New Research: Probiotics May Help to Prevent Neurodegenerative Diseases

I’ve written numerous times about probiotics and their benefits to so many aspects of our health (here’s a good overview on probiotics on our website).

Probiotics help with digestion, the immune system, and reducing antibiotic side effects, though specific strains can be beneficial for IBS, vaginal health, gum disease, and more.

New research has come out linking probiotics and a varied microbiome as a preventative measure against a variety of neurodegenerative diseases.

Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease are scary, since their onset can be unpredictable, and so much is still unknown about these uncurable diseases.

Scientists have begun to link viral infection as a possible cause of various neurodegenerative diseases (here’s a link to research on Pub Med), and have also linked good bacteria in the gut and a varied microbiome as a possibly preventative to the triggering of neurodegenerative diseases.

The colonization of good bacteria in our bodies known as our microbiome is still not yet completely understood, though now scientists are finding far reaching benefits probiotics and of maintaining a thriving and varied microbiome in our bodies, not just for digestion and the immune system, but also for mood, inflammation, and so much more.

Supplementing with probiotics is something I absolutely believe in, particularly when using a quality probiotic with a good potency and a nice variety of different strains. Different strains of probiotics, or good bacteria, work in different ways in the body, so choosing a probiotic supplement with a diverse makeup is always a good idea.

We have just brought in a new probiotic that I wanted to highlight from a company called Vital Planet, that has a line of probiotics available in both refrigerated and shelf stable varieties at high potency. Their probiotics come in a variety of specific formulas, including some formulated specifically for men or women, and contain 60 billion probiotics per capsule from 60 different strains that also include probiotics, to help those good bacteria to thrive in the body. I’ve been using their Women’s Shelf Stable Probiotic and I really like it.

Our Vital Planet Probiotics will be on sale through the month of September for 25% off, so it’s a great time to try them. We also have a limited amount of $3 off coupons at the store, which make it an even better deal, so stop by to check them out!

Supplements to Improve Athletic Performance

Q: I’m planning on running my first half marathon, and as I start training, I was wondering if you had information on supplements that might be helpful as I start increasing my mileage.

A: That’s exciting- congratulations! There definitely are supplements that could help.

The first supplement I’d recommend is CoQ10. CoQ10 is a nutrient that is best known for its benefit for heart health and is a common supplement used for cardiovascular health particularly in the aging population.

CoQ10 is a nutrient produced in the human body that works with the mitochondria in each of our cells. Mitochondria are the energy producers in each of the cells in our body, and CoQ10 works to support those energy producers in our cells. It’s almost like CoQ10 is food for those energy producing organisms, which in turn, helps our cells to run better.

Parts of the body that use the most energy, like the heart and other muscle tissues, have the most mitochondria- remember, the mitochondria are the power plants of a cell. Since CoQ10 supports those cellular power plants, it can help with proper cardiovascular functioning and protecting the heart. For example, CoQ10 is often recommended for congestive heart failure, since it has been shown in research to encourage the heart to run properly and have the energy it needs.

CoQ10 can also be beneficial for athletes or anyone on an exercise regimen, since studies have shown that CoQ10 can increase exercise performance, helping people to be able to exercise longer without fatigue.

CoQ10 has also been researched with positive results for helping to reduce muscle damage and soreness after exercise when used on a regular basis. Most studies used 100mg-200mg of CoQ10 daily, and CoQ10 should be taken with food for best absorbtion.

Omega 3 fatty acids can also be helpful in reducing exercise induced muscle damage and soreness. Omega 3s have also been researched with positive results in helping the muscles to repair themselves after exercise, which can improve performance, especially when on a training regimen.

Omega 3s are known as “essential fatty acids” meaning that they must be obtained through diet or supplements since they are not manufactured by the body. Also, be sure to look for a high potency omega 3 supplement that has a good dose of EPA and DHA (the beneficial parts of omega 3s) per pill, since the amounts of those nutrients in a fish oil pill can vary widely. One we would recommend in particular is Solgar’s Omega 950- each softgel has 504mg of DHA and 378mg of DHA, which are really good amounts. Any fish oil or omega 3 supplement should list the amounts of EPA and DHA they contain on the back of the bottle so you can compare. This one by Solgar is the strongest we’ve found, and I don’t really see why a person would take one that’s less potent, since taking a less potent version just seems like a waste of time.

