The idea of immortality has persisted for a long time. In fact, one of the oldest literary works is a poem called the "Epic of Gilgamesh" which follows a king in his quest for immortality. This is a Sumerian
poem dating back to 2100 BC. Even today many of the biggest influences of society are searching for a way to achieve immortality or at least prolong life as long as possible. People like Ray Kurzweil, Peter Thiel (Pay-Pal co-founder), and Sergey Brin (Google co-founder) to name a few.
mImmortal is a formula of tonic herbs that are known as adaptogens. Keeping the organs that filter and clean the body in tip-top shape is a big contributor to longevity. That is why you will notice a common theme with these herbs. Liver and kidney health go a long way when it comes to one's health. Let's start off with the liver. It is basically the filter for the blood, but it doesn't end there. It makes bile which is necessary for the breakdown of fats, produces immune factors, removes bacteria from the blood, regulates blood clotting, and metabolizes compounds just to touch on the high points. Now for the kidney. Not only does it remove waste and excess fluids, but it also regulates salts and potassium. It also makes hormones that regulate blood pressure and red blood cell production. Let's look into how the
mImmortal formula helps these organs and much more!
Adaptogens
First off we mentioned that all the herbs in the
mImmortal formula are what are known as adaptions. At this point, you might be asking yourself "what is an adaptogen?". If you already know what the concept of an adaptogen is, then give yourself a pat on the back. For the rest of us let me explain. Adaptogens are taken to stabilize physiological processes within the body. The herbs must also be non-toxic. This mainly deals with stress and the changes in hormones that come along with it. In Chinese medicine, managing stress is looked at as more important than diet. With all the biological changes associated with stress its easy to see how they came to this conclusion. Even Psychology Today called cortisol, the hormone associated with stress, "public enemy number 1"! The first step to becoming immortal, or at least increasing longevity, is dealing with stress. These 8 adaptogens will do just that.
Astragalus
This might be my favorite herb in this mix, and that is why we are talking about this one first. This herb has been used in Chinese Medicine for thousands of years, and for good reason. There is strong evidence that it is protective against heart disease, that it helps with anemia, kidney disease, among a whole host of other ailments, but none of those reasons are why its my favorite. The reason it is my favorite is because it contains a compound called astragaloside iv. This compound has been shown to increase an enzyme called telomerase which elongate telomeres.
DNA from degrading. When a cell divides something called telomere erosion occurs. To put it another way the telomeres get shorter. In the study of senescence, literally the science of aging, telomere shortening is one of the major factors of cell aging. That being said it seems like a no-brainer why one would want to add this herb to their regime.
Telomeres are at the end of our chromosomes and stop
Bupleurum
Bupleurum is one of the lesser known herbs in this formula, but not from lack of medicinal benefits. The herb has over 2,000 years of documented use in Chinese medicine. This herb has been shown to help especially with the condition of hypothyroidism and the associated organ damage. Bupleurum enhances the livers antioxidant defense system. One other health aspect that comes with use of this herb is its immunomodulatory effects. This means that it affects the function of the immune system. Similarly to the pharmaceuticals methotrexate or azathioprine it stimulates the formation of antibodies or inhibits white blood cell activity depending on what is needed. This herb also helps with depression and anxiety symptoms, so if you're going for longevity you might as well be happy and stress-free as well!
Reishi
Reishi is a tree mushroom with many attributed benefits. In China, Japan, and other Asian Countries the mushroom is referred to as "the mushroom of immortality", so it's fitting that it is in
mImmortal. Studies show that it has nootropic effects, protects the kidneys, liver, and the lungs, strengthens the lining of the gut, and has anticancer properties. Not only all that, but it also helps one rest and relax. The mushroom does this through a GABAergic action. The mushroom stimulates the benzodiazepine site on a GABA-A receptor. This is the same mode of action that pharmaceuticals like Xanax, Klonopin, and Valium have. One study showed that reishi significantly decreased what is referred to as sleep latency. This is the time it takes to fall asleep. The same study also shows that total sleep time is increased. A big part of staying young and stress-free is good sleep.
