Health
Benefits of pomegranate juice
Discover the benefits of pomegranate juice.
Frequent consumption of pomegranate juice can help us prevent multiple ailments and promote better blood circulation.
Drinking natural juices is good for our health. Surely you have read or heard this statement often. Among them, a very beneficial one is pomegranate juice.
Although all fruits are nutritious, each one has its properties. Here we will tell you about the benefits of pomegranate juice.
The tree that provides us with this delicious fruit is the pomegranate. It blooms between April and June and can survive up to 1,100 meters high.
It is native to Asia but today it is also planted near the Mediterranean Sea, South America, Australia, and South Africa.
Traces of the use of the pomegranate by the peoples of desert areas have been found since it was preserved for quite some time.
For example, in Greece, it is said that the first tree was planted by Aphrodite. In Java the fruit is used in pregnancy rituals and in China it is offered to newlyweds to guarantee great offspring.
1. Antioxidants
Pomegranates have been consumed throughout history for their medical benefits. Today, the juice of this fruit is a popular part of healthy diets.
Pomegranate seeds get their bright red color from polyphenols. These chemicals are powerful antioxidants.
Pomegranate juice contains higher levels of antioxidants than most other fruit juices. It also has three times more antioxidants than red wine and green tea. The antioxidants in pomegranate juice can help scavenge free radicals, protect cells from damage and reduce inflammation.
2. Vitamin C
The juice of a single pomegranate has more than 40% of your daily vitamin C requirement. Vitamin C can break down when pasteurized, so choose homemade or fresh pomegranate juice to get the most nutrients.
3. Cancer prevention
Pomegranate juice caused a sensation when researchers found that it could help stop the growth of prostate cancer cells. Despite multiple studies on the effects of juice on prostate cancer, the results are still preliminary.
Although there have been no long-term human studies proving that pomegranate juice prevents cancer or reduces risk, adding it to your diet doesn’t hurt. There have been encouraging results in the studies so far, and larger studies are now underway.
4. Protection against Alzheimer’s disease
The antioxidants in the juice and their high concentration are believed to stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and protect memory.
5. Digestion
Pomegranate juice can reduce inflammation in the intestines and improve digestion. It may be of benefit to people with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and other inflammatory bowel diseases.
Although there are conflicting beliefs and research about whether pomegranate juice helps or worsens diarrhea, most doctors recommend avoiding it until you feel better and your symptoms have resolved.
6. Anti-inflammatory
Pomegranate juice is a powerful anti-inflammatory due to its high concentration of antioxidants. It can help reduce inflammation throughout the body and prevent oxidative stress and damage.
7. Arthritis
The flavonols in pomegranate juice may help block inflammation that contributes to osteoarthritis and cartilage damage. Possible effects on osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other types of arthritis and joint inflammation are currently being studied.
8. Heart disease
Pomegranate juice might be the most heart-healthy juice. It protects the heart and arteries.
Small studies have shown that the juice improves blood flow and prevents arteries from becoming stiff and thin. It can also reduce the growth of plaque and cholesterol buildup in the arteries. However, pomegranate may react negatively with blood pressure and cholesterol medications such as statins.
Be sure to talk to your doctor before indulging in juice or taking a pomegranate extract supplement.
9. Blood pressure
Drinking pomegranate juice daily can also help lower systolic blood pressure. A comprehensive review of randomized controlled trials indicated that including pomegranate juice every day would be beneficial for heart health.
10. Antiviral
Between vitamin C and other nutrients that boost your immune system like vitamin E, pomegranate juice can ward off illness and fight infections. Pomegranates have also been shown to be antibacterial and antiviral in laboratory tests. Its effects on common infections and viruses are being studied.
11. Rich in vitamins
In addition to vitamin C and vitamin E, pomegranate juice is a good source of folate, potassium, and vitamin K.
Whether you decide to add pomegranate to your daily diet or just drink it occasionally, check the label to make sure it’s 100% pure pomegranate juice with no added sugar. Or, prepare it fresh.
12. Memory
According to a recent study, drinking 8 ounces of pomegranate juice daily can improve learning and memory.