Omega 3s can also help with brain function, joints, and reducing inflammation throughout the body- all good things. Omega 3s have even been researched for reducing cholesterol and helping cardiovascular function. Here’s an article from our website with more information about Omega 3s.

Another supplement that might help would be panax ginseng, also known as Korean ginseng. Ginseng has been used for thousands of years in Eastern medicine to help with energy and vitality. I personally take ginseng occasionally in a liquid form since it’s a great energy boost. Research has linked panax ginseng use with a reduction of fatigue and enhancement of physical performance, so it might be a supplement worth trying to see if it helps.

Last, I’d say a protein shake is a good idea after exercise. Protein can help the muscles to repair themselves after strenuous exercise, but it’s important to note that there’s a “magic window” of about 45 minutes after exercising, where consuming protein has the most benefit for repairing muscles. Mega doses of protein aren’t necessary- a shake containing around 20mg of protein is ideal. You can make a protein shake into an entire smoothie with the addition of fruits and whatever else in a blender, but generally the easiest thing is just to mix protein powder in a shaker cup with water, which will also equal out to less additional sugar and calories. We have a good selection of protein shakes at the store including many suitable for people with allergies or dietary restrictions.

Finally, since you’re trying to increase the amount you’re running, you may think of investing in a pair of new shoes. The cushioning and support in running shoes does not last forever. We would recommend a running store in Palos Heights called Running for Kicks, which has been voted to be one of the 50 best running stores in the entire United States, and the people there are extremely knowledgeable about running and running shoes.

Good luck, and happy running!

Natural Help for Colitis- Backed by Scientific Research

Q: I have a family member with colitis who has been having a really difficult time. He has awful stomach pains and frequent diarrhea which makes living difficult. Do you have any suggestions of supplements that could make a difference for him?

A:  Colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease with a variety of symptoms which can include extreme weight loss, pain and tenderness in the abdomen, diarrhea and constipation, and loss of appetite. It can be a difficult thing to live with, so thankfully there are a number of science backed supplements that may help with colitis.

The first suggestion would be probiotics, since they help with normalizing digestive functioning and work to crowd out bad bacteria in the digestive tract. There are many different probiotics on the market, but I’d recommend one that is specifically geared towards people with digestive issues called Probi 30 by a company called Solgar. Here is a feature on that probiotic from a previous issue of our newsletter.

They did a study on the specific strain in the Solgar’s Probi probiotic on people with IBS that said that the study found an improvement in 95% of IBS patients who took the specific probiotic strain found in Solgar’s Probi 30. Every participant who took that LP229v strain of probiotics had a reduction in abdominal pain. Another found that the LP229v strain of probiotics reduced intestinal inflammation (linked here).

Another probiotic idea is a probiotic supplement called saccharomyces boulardii. It is a probiotic used for helping with diarrhea from a variety of causes, and is actually taken preventatively for people going to Mexico or on a cruise to prevent diarrhea from bacterial infections. It has been studied with positive results however for colitis (you can see the study here). Of the people with colitis that took the saccharomyces boulardii, 24 patients who completed the study and 17 attained clinical remission, which was confirmed endoscopically.

Both probiotics could be used together, though it may not be a bad idea to take them one at a time to see the results of one over the other. 

Additionally, something that may be helpful is taking aloe vera gel internally. Aloe is very soothing and healing to the entire digestive tract, although the more common aloe vera juice naturally contains an ingredient that can have laxative effects. Aloe gel has the healing effects of the juice without the laxative effect. Here is a link to a placebo controlled study on Pub Med about aloe gel and colitis.

Most people do a ¼ cup of aloe morning and night, though the colitis study linked above gave them 100ml twice a day, which is a little less than half a cup. We have aloe gel at the store that is meant for internal use- it is different from aloe gel in a tube that is meant for topical use.

Something else that may be beneficial, depending on one’s specific issues, are peppermint gels. They can be helpful for reducing intestinal cramping. Here is a link to an article with more information on peppermint gels. Again, it’s talking about for people with IBS, but the benefits could also help with someone dealing with colitis if that is a symptom they’re experiencing. 

Finally, I’d recommend turmeric supplements, and one turmeric supplement in particular by the company Solgar called their Full Spectrum Curcumin. Turmeric is the yellow spice often found in curry powder, and it has strong anti-inflammatory effects. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric, but turmeric contains only 4% curcumin, and even in a curcumin extract, it is difficult for the body to absorb.

