products on the market, the concentration of ginsenosides may vary. Buy a standardized extract that contains 4 percent of the active ingredient ginsenosides, and follow the dosage on the label, he says.
An herb called Siberian ginseng, which really is not a member of the true ginseng family, works similarly, says Terry Willard, Ph.D., herbalist. Dr. Willard suggests taking from 500 to 1,000 milligrams of Siberian ginseng twice daily.
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