About some of the ingrediets in these herbal supplements.

Here is a presentation of some of the ingredients in these natural drugs, and the effects of these substances realted to the objective of the drugs.

Butcher's Broom (Ruscus aculeatus) - Butcher's broom helps the veins to contract and thereby reduces the blood pooling in veins. It also has a protective effect on capillaries, vascular endothelium, and smooth muscle.

Caffeine - Caffeine increasees break-down of fat and sugar to yield energy and thereby helps to loose weight, without an increase in blood pressure, pulse, or other adverse events.

Cayenne - Cayenne stimulates tissue healing and regeneration. It further stimulates the work of the heart and blood circulation.

Chromium - Chromium is a co-factor in enzymes used by the metabolism of glucose. It is therefor a needed factor in the bodily apparatus that burns glucose to yield enrgy.

Citrus Aurantium Extract (Bitter orange ) - This herbal drug increases the release of energy by breaking down and eliminating fat and sugar, but does not increase the blood pressure or heart rate as for example effedra. It therefore has many of the wanted effects of effedra, but not the side effects. One main working substance in the herb is synephrine.

CLA - CLA is a trans fat acid that is naturally produced in the stomach of cows by the naturally occuring bacterial flora. CLA increases eliminatin of fat and helps normalize an abnormal appetite.

Coleus Forskohlii - The roots of this Indian plan contains forscoline that have these actions: Increased insulin secretion, Increased thyroid function, Inhibition of mast cell degranulation and histamine release, Increased force of contraction of heart muscle,Relaxation of the arteries and other smooth muscles, Inhibition of platelet activation. These basic actions will cause higher metabolism and elimination of fat, decreased inflammatory reactions in the vascular system, better blood flow and lighter burden for the heart.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10, Q10, vitamin Q10, ubiquinone, or ubidecarenone) - This molecule is a working tool in many enzymes, especially enzymes used to brek down nitrients to yield energy. It also work as an anti-oxidant. Especially the heart is rich in CoQ10. The concentration of the substance tend to decrease by age. Supplement of CoQ10 may help against damage of heart tissue.

Folic acid - This is a vitamine in the B-group that is a necessary tool in the syntesis of proteins, and thus it is necessary for tissue repair. In combination with vitamin B6 pyridoxine and vitamin B12 cyancobalamine it reduces the homocysteine concentration in the blood and thus reduces the chance of heart problems.

Gum guggul - the resin from the bush Commiphora wightii (Commiphora mucul) - Gum gugul is the resin of the bush or tree Commiphora mucul. This is a flowering bush or thee of the family Burceraceae growing in Africa, Central Asia and especially India. Guggulipid, an extract of the resin from the plant is used in herbal remedies against heart disease. The extract helps to lower the cholesterole level and to hinder atherosclerosis. The remedy has a long usage in ajurvedic medicine. Combined with other herbs it has traditionally been used for treatment of arthritis, skin problems, neural pain, over-weight, digestive ailments, infections in the mouth and menstrual disturbances.

Garlic (Allium sativum) - Garlic helps to prevent or fight infections by an anti-microbial action. It stimulates the immunes system. It also stimulate tissue healing. It helps to lower blood sugar concentration and the concentration of homocysteine. These basic effects give it a beneficial effect on the heart and blood circulation.

Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) - Gotu kola has shown in clinical studies of CVI patients to improve the structure of the tissues that supports veins, decrease lower leg edema and improve circulation in the lower parts of the legs. It appears to effectivize metabolism in the connective tissue of the vessel walls, thus speeding up repair. Constituents like triterpenoids in gotu kola seem to be the working substances in this herb.

Glucomannant - Glocomanan is a water-solluble polysaccharide with long fibrous molecules. It seems to be helpful for constipation by speeding the fecal transit time. It reduces an abnormal appetite by inducing a feeling of satiety. It reduces the content of cholesterole, low density lipoprotein and fat in the blood.

Grape seed (Vitis vinifera) - Extracts of grape seeds contain proanthocyanidins and procyanadins, which strengthen the connective tissue structure of blood vessels and have antioxidant effects. Clinical studies of an extract of Folia vitis viniferae in CVI showed significant improvements in the subjective feelings of heavy/tired legs, sensation of tension in the legs, tingling sensations in the legs and pain in the legs, as well as reductions in leg circumference and improved microvascular blood flow.

Green Tea Extract - Green tea increases the metabolism and burning of fat to yield energy, and therefore helps eliminate excessive body fat.

Guarana Extract - This supplement is extracted from the seeds of Paullinia cupana. The natural drug delays gastric emptying and thus reduces appetite and the amount of food eaten daily.

Hawthorne berries - Hawthorn makes the muscles in the walls of veins and arteries more efficient to contract and relax at the right time, thus making the blood circulation more efficient, and lessening the burden on the heart. It has the same effect upon the digestive system so that the digestice work also goes more smoothly.

Hordenine (N,N-Dimethyltyramine) - This alcaloide produced by certain cactae have antibacterial or antibiotic properties.Hordenine seems to increase metabolism by inducing higher production of norepinephrine, a hormone that acts central stimulating.

Hoodia Cordonii - This is a south african shrub that resambles a cactus. The meat of the fleshy stems contains a substance, the glycoside p57. that reduces appetite by inhibiting the appetite centre in the brain. Because the plant must have flowered before the active substance appears, and this takes at least 5 years, and because the plant is rear, the substance is rather expensive.The San tribe (Khoi-San) has used the plant for centuries as a means to suppress appetite on long hunting trips.

Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) - Horse chestnut helps to renormalize the collagen fibre structure of the connective tissues in veins. It seems to relieve symptoms of CVI, which sometimes lead to varicose veins. The active component, aescin, acts against edema, inflammation and helps increase venous tonus.