This company Solgar has made a curcumin extract that has been shown in research to be absorbed 185 times better than standard curcumin or turmeric supplements, so I would recommend that product specifically. Turmeric and curcumin are great anti-inflammatories and can help with a variety of issues. This curcumin supplement can be especially helpful for inflammatory digestive issues since because it is so well absorbed, it does not need to be in a mega dose, which is good because turmeric or curcumin in high doses can be irritating to the stomach.

In regards to diet, doing an elimination diet may be helpful since different foods can be triggers to digestive problems, which can be different for each person. This link has more information on how to do an elimination diet.

Following a “gastritis diet” may also be helpful, which eliminates all irritating foods from the diet for a time. Doing this can sometimes help calm an irritated digestive tract and help things to get back to normal.

One step further from a gastritis diet would be the BRAT diet, which stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. The BRAT diet uses foods which are very bland and can help with calming the digestive tract.

With all of the above diets, they are not meant as a forever thing, but to be used for a time especially during a flare up of symptoms to help calm and soothe the digestive tract.

Unfortunately with colitis or other inflammatory bowel diseases, sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error to discover what may help. Please stop by the store so we can help you further.

A "Miracle Cure" for Sunburn

Sunburns as an adult are so terrible since we’re not children, we should know better. Still, it happens. I wanted to share about what I now think of as a “miracle cure” for sunburn- I wanted to write about it last month but there just wasn’t room in last month’s newsletter.

In May, Liz and I from the store went to Revival’s Yoga Fest in Palos Heights (if you’re not familiar with them, they’re an amazing yoga studio in Palos Heights with fabulous people). It was an absolutely gorgeous day. We had a booth there outside to talk to the people there about supplements and whatever else. It wasn’t that hot and since it was still May, and Liz forgot to use any sunscreen- she was just there in the morning until just a bit after noon, so generally you wouldn’t think the sun would be that strong at that time anyway.

Well, when I saw her at work the next day, her arms were as red as a tomato and she was in so much pain (as anyone who has been badly sunburned will attest to). She took some of our Sovereign Silver First Aid Gel (which has had research done on its benefit for healing burns) from the store as well as Alba Botanicals After Sun Gel, a favorite of both of ours that mixes aloe with cooling plant extracts that are soothing and healing to the skin.

She alternated using both the First Aid Gel and the aloe gel several times throughout the day on her arms, which she felt were absolutely radiating heat. By the NEXT DAY she said her sunburn was so much better, and then when I saw her the day after that, her sunburn was completely gone, and even more amazingly, she had no peeling whatsoever from where her skin was damaged.

To be honest with you, if I had not seen what happened with her sunburn with my own eyes, I would not have believed it. It was literally like a miracle, particularly since I saw how red her arms were in the beginning.

So, first I would definitely recommend using sunscreen if you’re going to be outside, obviously. If the worst happens, and you do forget and find yourself sunburned, I would definitely recommend using this combination. I actually just picked up a bottle of the First Aid Gel by Sovereign Silver to have in the house just in case.

Aloe in general is of course wonderful, but the After Sun Gel by Alba is really worth having- I feel like it’s less sticky and gloppy than other aloe gels I’ve used. In addition to the aloe, their After Sun Gel also contains green tea extract which has been shown in studies to help repair sun damaged skin when used topically as well as probiotics, which have been shown in research to help to reduce skin sensitivity and redness from sun damage when used topically.

New Heart Health Research

 I’ve come across a couple new heart health studies that I wanted to share. Heart health isn’t a “trending” subject when it comes to supplements, but is really important when you consider that heart disease still remains the number one cause of death in the United States. Below are two supplements that are not traditionally thought of as things for heart health, but that have been researched lately with interesting results.

Beets and beet juice have been popular lately, and a new study confirms their benefits for heart health and increasing blood flow. The study followed people with something called reduced ejection fraction, which means that the heart isn’t contracting effectively and is not providing enough oxygen rich blood to the body. It’s a condition often seen with heart failure and can impact activity since your heart literally is not working to circulate enough oxygen needed for body and brain function.