13. Sexual performance and fertility
The concentration of antioxidants and the ability to affect oxidative stress make pomegranate juice a potential fertility aid. Oxidative stress has been shown to cause sperm dysfunction and decrease fertility in women.
The juice has also been shown to help reduce oxidative stress in the placenta. However, researchers do not yet know the exact benefits it may cause. Drinking pomegranate juice can also increase testosterone levels in men and women, one of the main hormones behind the sex drive.
14. Endurance and sports performance
Set aside the cherry pie and beetroot juice. Pomegranate juice may be the new sports performance booster. The juice can help reduce pain and improve stamina recovery. It also decreases oxidative damage caused by exercise.
15. Diabetes
Pomegranate was traditionally used as a remedy for diabetes in the Middle East and India. Although much is still unknown about the effects of pomegranate on diabetes, it may help lower insulin resistance and lower blood sugar.
Conclusion
Green juice isn’t the only healthy option out there. Adding pomegranate juice to your diet can reduce your risk of chronic disease and inflammation. It’s also a wonderful way to get the nutrients from the fruit and boost antioxidants.
There are several brands of pomegranate juice for purchase online. It is a good idea to compare the different products to choose the one with the greatest benefit.
It’s best to check with your doctor before drinking pomegranate juice every day to make sure it won’t interfere with any of your medications. Also, diabetics should check their blood sugar daily if they choose pomegranate juice over the whole pomegranate to ensure blood sugar remains at its optimal level.
Health
14 Benefits of Oolong tea and side effects Table of Contents
Health
7 Benefits of Epazote and side effects
Table of Contents
- Health Benefits of Epazote
- 1. Eliminate intestinal parasites
- 2. Benefits of epazote for immune system
- 3. Benefits of epazote for inflammation
- 4. Benefits of epazote for digestion
- 5. Benefits of epazote for blood pressure
- 6. Combat bacterial, viral, and fungal infections
- 7. Avoid osteoporosis
- Is epazote used to treat coronavirus?
- How to use epazote
- How to Make epazote tea
- Side effects of epazote
Discover the 7 shocking health benefits of Epazote and side effects.
Epazote, also known as paico or acahualillo, is a widely used medicinal plant, as its essential oils contain vermifuge, antibiotic, digestive properties, and strengthen the immune system.
This plant, whose scientific name is Chenopodium Ambrosioides, grows spontaneously in lands that surround the houses, it has elongated leaves of different sizes and dark green, its flowers are small and whitish.
Epazote can be bought in certain markets or health food stores, in its natural form, in dehydrated leaves, or essential oil.
Because it is considered a plant with a degree of toxicity, it should preferably be used under the guidance of a health professional, in addition to the use of tea from its leaves instead of essential oil, since it contains a higher concentration of potentially toxic substances.
Health Benefits of Epazote
Although epazote is a plant that is widely used in traditional medicine, it has few studies that confirm its properties in the body.
Despite this, several investigations have been carried out with this plant in animals, concluding that it has effects such as:
1. Eliminate intestinal parasites
This is one of the most popular uses of epazote and, according to some human studies, the use of this plant has a strong action against different intestinal parasites, such as worms and tapeworms.
This action seems to be related to the main active substance in epazote, ascaridol, which is similar in efficacy to some antiparasitic drugs, such as Albendazole.
2. Benefits of epazote for immune system
According to research carried out in animals, the use of epazote extract seems to be able to regulate the production of some cells important for the body’s defense, such as macrophages and lymphocytes, strengthening the immune system.
The mixture of epazote leaves with milk is popularly used to help in the treatment of respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis and tuberculosis, due to the union of the strengthening effects of the immune system and expectorants that these substances possess.
Another common use of epazote is in the relief of inflammation, mainly joint problems, such as osteoarthritis. Additionally, the plant also helps relieve pain from inflammation.
This analgesic action was observed in the use of the alcoholic extract of the plant, which seems to act on the NMDA receptors.
4. Benefits of epazote for digestion
Although there are no studies that prove the action of this plant on poor digestion, this is one of the popular uses in which it is used the most.
According to its use, epazote tea can be taken after large meals, to improve digestion, as it could be able to increase gastric juice production.
