Anti Inflammatory Herbs and Supplements – Mark’s Wednesday Tip #1
Inflammation can be the athletes worst enemy: especially chronic inflammation.
Today I wanna talk about my favorite natural anti inflammatory or rather some anti inflammatory herbs. But first,
What is inflammation?
Inflammation (Latin, īnflammō, “I ignite, set alight”) is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants.[1] The classical signs of acute inflammation are pain (dolor), heat (calor), redness (rubor), swelling (tumor), and loss of function (functio laesa). Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process.
Wikipedia
Acute inflammation is what you get when for example injured: say your elbow is sore and it swells up, after some impact for example. That’s acute inflammation after a trauma, and it’s quite useful, up to a point.
Chronic inflammation, the difference:
In acute inflammation, if the injurious agent persists then chronic inflammation will ensue. This process, marked by inflammation lasting many days, months or even years, may lead to the formation of a chronic wound. Chronic inflammation is characterized by the dominating presence of macrophages in the injured tissue. These cells are powerful defensive agents of the body, but the toxins they release (including reactive oxygen species) are injurious to the organism’s own tissues as well as invading agents. Consequently, chronic inflammation is almost always accompanied by tissue destruction.
Wikipedia
It can be chronic joint inflammation or chronic systemic inflammation, the latter includes your heart and cardiovascular system: one of the leading causes of heart disease! This type is also very common in obesity cases:
“Chronic inflammation is widely observed in obesity. The obese commonly have many elevated markers of inflammation” Wikipedia
So being overweight and eating all the wrong foods -like too much omega 6- can lead to chronic systemic inflammation and heart disease…
But it get’s worse…OooOOoOOooooooo……
Muscle inflammation: Chronic inflammation and muscle loss
“Both chronic and extreme inflammation are associated with disruptions of anabolic signals initiating muscle growth. Chronic inflammation has been implicated as part of the cause of the muscle loss that occurs with aging.” Wikipedia
This is obviously interesting for athletes, because…training hard, especially in contact sports (Judo, Football, Soccer, etc.) leads to -you guessed it- chronic inflammation. So does lifting weights.
What to do? Well what most athletes do is live off off a NSAIDS diet (non steroidal anti inflammatory), like say voltaren or something. Not good. THAT shit is not healthy, and long term use leads to leaky gut syndrome, and just believe me you don’t wanna go there.
Fortunately there’s healthy -and yet highly effective- alternatives, like the formula I want to introduce to you today: I buy it at jurtaapotekid here in Iceland, and it’s basically a blend of two very powerful herbs: Turmeric and Meadowsweet.
I take 3×3 a day every day and it works like a charm, both as a pain killer and as an anti inflammatory supplement.
There’s even an anti inflammatory diet, by a certain Dr. Weil, sporting foods such as vegetables, fruits, smart fats, and spices like -yebbs that’s right- turmeric for example!
I might do a little review on that sometime, sounds interesting anyways.
So that concludes the first of my regular Wednesday Tips, hope you liked it and if you did don’t forget to sign up for my email list over on the right in the side bar. Have a good one y’all!
Mark
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflammation
7 Comments
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Hey Mark
this is really interesting about the effects of inflammation. I have been adding a lot of turmeric to my meals several times a week, and even made a tea with coconut milk last week. Sweet potato, creamed coconut and turmeric is yum!
I have been using it, as reiterated by you regarding weight loss – though you recommend 5g so a supplement would be best anyway.. and I wasnt aware of its inflammatory effects! Roobios tea is also apparently good.
Heya Sam, thank you so much for the comment! Yeah sounds yummy for sure…yeah more is better here, I take like 2-3 time 5 grams, even.
Gotta check out this tea…
Thanks again,
Mark
Hey Buddy!
As you well know I am all over anything that reduces inflammation.
Sooooooo important on so many levels.
Wish they had that supp available state side.
Whats your thoughts on fish oil for reducing inflammation?
Overblown, or real deal Holeyfield?
Unique, informative, and awesome as usuals good sir!
Sõl
https://www.facebook.com/leanfitandstrong
Heya Sol yeah I guess fish oil is OK but not for me; as you know I’m vegetarian.
I do believe these herbals are much more powerful though, working via completely different pathways.
Either way we should all we can to be as free if inflammation as possible.
Btw you can surely get turmeric and meadowsweet ad well over yonder ponder…
Mark,
You must be reading my mind.
I had a kidney stone in November of last year and wound up at the doctor’s office. After some long and painful minutes, lab tests, etc, he administered an injection of anti-inflammatory medication.
I literally felt amazing for a week or so and ever since I’ve been looking at natural anti inflammatory supplements.
-Sam
Heya Sam, thanks for the comment!
Now that IS interesting isn’t it?
Yeah seems like the environment, the modern diet and lifestyle, even training are all inflammatory…
So I guess a good anti inflammatory or two are an essential part of the arsenal, for sure!
Hey talk soon Sam!
Mark