In the study, the people using the beet juice supplement had significant increases in oxygen uptake during exercise and they were able to exercise longer and remain more active. Frequently athletes will take beet juice supplements for this reason, though the benefits can be seen for most adults, particularly older adults or people with heart issues. The nice thing about supplementing with a beet juice supplement is that there are no negative side effects. Beets are also a fantastic antioxidant

Another study on calcium found that people with lower levels of calcium in the blood had increased rates of sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is fatal in 90 percent of cases and the majority of people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest had no history of heart disease or other high risk warning signs.

Calcium is a tricky thing since it’s necessary for the body, but too much can also be a problem. Calcium supplements should always be taken in divided doses of no more than 500mg at a time, since that is all the body can absorb at once. Also, not all calcium supplements are created equal, so be sure you’re taking a well absorbing form.

Natural Help for Perimenopause and Hormone Balance

This month I wanted to write about a supplement that Sarah at the store uses and loves- DIM + CDG by Jarrow. That’s a lot of letter abbreviations, but they stand for Diindolylmethane, an extract from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, and Calcium D-Glucarate a nutrient found in fruit. So I guess it’s definitely easier to just use the letters.

DIM + CDG is an amazing supplement to help with hormone balance, specifically that it helps your body to be able to balance its own hormones correctly. It can be helpful for women of all ages with hormone related issues, but Sarah has found that it really helps her with regulating her emotions during perimenopause- she actually calls it her “anti-crazy pill”. Jarrow was out of stock of it for a while due to manufacturing issues, and during that time that she didn’t take it, she said she could really feel a difference.

She has said that for her, during perimenopause, she has been feeling “irrationally emotional”, some days going back and forth between crying and laughing and then crying again. She says she sees a huge difference between the times she has been using the supplement and the times when she hasn’t.

DIM, or diindolylmethane, is a supplement that can help the body to balance its own hormones better. It’s not a hormone supplement, but rather, it helps the body to balance the natural estrogens that can form in women’s bodies to achieve better hormone balance and to reduce the negative effects of hormone imbalance so common in perimenopause and menopause. One of the ways those hormone imbalances manifest themselves is in mood swings, which are extremely common in women in the throes or perimenopause.

This supplement by Jarrow is so nice in part because it combines DIM’s hormone balancing action with a supplement called CDG, which actually works as a sort of hormone cleanse, detoxing the body from negative forms of estrogen and working to remove excess estrogens from the body. It’s due to these actions that CDG has been found to be able to reduce the risk of hormone related cancers. GDC and DIM also have a synergistic effect on women’s hormones, working together to be more effective than either product taken alone.

Sarah says she felt like she could feel the DIM + CDG working from within the first week, though each woman’s experience may be slightly different due to their own unique hormone makeup. Still, it’s a supplement that we definitely recommend for hormone related issues for women of all ages, since I think everyone would benefit from a little hormone balance. Plus they’re in easy to swallow capsules that are in a one-a-day formula. Also this month our Jarrow DIM + CDG will be on sale for 25% off, so it’s a great time to try it to see if it works for you!

A New Approach for Managing GERD and Heartburn

This month I wanted to write about a unique and little known supplement for heartburn and GERD. Digestive enzymes, probiotics, and DGL licorice are all helpful for managing GERD, but there is another supplement ingredient I’ve discovered and have been doing some research on which I believe could be a great help for GERD and heartburn sufferers.

The ingredient I’m talking about is called alginate, also known as algenic acid. It’s an extract from brown algae that absorbs many times its weight in liquid, making a natural gel substance. When that algae gel is combined with natural buffers like sodium bicarbonate and calcium carbonate and used after a meal, it is actually able to make a gel-like raft that blocks acid reflux into the esophagus.

When the alginate reaches the acids in the stomach, it makes a pliable gel. At the same time, the calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate (also known as baking soda) produce bubbles in the algae gel which make it rise to the top of the stomach, so it is literally floating on top of the contents of your stomach.

By making this floating stomach acid raft, it prevents those stomach acids from coming back up the esophagus, which is what happens in acid reflux, GERD, and heartburn.

It sounds a little strange, and but if you think about it, it makes sense. One of the main reasons so many people suffer from acid reflux is that naturally as we age, the muscle at the bottom of the esophagus known as the esophageal sphincter can weaken, so it doesn’t close all the way. When this happens, it allows acid to begin to travel back up the esophagus from the stomach, causing pain and damage over time.

When this gel raft is formed, it can last several hours in the body (which means that it is effective for that amount of time) before passing through the intestines and being digested like any other fiber.

Research has been done on alginate and its gel barrier method for preventing acid reflux, and when compared with PPIs, other acid blocking drugs, and antacids, it’s been found superior in both safety and effectiveness (here’s a link the abstract of one of those studies on Pub Med). There are no side effects, drug interactions, or toxicity that has been found from using this method since you are not actually taking a drug or anything that is necessarily changing what the body naturally does, but are just preventing acid from going where it shouldn’t be going anyway. It’s very much like fencing a dog in your yard- you aren’t stopping Fido from doing whatever he likes to do in your yard, you’re just preventing him from running in the street.

This alginate combination has been the subject of over fourteen different studies as well as a meta-analysis that examined each of the studies done on these nutrients at Duke University. The results showed that the alginate based supplement was more effective than placebo or antacids. In the studies, the people who took the alginate supplement were 4.42 times more likely to have a complete resolution of their symptoms than the placebo group.

I don’t know why alginate based supplements aren’t more well known, since the research is sound, but I’m happy to be able to share the information I’ve come across, since I think it could help a lot of people.

The supplement we’ve found that has this impressive alginate combination that we carry at the store is called Nutrisec by a company called Nature’s Plus. It’s a chewable tablet that is meant to be taken after a meal or 30 minutes before bedtime to prevent reflux when lying down to sleep at night, which is a very common issue for people with GERD. If you use it before bed, wait a half hour before laying down so the raft has time to get into place so it can work properly.

I’d very much recommend trying it, especially since it has been shown to cause no harm, and that it seems like something that might really help if you’re dealing with acid reflux, GERD, or heartburn. It’s definitely worth a try!

Free Supplement Consultations

We wanted to offer a free service to our customers to go over your supplement regimen with you, letting  you know what each supplement does and possibly paring down your supplements to a more manageable list.

We have done this with several of our customers now who have been really pleased with the result, so we wanted to offer this service to a wider audience. We have found that many of the people we speak to can have lots of supplements that they have bought from different sources over the years, and over time can not even remember why they wanted to take it. Also, even though we love every supplement we have at the store, realistically, a person can’t take a hundred different pills a day, so we would be happy to sit down with you to go over your supplements to help you choose which are really important.

Please call or email us so we can set up a day to sit down with you (we ask that you schedule it with us in advance just to make sure that we can block out that time for you). Feel free to bring a supplement list, or even better, to bring the actual bottles (especially if you may have products purchased at other places, so we can go over the ingredient lists) so we can help you to make your supplement regimen the best it can be, and also something that can be managed long term.

New Favorites! New Probiotics & Collagen Peptide Powder

We have two new products this month that I wanted to highlight since they’re both fantastic and a great value (and are both on sale this month).

The first are a new line of shelf stable probiotics by Nature’s Plus. They have both men’s and women’s formulas at a potency of 60 billion per capsule- the highest shelf stable potency we’ve found. They’re amazing probiotics, and they’re also a really good value- much less expensive than others we’d found previously. Also, we have them on sale for 20% off for the month of March, so it’s an even better deal!  They also have a great kid’s shelf stable probiotic that we would recommend that has a 7 billion per capsule potency- again, the highest potency we’ve seen for a kid’s shelf stable probiotic, and for a great price. We’d definitely recommend trying them!

The next product I wanted to mention is a new Collagen Peptide Powder by Nature’s Plus. I’ve written about collagen previously (here’s the link) and how its beneficial for so many things including joints, bones, digestion, and skin. Out body’s collagen production starts to slow after age 18, and lack of collagen is easily seen in our skin as we age, but the effects are just as pronounced inside out bodies.

The trouble with collagen is that there are several different types, with different benefits for each. Most collagen supplements focus on just one type, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but just would only have that one benefit rather than the full spectrum of benefits.

The nice (and unique) thing about this new collagen peptide supplement is that it contains all the major forms of collagen, so  you’re getting all the benefits collagen has, not just one. Previously you had to take bone broth to get the full spectrum and full benefits of all the types of collagen, and while I do like bone broth, sometimes you don’t want to drink a cup of chicken or beef broth every day. This new collagen peptide powder by Nature’s Plus is especially nice since it’s completely tasteless in a glass of water. It can also be easily added to foods or smoothies. This collagen from Nature’s Plus uses collagen from the best possible sources- grass fed beef, sustainably caught fish, and cage free chicken. The collagen is also in a hydrolyzed form, which means that the particles are broken down into small “peptides” that are easy to digest and absorb, since as with all supplements, the thing that matters is what your body is actually absorbing that makes the difference.

Both the new collagen peptide powder and the new shelf stable probiotics by Nature’s Plus are on sale for 20% off, so it’s a great time to try them, and I just want to reiterate that both of these products are such a good value, even if they weren’t on sale. Be sure to check them out!

The Many Scientifically Researched Benefits of Black Seed Oil

I wanted to write about Black Seed Oil, also known as Black Cumin Seed Oil, since it has been gaining in popularity, though it seems to have a vagueness that surrounds it as to what it actually does.

Most articles on black seed oil seem to say that it’s “cures everything”, a claim that always makes me extremely skeptical since it brings to mind the unscrupulous snake oil salesmen of the last century.

The more I looked into black seed oil, however, I found that there has been study after study done on its benefits, with great results. Research has found it to have beneficial effects on so many different aspects of health, including metabolic syndrome (a condition characterized by excess weight and high blood sugar), high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, respiratory health, skin conditions, and more. It’s impressive due to the sheer volume of studies that have been done that have shown benefit for so many vastly different things.

Here’s a link to a review on Black Seed Oil studies.

This is another review on the researched benefits of black cumin seeds.

One of my favorite benefits for black seed oil is its effect on the immune system. One of black seed oil’s natural compounds is thymoquinone, a potent immune booster that strengthens and activates the immune system’s T-cells (the white blood cells that help to identify harmful invaders like bacteria and viruses). Research has shown black seed to have antibacterial and antiviral effects against a number of infectious diseases including strep and h. pylori bacteria and viruses like hepatitis and even HIV. That isn’t to say that black seed oil is necessarily a cure-all for those conditions, but that it has been found to have beneficial antibacterial and antiviral effects against those diseases.

In addition to immune boosting effects, black seed oil has further benefits to the respiratory system itself, including being extremely helpful for asthma patients. In one study, people with asthma used black seed oil daily for three months and experienced impressive benefits in respiratory functioning and a reduction in asthma symptoms.

The interesting thing about black seed oil is that it does not just seem to have immune boosting effects, but rather has shown to have an immune modulating activity- boosting the immune system when needed, but also helping to calm down the excessive immune response seen in autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis. One placebo controlled study on rheumatoid arthritis found that women who took black seed twice daily for a month found a reduction in their symptoms of RA.

Black seed oil also appears to have protective effects for a number of the body’s different systems and organs, reducing destructive, toxic effects on the brain, liver, lungs cardiovascular system, and the digestive tract. This article has more in-depth information on the significant protection black seed has from toxic damage from a variety of sources (scroll down to about halfway through to read more about black seed oil’s beneficial protective effects).

Black seed oil can also have beneficial effects on eczema and psoriasis and for those conditions can be taken both internally and used topically for relief.

I feel like I’ve gone on and on already about the benefits of black seed oil, but in truth, there are so many more and I’ve only mentioned a few. Black seed oil has a long history of use for a variety of ailments. It is native to the Middle East and Africa, and has been mentioned in both the Old Testament and the Quran. The prophet Muhammad is even quoted as saying, “Use the Black Seed for indeed, it is a cure for all diseases except death.” Suffice it to say that it has a long history of impressive benefits and use- even back to the time of the Egyptians!

The black seed oil we recommend is by a company called Talya. As many of you know, we’re particular about the brands and products we carry. We chose this brand of black seed oil specifically since it has the highest amount of the beneficial active ingredients in black seed oil and is unrefined and cold pressed. Also, Talya does third party testing on each batch of black seed oil for potency and to make sure that it is free from pesticides, herbicides, as well as other chemicals and contaminants. Talya’s black seed oil meets France’s standards for “Eco Certification” and is in the process of undergoing organic certification processes by the USDA.

The recommended dosages for black seed oil is one teaspoon twice daily for preventative health or two teaspoons twice daily, up to as much as six teaspoons a day (in divided doses) for acute needs or for recovering from an illness.

Black seed oil should be taken with food to help absorption and it’s also important to shake the bottle vigorously before using it, since its beneficial compounds can separate when the bottle sits.

We will have a representative in the store on Saturday, March 9th from 10-2 to offer samples of our Talya black seed oil and to offer further information. Be sure to stop by!