White Atractylodes
Next up is an herb that has commonly been used in traditional Chinese medicine, but never became popular in the states, White Atractylodes. We can go ahead check off that it is a kidney tonic. There hasn't been a whole lot of clinical studies with this herb. The few studies that have been done show that the herb is good for inflammation and helps with obesity. Let's look into how it helps with obesity. First of it slows what is referred to as "gastric emptying". This is the rate at which food leaves the stomach. This helps prevent blood sugar spikes. The same reason cinnamon is recommended for diabetes. Next, it inhibits the pancreatic enzymes referred to as lipase. Lipase enzymes are involved in fat metabolism. They break the ingested fats down to smaller compounds to be absorbed. If they are never broken down then they aren't absorbed.
He Shou Wu
He Shou Wu, often called Fo Ti, has been used in Chinese medicine as a liver and kidney tonic for hundreds if not thousands of years. It is even classified as a superior tonic herb. The classification of superior tonic herbs consists of only about 60 of the best herbs in Chinese Medicine. This might not seem too impressive until you realize that there are over 10,000 different herbs in Chinese Medicine. Along with its liver and kidney benefits modern studies have shown that he shou wu will increase red blood cell count, has anti-inflammatory properties, anti-tumor activity, and protects against neurodegenerative diseases to name a few. With its aid to the liver, it seems to help with what is referred to as dyslipidemia. This basically means that it lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL cholesterol as well as lowering triglycerides.
Codonopsis
For being a lesser known herb, at least in America, the codonopsis plant has been fairly well studied. In the last thirty years, there have been more than 100 different compounds identified from the plant. Like most the other herbs on this list it is a liver protectant, even protecting against alcohol-induced fatty liver disease. Also like most herbs on this list, it has anti-tumor and anti-diabetic activity. One thing that differentiates codonopsis from the other herbs in this formula is that it enhances neuron regeneration. It does this in a few ways. The first is that it enhances the activity of a neuropeptide called Nerve growth factor. Codonopsis also activates Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) pathways without any of the negative side effects associated with IGF-1. Keep in mind it has anti-tumor activity. To top it off it also increases both the bodies primary antioxidants, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione.
Salvia
The next herb we will be discussing is salvia. Salvia is part of the sage family and it is the root that has been traditionally used in Chinese Medicine. As time went on this herb has gone from being a rarely used herb to one that is more commonly used. With studies done by western medicine, the plant's medicinal benefits have become well documented. Conditions that salvia has shown to be beneficial for include depression, memory, dementia, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol, and cancer to name a few. One thing in particular that salvia has been shown to help with is hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. One of the best aspects of this herb is that there is no known negative side effects related to its use.
Prepared Rehmannia
Last, but not least, we get to prepared Rehmannia. As you might of guessed this is a great tonic herb for your kidneys. The herb has over 2000 years of recorded use, and one of the oldest recorded conditions it was used for was diabetes. Even studies from modern times show that it is beneficial for this condition. Speaking of modern studies a recent study done with 34 cases of chronic anemia had a 85.3% effectiveness rate in treating the condition. One other study on Parkinson's Disease showed that the herb was "clinically effective" in treating the condition. This herb will not only add to your longevity, but it will keep you sharp during the process.
mImmortal is most easily used by putting a few dropper fulls into a cup of water, tea, or even into your mBreakfast, but it can be taken straight. So if you think you could get some benefit from
mImmortal give it a try as I know that everyone could benefit from its liver and kidney supporting and protecting effects.
As always, say YES to YOUR health!
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3370421/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4815611/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/22877566/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22450800
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3410357/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/17383716/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19939212/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6147796
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25066389
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17869038
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24687739
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12499077
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4471648/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20387231
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26931614
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20041784
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4287686/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24860730
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003706/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4146199/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11477910
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24041459/