Iron - iron is used as a working ingredients in many active substances in the body. It is a part of the haeme-group in the protein haemoglobin that holds oxygen during transportation in the blood. It is also a part of the enzymes called cytocromes that transports the energy from food sunstances broken down and deliver the energy to the producten of the substance ATP. ATP is the energy-rich substance used directly in all work within the body.

L-Arginine - The amino acid L-arginine is the precursor of nitrogen oxid, an important tissue hormone that relaxes blood vessels. This action of L-arginine improves the blood flow. L-arginine also works as an anti-oxidant that protects tissue from damage. Furthermore, L-arginine reduces the inflammatory responce, and also thereby can help to reduce damage of the blood vessels and the heart. It also increases the healing rate of connective tissue from damage. The sum of these actions are more elastic blood vessels and improved blood flow. However, findings suggest that taking L-arginine right after a heart attack can worsen the condition. Therefore supplements containing l-arginine should be taken only to prevent heart attack.

Magnesium - Lack of magnesium seems to dispose for diabetes type 2, even for children and young persons. Obese persons often lack magnesium and this seem to increase the risk of getting heart and circulatory aiments.

Nattokinase - This is an enzyme found in soy product natto that has the ability to help the body to dissolve blod clots.

Pinnothin - This extract from the Korean Pine Nut tree Pinus koraenisis, contains pinolenic acid which helps reduce appetite by stimulating the release of the appetite controlling hormone cholecystokinin.

Potassium - This is an element that is very important for the propagation of nerve signals, signals within the heart and the contraction of muscles, inlcuding the heart muscle. The diet of many people tend to be depleted for potassium, and have to much sodium. Not only the amount of potassium is important for the health, but also the balance between the amount of potassium and sodium. A too low potassium intake and a too high sodium intake tend to cause high blood pressure and increase the chance for coronary heart disease.

Soy phytosterole complex - Phytosterols are organic compound with cyclic molecules occuring in plants, resambling cholesterols. They are structural and working components of cell membranes of plant cells. They lower blood and total body cholesterole, they improve the balance betwen HDL and LDL lipoproteins, and seem to help prevent cancer.

Selenium - Selenium is an element used as a part of many enzymes in the body. Especially does it occur in the enzyme glutation peroxidase that protects body cells against attack from peroxides. This emzyme is especially important in the blood vessel walls. In many areas the diet has a low selenium content. This increases the chance of getting diseases related to damage of the vessel walls in the heart and elsewhere, for example coronary heart disease.

Synephrine - Synephrine is an aromatic base. It increases the catabolic breakdown of fat and sugar giving energy and heat without the side effect of ephedrine. It is primarily derived from the citrus species Citruse Aurantium, also called Bitter Orange, Sour Orange, and Zhishi

Vannadium celate - Vannadium is an element, one of the heavy metals. In a celate, the vanadium ions are combined with a claw-like organic molecule (EDTA) that eases its transportation. Vanadium seems to improve the burning of glucose and to help normalizes blood glucose levels.

Tri-methyl-glycine - This is a methylated derivate of the amino acid glycine. It is used in cheical ractions in the body where methyl groups are added to other molecules. For example is it used in the betaine homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) reaction which converts homocysteine to methionine. Thus this molecule can help to bring down the homocysteine level in the body, and this may help againts heart- and circulatory risks.

Vitmin C (ascorbic acid) - Vitamine C is a necessary tool in many bodily processes. Ir works as an anti-oxydant and thereby protects tissue against damage. Vitamine C reduces lumping together of platelets and thus helps protect against blood clots. Vitamine C helps to normalize dysfunctional cells in the inner linings of the arteries. Using vitamin C for a longer time helps the artheries to contract and dilate more correctly. The vitamine also seem to make artherie walls less stiff. Taken together with vitamine E, vitamin C helps hinder the oxydation of low density lipoproteins. This also reduces the tendency to form blood clots. These basic actions makes vitamin C protective against heart attack and stroke.

Vitmin B3 (niacine) - The useful form of the vitamine is nicotinic acid. Niacin is an important tool in the break-down of fat, carbohydrates and proteins into smaller components to yield energy. It is also an important tool in eliminating toxins. Niacin helps to relaxe and dilate blood vessels. It increases the amount of the goof HDL lipoptoteine, decreases cholesterole levels and decrease the amount of fat in the blood.

Vitmin B6 (pyridoxine) - Pyridoxine morks as atool in the syntesis of amino acids, and therefore it is necessary for tissu repair and regeneration after damage. In conjunction with folic acidand vitamin B12 cobalamin, it acts to reduce homocysteine levels, and thus thus the risk of heart disease.

Vitmin B12 (cyancobalamine) - This vitamins is an important tool in the cyntesis of red blood ells. Together with folic acid and vitamin B6 pyridoxine it helps to reduce the amount of homocysteine in the blood, which reduces the chance of getting heart attack.

Vitmin E (tocopherols) - This is a group of several compounds called tocopherols and tocotrienols. The most effective of these are the natural isomere of alfa-tocopherol. These componds are potent anti-oxidative agents. They protect especially fatty molecules of cellular membranes against oxidative attacks, and thereby protect body tissue from damage, including the walls of the blood vessels. Vitamine E hinders cholesterole to be deposited in plaques in the artery walls. It further makes the blood more fluid, thus easing the blood circulations. Taken together with vitamine C, vitamin E helps hinder the oxydation of low density lipoproteins. This also reduces the tendency to form blood clots.The sum of these separate action is a reducing of blood vessel clogging and a more efficient blood strem. However, excessive use of vitamine E may increase the bleeding tendency and the chance of stroke.