Mangosteen is a tropical evergreen tree from the Guttiferae family that grows primarily in Thailand, parts of India, the Malay Peninsula, and the Philippines. The tree yields a sweet, edible dark purple fruit that is parthenogenesis, meaning it doesn’t require fertilization. Besides being eaten in its natural raw state, it’s also used in jellies, jams, fruit juices, and a wide variety of mangosteen nutritional supplements.

Mangosteen in the Health Food Market

Mangosteen is not only a delicious fruit, but is also emerging as what is often called a super fruit in today’s health food market. It is usually advertised as a fruit that’s rich in nutrition with great antioxidant strength and that reduces risk of disease, although studies are still underway in the United States to learn about the full potential of mangosteen.

Mangosteen nutritional supplements are usually offered in the form of a liquid vitamin mixed with other nutrition sources such as plant-source minerals rich in antioxidants, aloe vera, green tea, and a combination of other health-enhancing vitamins.

Mangosteen and Xanthones

Xanthones are chemical compounds that are either produced synthetically or found in naturally grown fruits and vegetables. They are powerful antioxidants and are part of a family called phytonutrients. So far about 200 xanthones have been discovered. Around forty of these have been found in mangosteen. PubMed.gov documents much research on mangosteen and xanthones. Antioxidants are beneficial because they help rid the human body of free radicals, or toxins, that often build up in the body and cause health problems or disease. Toxin build-up has been known to cause cancer, heart disease, and other harmful diseases.

Mangosteen Nutritional Supplements and Your Health

Although not a cure all, mangosteen does offer a number of health benefits. With proper concentration as a liquid vitamin, it can help improve vitality and physical energy, protect your heart, promote healthy skin, eyes, and teeth, support the immune system, and enhance the digestive system.

Combining mangosteen minerals with other nutritional sources such as organic green tea and aloe vera enhances mangosteen’s benefits further. Green tea is known for its powerful antioxidant properties. Aloe vera contains natural dietary sugars that support the body’s immune system and enhance cellular functions.

Shopping for Mangosteen Nutritional Supplements

Mangosteen nutritional supplements can usually be found online or in your local health food and vitamin store or pharmacy. The liquid vitamin supplement gives you a healthy diet supplement that’s delicious too! Whether shopping online or off-line, be sure the mangosteen product reveals exactly what ingredients are used and the actual percentage of xanthones it contains from the mangosteen fruit. There are many products on the market that make big claims, but only contain a very small amount of mangosteen extracts. Or, they don’t supplement it with other sources of nutrition for maximum benefits.

You can easily do research online to discover the many benefits of mangosteen and to find products that are rich in mangosteen antioxidants. With mangosteen and other healthy fruits and vegetables, you can start on the road to better health today.

Heading to a spa for an all-out cleanse may not always be possible, fortunately theres plenty we can do ourselves to evict unwelcome elements! Here are 4 quick tips for easy and affordable detoxing at home.

1. Skin brushing
Dry skin brushing greatly benefits the lymphatic system. It helps in the elimination of toxins and removes dead skin cells. Regular brushing gets the skin looking clean and fresh, and feeling super smooth.

All you need is a natural bristle brush and 3 or 4 minutes extra time before your morning shower. When dry skin brushing, always work up the body in long strokes, towards the heart. Include the soles of the feet and palms of the hands, but avoid brushing the face or any sensitive or broken skin.

2. Solvent Solutions
Thirst is the bodys way of telling you its already dehydrated. Dehydrated bodies are more sluggish, toxic and prone to aches and pains than their well-irrigated counterparts.

For an easy solution to dehydration and its challenges to our healthy functioning try sipping hot water throughout the day.

Water is natures greatest solvent. When hot it is even more potent in reaching the finer tissues of the body and moistening, lubricating and flushing the areas that cold water doesnt reach so easily.

Hot water from the kettle usually tastes nasty though, so heres an easy home tip for a convenient, refreshing and portable detox.

Grab a stainless steel saucepan and fill it with 3 pints of water, add 2 slices of fresh ginger and a couple of black peppercorns. Set it to boil for 10 minutes. During that time, any chlorine will evaporate, and the water will absorb the benefits of the ginger and black pepper. Once its boiled for a few minutes, strain it into a flask and keep it by you for the day.

Many whove tried this have waved goodbye to headaches and mental fatigue.

If a flask of hot herbal water isnt practical – you could start your day with a cup of hot water and lemon juice in the morning and increase your plain water intake for the rest of the day. Lemon juice is cleansing to the liver and generally helps the body de-gunk.

3. Tongue Scraping
Tongue scraping cleans the mouth of bacteria accumulated while sleeping, and stimulates the bowels to empty first thing in the morning. Many health food stores and Internet sites now sell custom-made tongue scrapers, otherwise, an upside down teaspoon will do the trick. Simply scrape your tongue from back to front a few times before brushing your teeth in the morning. Be gentle, and dont scrape too far back.

4. Walking
A brisk 20-minute walk is as useful for detoxing as it is for exercise. Walking briskly encourages the skin to break out in a light cleansing sweat, massages the colon by using the lower stomach muscles and gives the lungs a blast of fresh air. Walking also helps cleanse the lymphatic system, which although it possesses circulation-like channels throughout the body, is an inert system with no pulse that only really benefits when we get moving.

And finally, some kitchen cupboard detox quickies. Cleansing ingredients in your kitchen cupboards include

Detox drinks such as, apple, cranberry, or red grape juice, and herb teas or hot water with fresh lemon juice in place of tea or coffee. Green tea is a great detoxer due to its high concentration of anti-oxidants.

citrus fruits with the exception of grapefruit, which contain limonene a natural detoxer

Vitamin E rich nuts, sees and good oils

brassicas – antioxidant rich greens including broccoli, cabbage, and spring greens

The results are in, the clinical trials have spoken. Drinking relieves stress–drinking green tea, that is. There’s something in green tea that helps us relax. And it may start turning up in other foods soon.

The legendary benefits of green tea–weight loss, cancer prevention, immune system boosting, and more–have put green tea on everyone’s top ten superfoods list. Now the teacup’s relaxation effect has been proven in the lab.

An amino acid called theanine or L-theanine is responsible for green tea’s magic. First discovered in 1949, theanine is found almost exclusively in tea leaves. It’s also found in one type of mushroom–but who wants to relax with a plate of mushrooms?

Clinical trials testing the relaxation effect of theanine produced remarkable results. Japanese researchers found that human volunteers became more relaxed about 30-40 minutes after taking up to 200mg of theanine. That’s six cups of tea to you and me.

Once the theanine is flowing, a couple of things happen. Your brain waves start to shift into the alpha range. That’s a good thing. Alpha brain waves occur when you are relaxed and peaceful, but still awake–like after a massage or a hot bath, or during meditation.

At the same time, theanine increases the GABA levels in your brain. GABA is a neurotransmitter that is linked to dopamine and serotonin levels. This complicated-sounding chemical cocktail results in a relaxation effect. And what’s more, theanine also lowers your blood pressure. Well, OK, the blood pressure part is only proven in rats. But testing continues.

So if you’re stressed and anxious, relax with a few cups of green tea. You should begin to feel relaxed and alert in about half an hour. Theanine won’t make you drowsy, but if it happens to be bedtime, studies have also shown you’ll sleep better and awake more refreshed. By the way, if you’re already relaxed when you start, it doesn’t matter how much theanine you getyou won’t get any more relaxed.

If you would rather get your theanine in a pill, you’re in luck. Supplements containing theanine are readily available. One of the Japanese firms heavily involved in theanine research went beyond simple green tea extracts and developed Suntheanine, which is a synthesized, ultra-pure theanine. A company spokesperson stated there is a tremendous opportunity for designing foods and medical foods targeting relaxation and the reduction of stress.

I’m not sure what they have in mind, but the possibilities are wide open. More than 50 food items containing Suntheanine, including ice cream, candy, and beverages, are currently sold in Korea, Japan, and Europe. In America, it’s only available in supplements right now. But I’m looking forward to seeing it in something that goes with my cup of tea. Relaxation muffin, anyone?

Yo-yo dieting, skipping meals, eating fat-free foods, no exercise and low thyroid all have one thing in common they promote a low metabolism. Your basal metabolism rate BMR is the rate at which your body burns food when you are at rest. When you hear people refer to their slow metabolism, they are really saying that they have a low BMR. Metabolism is the reactions that take place inside our cells to create energy. All the food we eat is broken down to produce the energy needed to maintain body temperature, to breathe, to move our muscles and keep our weight in check. A peak operating metabolism can burn up a lot of fuel food and create plenty of energy. Conversely, a slow metabolism will store fuel as fat. We can rev up our fat burning furnace quickly with clinically researched metabolism boosting foods and nutrients.

Breakfast

Eating a protein rich breakfast can increase your bodys ability to burn fat by 25 per cent, and that fat-burning action will last for up to eight hours. When you skip meals, your metabolic rate slows to conserve energy because you are starving your body. When you do eat, the body stores the food as fat because the body thinks you are in a famine. The answer eat a protein based breakfast every day, such as eggs, a chicken breast, a protein shake or protein powder mixed into plain organic yogurt. Protein enhances your metabolism and stops hunger pangs.

Fat for Fat Loss

Yes, eating fat can help you lose fat, but the fat you eat must be good fat. Fatty acids from fish or flaxseed oil omega-3 fats and conjugated-linoleic CLA acid help burn fat. Recent research shows that the hormone leptin is low in those who do not get enough good fats. Leptin is a hormone that regulates appetite, the size of our fat cells and how quickly those cells burn fat. Fatty acids enhance Leptin, decrease our appetite and burn fat faster. Make sure you eat fish a couple of times per week, use extra virgin olive oil, put ground flaxseed on your food, and, if you dislike fish, take fish oil capsules daily.

More than 500 studies support CLAs unique abilities. In 2000, it was reported that even without a change in diet or lifestyle overweight participants had a 20 per cent decrease in body fat and an increase in lean muscle mass. Minimum dosages of 4000 mg per day are necessary to obtain fat loss.

Metabolism Boosting Herbs

If you are one of those people who have reduced your calories, are dedicated to exercise and still cant lose weight you will want to add the clinically-researched herbs that kick-start your metabolism. Thermogenic herbs rev up and reset your rate of metabolism making fat loss more effective.

Green Tea

Sipping a cup of green tea or swallowing green tea capsules can help aid fat loss. In one study overweight participants took three capsules per day containing 200 mg of green tea extract. Participants experienced increased fat loss without accelerating heart rate. Switch from coffee to green tea to achieve a faster metabolism. Drinking three cups of green tea provides about the same caffeine as one cup of drip coffee.

The secret to weight loss also lies in your kitchen cupboards. Hot, spicy foods also jump start your metabolism. Have you noticed how curried foods make you sweat? This is one of the symptoms of an increased metabolism. Switch from black pepper to cayenne pepper for faster weight loss. Add ginger to foods and eat hot salsa to enhance your fat-burning furnace.

Fat-burning foods and supplements support a healthy diet and exercise program to quickly reset your metabolic rate safely.

One of the newest products to hit the dieting market are weight loss patches.

Inspired by the success of nicotine patches marketers struck on the idea that weight loss patches may work the same way. Weight loss patches are basically designed for people who forget to take their regular dosage of weight loss supplements or capsules. With weight loss patches, a person will no longer need to take pills as he will have a 24hour supply of substances stuck to his skin.

Weight loss patches are commonly made from such ingredients as algae and seaweed which are known appetite-suppressants. Later studies on weight loss and diets led to the use of green tea as a weight loss patch.

What? Green Tea as Weight Loss Patches?

As far back as the Ming dynasty and perhaps even earlier than that, green tea has been used as herbal remedy and overall health drink in China. In recent times, speculations on the use of green tea as a possible remedy for cancer have arisen due to the discovery that the polyphenol substance found in green tea can stop cancer cells from growing.

The polyphenols in green tea weight loss patches also have other uses. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that green tea polyphenols can speed up the metabolic rate of the body. With this recent discovery, several companies specializing in pharmaceutical products have started introducing green tea into the market as a supplement either in the form of diet pills or weight loss patches.

Green tea weight loss patches are a better alternative to other products since they have no adverse side-effects. Other substances that induce weight loss like ephedra may increase heart rates which could lead to cardiovascular complications.

Green tea weight loss patches are good for people with high LDL, the bad cholesterol found in the body. Because the antioxidants in green tea weight loss patches destroy LDL cholesterols while at the same time enhancing the good cholesterol levels in the body, a balance in the body is achieved which could only lead to overall good health and well-being.

Green tea weight loss patches works in two ways. First, they suppress appetite naturally and safely. A study at the University of Chicago showed that rats when injected with green tea can lose up to 21 of their bodyweight. This is due to the fact that a substance present in green tea acts as a natural appetite-suppressant that staves off hunger.

Green tea weight loss patches also increase metabolism. With their high epigallocatechin gallate EGCG content, green tea weight loss patches have a distinct advantage over stimulant diet drugs which can be harmful to individuals with hypertension and heart complications.

Weight Loss – Green Tea Benefit

Over the past few years, green tea and its connection with weight loss has long been the center of various clinical studies. Positive effects of green tea on weight loss have been discovered in recent years.

Studies show that the relation between green tea and weight loss are substantially linked together through the plants thermogenic properties. Thermogenesis is the process by which the body produces heat by speeding up metabolism, burning calories, and breaking down fat. Certain substances in green tea are believed to help in the bodys thermogenesis, thus contributing to weight loss.

Weight Loss in Other Herbs

Other than green tea, there are other natural herbs that contribute to weight loss. Gugulipid for instance has been shown to augment the metabolic rate of the body and help with thermogenesis, thus leading to weight loss. Gugulipid has also been reported as a catalyst for lowering down cholesterol levels.

Another herb that aids in weight loss is Maitaki. Derived from a Japanese plant, Maitaki helps promote weight loss by targeting the liver, which is a major digestive part of the body.

Maximizing Weight Loss Benefits in Green Tea

A standardized weight loss herbal extract of pure green tea is needed in order to maximize the weight loss benefits of green tea. The market offers several green tea weight loss products that do not use standardized extract. These non-standardized green tea weight loss products are cheaper but do not contain enough active green tea substances to have any significant weight loss benefits.

Scientists and traditional herbalists believe that better weight loss results are achieved when green tea is used in conjunction with other weight loss herbs and with other nutrients. So before buying a green tea weight loss product, it is advisable that you choose a product that contains a rich blend of green tea herbs, minerals and nutrient that aid in weight loss.

Green tea when combined with ginger and olive leaf helps lower cholesterol and promotes weight loss. Green tea helps stop blood vessel constriction while CoQ 10 protects the heart and ensure blood pressure levels. By mixing green tea with CoQ 10, you will not only achieve maximum weight loss but you will also be able maintain the health of several body systems at one time.

The Ideal Green Tea Weight Loss Product

The first thing to make sure of when buying green tea products is to see if the manufacturer of the green tea extract follows strict GMP compliance, the manufacturing standard used throughout the world. Having GMP approval in green tea products assures you that you are getting a product of the highest quality.

Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, herbal products such as green tea are considered dietary supplements. This means that the success or effectiveness of these products do not have any guarantees. Companies or manufacturers that claim 100 success in their green tea products are doing false advertising and should not be patronized.

For assurance that youre getting your moneys worth when you buy a green tea product, find a product that is using standardized green tea extract. Look for strict GMP compliance and make sure that the manufacturer of the green tea product has all the proper credentials in product formulation.