5. Benefits of epazote for blood pressure
In Morocco, epazote is frequently used to help treat high blood pressure and, according to studies in mice, this property is due to the stimulation of type 2 muscarinic receptors in the heart that slightly decrease the heart rate. , in addition to relaxing the heart muscle.
6. Combat bacterial, viral, and fungal infections
Both the use of epazote extract and essential oil has shown a powerful antimicrobial action that is capable of eliminating various types of bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
7. Avoid osteoporosis
In some investigations carried out in laboratory mice, the use of the hydroalcoholic extract of epazote was able to prevent the loss of bone density and can be applied to prevent the onset of osteoporosis, especially in women who are close to entering menopause.
Is epazote used to treat coronavirus?
A study carried out in 2020 by the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, confirmed the hypothesis that the flavonoids present in epazote may be able to prevent the replication of the new coronavirus, accelerating the recovery and cure of COVID-19.
However, the study was conducted on a computer model and has not been tested in a laboratory, nor living organisms.
For this reason, the dose necessary for treatment is not known, nor are the possible side effects.
For this reason, no health organ recommends the use of epazote as a treatment for COVID-19 until new studies are carried out.
How to use epazote
The most common way to take advantage of the properties of this plant is by infusing its leaves, preparing a tea:
Epazote tea: place a cup of the fresh plant with the seeds in boiling water and let it rest for 10 minutes. Afterward, strain and drink a cup up to 3 times a day.
In addition to infusion, another popular way to use epazote is an essential oil, however, its use must be guided by a naturopath, psychotherapist, or a health professional with experience in the use of medicinal plants.
How to Make epazote tea
Ingredients
8 large stems and leaves of fresh epazote
2 quarts boiling water
Procedure
- Add epazote to boiling water and let simmer for 2 minutes.
- ove from heat and let steep for another 3 minutes.
- Strain and serve.
Side effects of epazote include irritation of the skin and mucous membranes, headache, vomiting, nausea, palpitations, damage to the liver or kidneys, visual disturbances, and seizures, in case of doses higher than recommended or for a time. longer than 3 days in a row.
Is epazote abortifacient?
In high doses, the properties of epazote can act by altering the contractility of the body’s muscles; For this reason, it can have an abortive effect in certain people, not advising its use in pregnant women.
Contraindications
Epazote is contraindicated in pregnant women and children under 2 years of age.
This medicinal herb can be toxic, requiring a medical indication to establish the recommended dose
Health
Contraindications and side effects of Trazodone
Discover the Contraindications and side effects of Trazodone.
Trazodone is used in a wide variety of disorders, although it is an antidepressant.
Being depression one of the most prevalent mental disorders worldwide and one of the major causes of disability, its treatment is a matter that the scientific community has taken into account for many years.
The suffering it generates requires sometimes immediate attention since it is one of the disorders with the highest risk of suicide and that generates the most pain both for the person and for those around him.
The treatment of depression is carried out from different areas, one of them being psychopharmacology.
One of the drugs used in the treatment of depression is trazodone, which we are going to talk about in this article.
Trazodone: what type of substance is it?
Trazodone is a psychotropic drug classified within antidepressants, substances that generate a neurochemical change at the brain level, causing alterations in the levels of certain neurotransmitters, specifically serotonin.
Among antidepressants, it is part and is the main representative of the group of serotonin-2A antagonists and reuptake inhibitors or SARIs, a type of atypical antidepressant.
This drug was designed in Italy in 1966 under the assumption that depression could be based on the existence of low thresholds regarding the perception of pain and suffering, being the product of the lack of integration of aversive experiences.
Trazodone has proven to be an efficient and effective drug in the treatment of depression, reducing passivity and inactivity, as well as the discomfort and suffering associated with said ailment, and facilitating an increase in mood.
However, in addition to this, it also has an anxiolytic and tranquilizing action.
This substance is considered a second-generation antidepressant, along with specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), with which it shares part of its mechanism of action, and different dual antidepressants.
Trazodone is sometimes considered to be dual as it has two different effects, although they focus on the same neurotransmission system, compared to the rest, and in addition to an antidepressant effect, it also has calming effects.
How does it work? Mechanism of action of the drug
As we have indicated previously, trazodone is classified as SARI, having a somewhat special mechanism of action among the rest of antidepressants.
