Reverse Emotional Strain

Experience Balance and Restore Your Vibrant Active You

“Let food be thy Medicine” ~ Hipocrates

When we are emotionally distressed we often feel powerless over our food cravings. More often than not, physical or emotional distress makes us want to consume foods that are high in fat, sugar or both. Unfortunately this behaviour will only exacerbate feelings of depression, anxiety without any real help. What if I tell you that it is possible to satisfy your cravings and protect your brain against all the negative factors coming from sweets or artificially sweetened foods.

This program offers you the following:

  • How to reduce stress eating the right comfort foods;
  • Combat chronic insomnia;
  • How to protect your brain against oxidative stress;
  • What to eat when faced with a stressful situation.

This is how you get all of the above:

  • one initial lifestyle/diet/health assessment (60 -90 minutes); @107/session;
  • one consultation with personalised recommendations (food choices, teas and nutritious treats (up to 45 min); @97/session;
  • one personalised aromatic-solution for your unique situation; @97/session;
  • Bonus: one follow-up consultations or meal prep with me 14 days apart with additional recommendations (30 to 45 minutes);
  • Customized summaries of each session with actionable steps;

Price: pay per session $301 (107+97+97)

Or pay upfront payment for all three sessions @ $250 and save $51


Alternative Payments options.

Repair Your Microbiome

Optimize Your Digestive System, One Meal at a Time

Start feeling better from the inside out with BIBI Therapy!

With this Package You are uniquely empowered to adopt a lifestyle-plan where you learn how to nourish your body in a healthy way without depriving it. The Basic areas touched within it comprises:

  • Intensive, directed nutrition to boost your microbiome;
  • Scientifically validated approach;
  • Exclusive use of probiotics and aromatic oils;
  • One-on-one working until you are satisfied with your results;
  • Sharing knowledge that empowers you;
  • Personalised solution to your unique situation;
  • Unparalleled use of services Nutrition, Herbalism and Aromatherapy.

This package is highly personalised, since pain has multiple causes, yet there are simple ways to Invalidate Pain. Whether is overcoming PMS, eliminate pesky headaches or ease tired muscles, the foods we eat have the potential to ease or accelerate the pain in our bodies.

This is something that you will discover if you decide to go on for this package.

Make sure that your Family doctor is aware of the diet changes you will undertake.

This is how you get all of the above:

  • one initial lifestyle/diet/health assessment (60 -90 minutes); @107/session;
  • one consultation with personalised recommendations (food choices, teas and nutritious treats (up to 45 min); @97/session;
  • one personalised aromatic-solution for your unique situation; @97/session;
  • Bonus: one follow-up consultations or meal prep with me 14 days apart with additional recommendations (30 to 45 minutes);
  • Customized summaries of each session with actionable steps;

Price: pay per session $301 (107+97+97)

Or pay upfront payment for all three sessions @ $250 and save $51


Alternative Payments options.

No-Frills Gut Healing Herbs

BIBITherapy_Gut_Healing_Herbs

It is well known now that we have more than one mechanism for making decisions: one is also known as our “gut feeling” (Soosalu and Oka, 2012). It is caused by the trillions of bacteria, living in the gut and constituting the microbiome. Feed the right bacteria and you are happy; else delve in a cycling circle of depression, anxiety and anger.

As with the Holiday season we surely indulged in a few experiences that may have disturbed the normal flora and require re-balancing of the gut microbiome.

The helpers are at hand in the form of herbs that we can use as flavour-boosters with magnificent support for the digestive health.

That is to say we can use these helpers to calm symptoms relating to the functional bowel problems such as constipation, diarrhoea, bloating, or stomach upset. The effect is double as fixing problems in the gut affects what’s happening in the brain, too. So let’ see how we can keep the digestive system in top condition this holiday season.

The following seven herbs have extraordinary gut healing properties. They are also super easy to grow in pots or in a small garden.

1. Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is an important culinary herb and the most well-known digestive soother. It is highly prised in the Mediterranean cuisine for its natural detox qualities but also known in the folk medicine for the anti-inflammatory properties. Parsley has multiple benefits for the whole body; I will mention here those for which a scientific provision exists without doubts (Mahmood et al 2014) as it:

  • Reverses signs of oxidative stress due to its anti-oxidant compounds (Dorman et al, 2011)
  • Decreases bloating and helps in the support of bowel movements due to its high fibre content (Kreydiyyeh et al 2001);
  • It reduces bad breath;
  • Alleviates colic.

2. Basil is one of the oldest to mankind herb used in cooking along with rosemary, oregano and mint. There are over 35 different types of basil plants. It is praised not only for its pleasant aroma but also for its impressive list of nutrients. Among them is less known vitamin K, a fat soluble vitamin very important for bone health as well as for healthy cardiovascular function. Suffice to say that scientific studies have shown the following benefits:

  • Hepatoprotector;
  • Pain-reducer;
  • Immune booster;
  • Antibacterial against strains of E.coli.

3. Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum) are also known as Chinese chives. They are used as seasoning and give a mild garlic flavour to dishes. If garlic is too strong to use in the salads or stir fries, garlic chives are the best option. Personally I found them very effective for bowel movement.

4. Sage (Salvia officinalis) plant is also known as the salvation plant as its medicinal and non –medicinal uses have been used for several thousands of years in almost all Mediterranean cultures as well as in the traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. Some of multiple benefits sage presents are:

  • It helps improve mental capacities and acuity (Perry et al, 2003);
  • It treats menopausal symptoms reducing the intensity of hot flushes (Bommer, et al, 2011);
  • It balances cholesterol levels (Sa et al, 2009).

How to take sage

  1. Hot infusion tea made from fresh or dry herb;
  2. Cold infusion tea: soak overnight a handful of fresh sage leaves in a cup of lemon juice; enjoy it diluted during the next day;
  3. Salt enhancer;
  4. Bath bombs.

Since it is taken in the form of food sage does not have any restrictions, as it presents no toxicity. However, for pregnant or breastfeeding women this herb is not adequate due to a chemical that it deems to be unsafe in such conditions.

5. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), symbol of love, fidelity and loyalty has been connected with memory since ancient times. This plant is packed with anti-oxidants two of which are well-known for their anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic properties (Degner et al 2009). Other equally impressive health benefits include:

  • Soothing heartburn;
  • Easing intestinal gas and bloating as well as
  • Improving the cognitive function.

How to use it:

  1. Use liberally when cooking meat but also vegetables
  2. Make a rosemary tonic salt
  3. Flavour a favourite beverage or cocktail; it goes well with citruses or cucumber.

6. Onion Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are a nutrient dense food. They are used as seasoning and add onion flavour to dishes. They are packed with important nutrients and health-promoting compounds. However in order to benefit from their medicinal benefits a person needs to consume a large quantity, say a cup of chives.

7. Dill (Anethum graveolens) has a long and ancient history of being used in many countries. The many uses and benefits are mostly evidenced in the folk medicine. There are no significant clinical trials to cite for the benefits of this wonderful plant. Some of the most well-known are:

  • Reduces flatulence;
  • May help balance cholesterol; but current research is controversial.

Disclaimer: I am a qualified holistic wellness, herbalist aromatherapist and nutrition Diva, I am not a medical doctor or nurse and do not play one on the internet. Always check with a doctor or medical professional if a medical need arise

Sources

Bommer, S., Klein, P., & Suter, A. (2011). First time proof of sage’s tolerability and efficacy in menopausal women with hot flushes. Advances in therapy, 28(6), 490–500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-011-0027-z

Degner, S. C., Papoutsis, A. J., Romagnolo, D. F., (2009), , Chapter 26:Health Benefits of Traditional Culinary and Medicinal Mediterranean Plants, pp: 541-562 in Complementary and Alternative Therapies and the Aging Population, Ed. Watson, R., Academic Press. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123742285000263

Dorman, H. J., Lantto, T. A., Raasmaja, A., & Hiltunen, R. (2011). Antioxidant, pro-oxidant and cytotoxic properties of parsley. Food & function, 2(6), 328–337. https://doi.org/10.1039/c1fo10027k

Kreydiyyeh, S. I., Usta, J., Kaouk, I., & Al-Sadi, R. (2001). The mechanism underlying the laxative properties of parsley extract. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology, 8(5), 382–388. https://doi.org/10.1078/0944-7113-00058

Mahmood, S., Hussain, S., & Malik, F. (2014). Critique of medicinal conspicuousness of Parsley(Petroselinum crispum): a culinary herb of Mediterranean region. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 27(1), 193–202.

Perry, N. S., Bollen, C., Perry, E. K., & Ballard, C. (2003). Salvia for dementia therapy: review of pharmacological activity and pilot tolerability clinical trial. Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior, 75(3), 651–659. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0091-3057(03)00108-4Sá, C. M., Ramos, A. A.,

Ignite Your Wellbeing

An Ancient Art Approach to Good Health

Aromatherapy an Overview

Where do you find stillness? How do you ease your racing thoughts in your life? The physical and mental body is adversely affected by stress, pollution, unhealthy diets, and hectic yet sedentary lifestyle.

One of my favourite ways to create calmness in my life is through Aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy is a complementary holistic therapy that uses natural plant oils in the form of essential oils. The value of natural plant oils has been recognised for more than 6000 years, not only for the sheer pleasure of their fragrance but mostly for their healing, cleansing or mood-altering properties. Today’ science validates all of the above mentioned properties and so much more.

Aromatherapy aims to enhance and/or balance a person’s physical, spiritual, emotional and mental capacity. Although it can act as a preventive to disease state, Aromatherapy ignites your wellbeing by improving mental and physical health. It does that through the specific qualities of the essential oils being used either through massage or inhalation. Although these qualities aim to stimulate, refresh or sedate an individual, in rare cases they may also lead to adverse reactions.

Essential oils are highly potent and in some cases may cause allergic skin reaction. That is why at BIBI Therapy we always take your health history before your aromatic treatment as well as we skin patch test for possible allergic reaction to the essential oils to be used.

Historical Perspective

Historically, the origins of aromatherapy use can be traced trough the religious, medical and social practices. It is believed that the remarkable medicinal powers of plants have been discovered in ancient China around 4500 B.C. However, the Egyptian hieroglyphs and current research indicate that the ritual of mummification using plant-based oils aromatic preparations was very well established by 4500 B.C. (Jones et al, 2018).

Since then, great herbalists as well as scientists throughout the world have uncovered many stunning uses of plants in the form of essential oils. The application of aromatherapy from embalming to beauty and ultimately to health and well-being is constantly evolving as contemporary research makes use of novel technologies and increased understanding of human body.

Why Do We Feel so Good after Having an Aromatherapy Session?

Is there such a thing as good health (Fred, 2013)? An ancient quote on best health is attributed to Agamemnon:

There is a limit to the best of health: disease is always a near neighbor.”

For me the absence of pain is essential for wellbeing as pain is often debilitating both physically and mentally. The antinociceptive or pain reducing qualities of essential oils have only been recently validated by modern science.

The power of touch during a massage session has inestimable values. But it is our own brain that transforms the touch into feel good sensation. All those tight muscles, tension and stress melt away all because the brain, through its autonomic nervous system. This system engages in involuntary processes that calm down the mental activity, decreasing the blood pressure, slowing the pulse rate and ultimately leading to relaxation and tranquillity. Furthermore, there is a healing effect that is induced within the body during an aromatic massage therapy:

Here are some well researched and documented reasons as to why aromatherapy massage is effectively enjoyable:

  1. Massages stretches and pulls muscles accelerating the healing process (Crane et al, 2012);
  2. The combination of gentle massage and essential oils ameliorates the effects of arthritis (Bahr et al, 2018)
  3. Back and foot massage effectively improves blood pressure and sleep quality (Arslan et al, 2020);
  4. Manual therapies, including but not limited to massage therapy, for migraine sufferers may be equally effective as medication treatment (Chaibi, et al, 2011);
  5. Aromatherapy massage alleviates psychological and physiological responses for older women suffering from anxiety and depression (Bahrami et al, 2017)
  6. Abdominal aromatic essential oil massage is an effective way to relieve throbbing pain in primary dysmenorrhea (Ou et al, 2012; Sut et al, 2017).

Resources

Arslan, G., Ceyhan, Ö., & Mollaoğlu, M. (2020). The influence of foot and back massage on blood pressure and sleep quality in females with essential hypertension: a randomized controlled study. Journal of human hypertension, 10.1038/s41371-020-0371-z. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41371-020-0371-z

Bahrami, T., Rejeh, N., Heravi-Karimooi, M., Vaismoradi, M., Tadrisi, S. D., & Sieloff, C. (2017). Effect of aromatherapy massage on anxiety, depression, and physiologic parameters in older patients with the acute coronary syndrome: A randomized clinical trial. International journal of nursing practice, 23(6), 10.1111/ijn.12601. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijn.12601

Bahr, T., Allred, K., Martinez, D., Rodriguez, D., & Winterton, P. (2018). Effects of a massage-like essential oil application procedure using Copaiba and Deep Blue oils in individuals with hand arthritis. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 33, 170–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.10.004

Chaibi, A., Tuchin, P. J., & Russell, M. B. (2011). Manual therapies for migraine: a systematic review. The journal of headache and pain, 12(2), 127–133. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10194-011-0296-6

Crane, J. D., Ogborn, D. I., Cupido, C., Melov, S., Hubbard, A., Bourgeois, J. M., & Tarnopolsky, M. A. (2012). Massage therapy attenuates inflammatory signaling after exercise-induced muscle damage. Science translational medicine, 4(119), 119ra13. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.3002882,

Fred H. L. (2013). In good health: an opinion at best. Texas Heart Institute journal, 40(1), 13–14.

Jones, J., Higham, T. F.G., Chivall, D., Bianucci, R., Kay, G. L., Pallen, M. J., Oldfield, R., Ugliano F., Buckley S. A. (2018). A prehistoric Egyptian mummy: Evidence for an ‘embalming recipe’ and the evolution of early formative funerary treatments, Journal of Archaeological Science, 100, 191-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2018.07.011.

Sut, N., & Kahyaoglu-Sut, H. (2017). Effect of aromatherapy massage on pain in primary dysmenorrhea: A meta-analysis. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 27, 5–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2017.01.001

Ou, M. C., Hsu, T. F., Lai, A. C., Lin, Y. T., & Lin, C. C. (2012). Pain relief assessment by aromatic essential oil massage on outpatients with primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial. The journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research, 38(5), 817–822. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0756.2011.01802.x

Emotional Fitness and the Brain

BIBITherapy_Human_Brain_Artwork

Taming the Reptilian Brain during COVID-19 Pandemic

Life as an immune-compromised person under coronavirus quarantine Stage 4 lockdown in Melbourne is stressful. By now we have adapted to the new normal of staying at home, wearing masks, respecting the 1.5 meters distance rule, the curfew and the one hour daily exercise. We are proud of you Melbourne!

I watched the daily coronavirus numbers floating up and down and finally descending to a point that we now have eased a bit the restrictions. The major element that we are facing as a community is that the constant fear and stress has already taken the toll on our fragile world. The stress due to the second lockdown induced anxiety, sadness even irritability and anger not to mention that it drained us of the vital energy to go about our daily lives.

In a previous blog, I wrote about how to use Nutraceuticals to support a healthy lifestyle and in particular as mood boosters when feeling under the weather.

As a holistic practitioner I am also interested to know why we act in an aggressive or offensive way when we face a major crisis such as this world-wide pandemic. Furthermore, I want to know how we can overcome the urge to act in such manner. Well this blog is about briefly answering these two questions.

The brain is extremely sensitive to stress (Cobley et al, 2018). COVID-19 brought in more stress, fear and angst in our lives that some of us are designed to handle. Oxidative stress products are neurotoxic and tend to be deposited under certain conditions in large amounts in a part of the brain called globus pallidus (Hayashi et al, 2001). Interestingly this part of the human brain is metaphorically, referred to as the “reptilian brain”. This concept was introduced in the 1960s Triune Brain Hypothesis developed by the neuroscientist Paul Maclean. Although this theory is not entirely accepted worldwide, as it oversimplifies the human brain, it has some interesting points that can help us understand how external triggers, such as fear or stress can lead to aggressive behaviour or irritable self-serving. It turns out that when we feel insecure, we begin to think negative thoughts mainly because this part of the brain, the “reptilian brain” is activated. When this happens, we tend to assess situations in a black/white, dangerous/harmless fight or fly style assessment.

We can easily see that if neurotoxic oxidative stress products would mainly be deposited in the globus pallidus, aka “reptilian brain” we would become irritable self-serving without even knowing what happens to us. Fear is a sneaky thief that works against our well-being and sanity.

Good news is that this entire situation can be controlled, and some call it emotional fitness. It involves two components:

  1. We must consider taking a conscious decision to focus on constructive and creative tasks in order to stay away from negative thoughts.
  2. We must eliminate foods that increase the oxidative stress: that is a diet high in sugar, fat and alcohol.

Theoretically the two elements described above are easy to consider. But how can one implement them? I am sharing my own recipe and admit there may be variations of any of the steps presented.

  1. Firstly enjoy the moment. By this I mean that we become aware of our own automatic responses when we experience a stressful situation. To do so we engage in a conscious use of breathing cycle. It only takes a few seconds to consciously inhale and exhale so that the brain receives maximum oxygenation levels and move away from negative thinging;
  2. Secondly we must spend more time in nature. I do so by performing what I call a mindful walking in the neighbourhood: When out for my daily walk, I take time to focus on my breathing as well as pay attention to particular aspects within the neighbourhood: colours, sounds, air movement, gardens or the sky. This enables the brain to search for meaningful activities while doing a routine walk. In my IG account I shared some outcomes of this mindful walking.
  3. Finally up-skill the body to eat consciously and mindfully
    1. Give the brain the freedom to experience new healthy foods;
    2. Re-train the taste buds to accept the incredible diversity of taste essences and flavours; start slowly with one new food per week;
    3. Practice mindful eating: enjoy new taste, textures and flavours. It involves developing a slowly eating habit. This enables a swift communication between the gut and the brain via digestive enzymes. Mastering the art of eating slowly is however the subject of another blog.

It is my hope that you enjoy reading this short blog. Thank you and until next time, stay safe.

This blog is for information only. Do your diligent homework, talk to your doctor if you need specialist advice and enjoy a life free of oxidative stress.

Resources

Cobley, J.N., Fiorello,M.L. Bailey, D.M. (2018). 13 Reasons why the Brain is Susceptible to Oxidative Stress, Redox Biology, 15 (490-503). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2018.01.008.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231718300041

Hayashi, M., Itoh, M., Araki, S., Kumada, S., Shioda, K., Tamagawa, K., Mizutani, T., Morimatsu, Y., Minagawa, M., & Oda, M. (2001). Oxidative stress and disturbed glutamate transport in hereditary nucleotide repair disorders. Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology, 60(4), 350–356. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnen/60.4.350

Living with Anxiety: The Amazing Benefits of Nutraceuticals

As we are all well aware, the COVID-19 pandemic is still rife in Victoria. As a result anxiety levels heightened. If you are anxious about it, you are not alone. I feel anxious about many things. We are facing an unprecedented crisis at planetary level. I am worried about how does the Coronavirus affects our health in all its aspects physically, emotionally and spiritually. The most important thing is that I am living with it and I am taking proactive steps towards dealing with it. I am taking steps towards a healthy life-style and I use multiple Nutraceuticals as mood boosters. So can YOU!

This blog is about how Nutraceuticals can help and why. Enjoy!

First what are Nutraceuticals? Nutraceuticals are biological active compounds found in food that are beneficial for our health due to their known pharmacological action (Rajasekaran 2017). Nutraceuticals are compounds derived from foods with anxiety lowering and mood enhancing actions. They can often be found in the form of supplements and are available commercially. My interest is in the foods that provide them rather than the pills available at the pharmacy. My big pharmacy is Nature’s Nutrition. After all, Hipocrates considered nutrition one of the main tools to improve health. Some attribute this saying to him: “Let Food Be Thy Medicine”.

  1. Kiwifruits

The brain is extremely sensitive to oxidative stress (Cobley et al, 2018). This is a process in which the body produces an unstable molecule, called free radical, when oxygen reacts with organic compounds (sugar, alcohol, food additives, anti-foaming, flavours) or is exposed to environmental stressors (UV, ionising radiation, pollutants). The unstable free radical wanting to become stable, steals an electron from other more stable molecules nearby. This causes a harmful chain reaction can be terminated by super-stable molecules called antioxidants.

Kiwifruit is such an amazing fruit boasting rich levels of nutrients: antioxidants, flavonoids, carotenoids, anthocyanins, folate, and melatonin. Kiwifruit are remarkably high in Vitamin C with exceptional digestive benefits, due to its harmonious composition of various bioactive components (dietary fibre, potassium, vitamin E and folate, antioxidants, phytonutrients and enzymes).

Vitamin C prevents the oxidative stress processes in our body and in particular helps as antioxidant defence and as a neuromodulator in the brain. Only two medium kiwi fruits would provide 140% of daily intake of vitamin C and lead to increased vitality, less fatigue and improved mood feelings and vigour a 2013 study found  (Car, et al). Furthermore, a 2017 Cochrane study on the use of Kiwi fruit established that it can work effectively in combating chronic insomnia symptoms without the unpleasant side effects of allopathic drugs.

Caution: Vitamin C is one of those vitamins that have a controversial history. Here is why: We tend to believe that the larger quantities we gulp in the better, stronger more positive effects we enjoy. It turns out overdosing (more than 3000mg a day), Vitamin C that switches roles from friend to foe.

  1. Oranges

Oranges are the source of optimism due to their colour, their smell and vitamin C. Only a ¾ of a cup and your Vitamin C content is up to good levels and there need no more explanation. But, this is not the reason I chose it. It turns out that just smelling their fragrance helps reduce stress levels and decrease anxiety (Lehrner et al, 2000). You don’t need to drink the juice just have an orange spritzing the room and enjoy the calmness that comes to it. And … remember next time you pay a visit to your dentist for an extraction take you orange with you. Just in case…

  1. Basil

Basil is one of those staple foods that we just sprinkle here and there for their fragrance. It helps promote cardiovascular health by relaxing the muscles cells and blood vessels. In particular Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) also known as “Tulsi” is considered the most sacred plant in India. Tulsi is a known adaptogen that helps decrease the stress hormones in the body. Adaptogens are a select group of plants that enhance the body’s natural protective response outside stressors, in the case of the holy basil emotional or physical stress. That is to say that adaptogens do not alter the mood itself, rather help the body coping better in a stressful situation.

I like using it in smoothies and to flavour certain foods.

  1. