Supporting Your Cardiovascular Health When Fulfilling New Year Resolutions

Many of us make resolutions and aim to fulfil them in the new year. Some of us may set goals to improve our physical health, for example to exercise more or lose weight. It usually involves getting your heart pumping & putting your cardiovascular system to work.

In addition to a healthy diet, there are certain supplements which can give that little extra support to easier achieve such goals.

Berberine

Berberine is an alkaloid chemical compound with a strong yellow color. It’s documented use as a health remedy suggests it was used in China already around 3,000 BC [1].

Modern research has observed berberine to have beneficial effects for the health of the cardiovascular & metabolic systems [2]*:

• It can contribute to lowering cholesterol: A study on 32 patients with elevated cholesterol levels showed berberine contributed to, on average, lowering total (serum) cholesterol by ca -29% and LDL-cholesterol by -25% [3].A double-blind placebo-controlled study on 116 type 2 diabetes patients given 1g/day of berberine corroborated these results, noting an on average LDL-cholesterol decrease of ca 21%[4]*.
• It may help controlling weight: A 2019 study on 10 patients with diagnosed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease showed berberine helped to control weight by increasing and activating the so called brown adipose tissue [5].*
• It may contribute to lowering blood sugars: The latter study on 116 type 2 diabetes patients observedblood glucose levels were on average seen to decrease by ca -20% (haemoglobin, HbA1c, by ca -12%) [4].*

In addition to the above, berberine has also been shown to possess liver-protective [6] & anti-bacterial properties [7].

Berberine occurs naturally in Chinese goldthread (Coptis chinensis), which is a cornerstone ingredient in our BerberinEx™ formula.* Read more about BerberinEx™ in our catalogue.

Our BerberineEx™ formula is a balanced combination of herbs designed to support healthy blood glucose & lipid levels.*

Red Sage

Sage (Salvia) may be a familiar sight in the kitchen, where its leaves can add delicious flavor to e.g. fish dishes. It’s lesser known cousin, Red sage (Chinese sage, or Salvia miltiorrhiza) is on the other hand more prominent in the medicine cabinet. 

Native to China & Japan with purple leaves, it has featured for centuries as a remedy for cardiovascular issues in traditional Chinese herbal medicine under the name danshen [1].

Salvia miltiorrhiza has been studied in a modern, clinical context over the past decades, not least in regard to its beneficial effects on cardiovascular health [8,9]*:

• It may help protect blood vessels: Laboratory studies on human cells have shown S. miltiorrhiza protected the endothelium, the inside lining of blood vessels, from homocysteine (an amino acid usually associated with meat consumption) [10].*
• It may contribute to controlling hypertension: A double-blind, placebo-controlled study on 55 patients with uncontrolled mild to medium hypertension were given 1g of S. miltiorrhiza twice daily. The active group noted significant reductions in blood pressure and a decrease in pulse rate [11].*

We have included Salvia miltiorrhiza in our NO MAXX™ formula because of its potential support to health of the  cardiovascular system.* Read more about NO MAXX™ in our catalogue.

Our NO MAXX™ formula contains Salvia miltiorrhiza & other cardio-protective herbs.*

Scientific References

[1] Yang S. The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica, A Translation of the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing. Blue Poppy Enterprises, Inc.; 1998.

[2] Feng X, Sureda A, Jafari S, et al. Berberine in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases: From Mechanisms to Therapeutics. Theranostics. 2019;9(7):1923-1951.

[3] Kong W, Wei J, Abidi P, et al. Berberine is a novel cholesterol-lowering drug working through a unique mechanism distinct from statins. Nat Med. 2004;10(12):1344-51.

[4] Zhang Y, Li X, Zou D, et al. Treatment of type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia with the natural plant alkaloid berberine. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008;93(7):2559-65.

[5] Wu L, Xia M, Duan Y, et al. Berberine promotes the recruitment and activation of brown adipose tissue in mice and humans. Cell Death Dis. 2019;10(6):468.

[6] Chang X, Wang Z, Zhang J, et al. Lipid profiling of the therapeutic effects of berberine in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. J Transl Med. 2016;14:266.

[7] Muluye RA, Bian Y, Alemu PN. Anti-inflammatory and Antimicrobial Effects of Heat-Clearing Chinese Herbs: A Current Review. J Tradit Complement Med. 2014;4(2):93–98.

[8] Su CY, Ming QL, Rahman K, Han T, Qin LP. Salvia miltiorrhiza: Traditional medicinal uses, chemistry, and pharmacology. Chin J Nat Med. 2015;13(3):163-82.

[9] Chen W, Chen G. Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge): A Prospective Healing Sage for Cardiovascular Diseases. Curr Pharm Des. 2017;23(34):5125-5135.

[10] Chan K, Chui SH, Wong DY, Ha WY, Chan CL, Wong RN. Protective effects of Danshensu from the aqueous extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) against homocysteine-induced endothelial dysfunction. Life Sci. 2004;75(26):3157-71.

[11] Yang TY, Wei JC, Lee MY, Chen CM, Ueng KC. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of Fufang Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) as add-on antihypertensive therapy in Taiwanese patients with uncontrolled hypertension. Phytother Res. 2012;26(2):291-8.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. The product does not intend to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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