Trazodone acts at the serotonergic system level (like most antidepressants) in two specific ways.
In the first place, this substance produces a blockage of brain serotonin reuptake, in such a way that said neurotransmitter remains in the synaptic space for a longer time.
This supposes that it has an agonist effect on the synthesis and maintenance of serotonin at the brain level, it increases its levels (which are decreased during the depression and this is something that correlates with the decrease in the mood).
The aforementioned mechanism of action is the one used by SSRIs, which is why these and trazodone are related and sometimes the latter is included among the first.
However, trazodone has a second effect that differentiates it from other drugs, and that seems contrary to the previous mechanism of action.
And it is also that it acts as an antagonist of serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, preventing or hindering these receptors from being activated.
This second aspect is what makes trazodone have a slightly different profile and effects than other antidepressants.
Regarding its interaction with other neurotransmitter systems, it does not present great anticholinergic effects, something that has made this drug a better option than tricyclics (although the doses must also be regulated) in patients with cerebrovascular and cardiac pathology and dementias.
However, it must be taken into account that it can generate arrhythmias.
It also has a minor effect on the adrenergic (blocking some receptors) and histaminergic systems, something that can lead to the generation of side effects.
Main indications
The main indication for trazodone is obviously, as an antidepressant that it is, major depression. Its effectiveness is also high in those depressions that appear together with anxiety symptoms.
Its clinical utility has also been observed in other disorders in which there are components of anxiety or that are based on it, such as generalized anxiety disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or bulimia.
In addition to this, it has also been observed to be useful for the treatment of substance addictions, being a good alternative for patients with withdrawal syndrome to benzodiazepines, and in the treatment of alcoholism (including the presence of delirium tremens).
Another of its indications is insomnia, which is effectively reduced by increasing sleep time without greatly affecting the deep sleep phase.
Although in general, most antidepressants can have the presence of erectile dysfunction or ejaculation problems as a side effect, this effect does not usually occur in trazodone, which seems to generate an increase in libido and is even used as a treatment indicated in erectile dysfunction.
Finally, trazodone has been applied (largely for its relaxing properties) in some cases of schizophrenia, motor problems such as Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, the presence of manic episodes in bipolar disorder, and the behavioral disorders of Alzheimer’s. although a greater amount of study is required regarding the latter.
On a medical level, it has also been used as a sedative in HIV-infected patients and diabetic neuropathies, as well as in other disorders that cause pain such as fibromyalgia. It has a very slight effect at the level of muscle relaxant.
Side effects and contraindications
Trazodone is a very useful drug that has been used in multiple pathologies and disorders, both mental and medical.
However, it can have undesirable consequences in the form of side effects and is even contraindicated in some situations and pathologies.
Secondary symptoms, sedation, and fatigue, the presence of headaches, nausea, and vomiting, gastric disturbances (diarrhea or constipation), appetite disturbances, sweating, tremors (which may lead to seizures in some cases), are common. ringing, numbness, and vision problems.
In some cases, it can also cause chest and muscle pain, altered consciousness, breathing problems, and arrhythmias. Like other antidepressants, trazodone can also contribute to the genesis of suicidal ideation in the first moments of use.
Although, unlike other antidepressants, it does not seem to generate contributes to improving cases of erectile dysfunction or ejaculatory problems, the use of trazodone has been observed and associated with the appearance of priapism, erections that do not disappear on their own. alone and that cause pain to those who suffer from them (which may require urgent and even surgical treatment).
Although it is sometimes used in dementias and has a lower risk than tricyclics of generating heart problems, it requires a high degree of caution in its use and dosage carefully prescribed by the doctor, since it can generate arrhythmias.
It is contraindicated in patients who have just suffered a heart attack, as well as in those with liver or kidney disease.
Caution should be exercised in subjects with bipolarity because if the medication is not regulated, the consumption of trazodone can cause a shift from depressive to manic phase.
It is also contraindicated in people who have suffered from priapism or have Peyronie’s disease.
Finally, it must be taken into account that trazodone can be excreted in breast milk and transmitted through the placenta so that pregnant and lactating women have contraindicated its use.
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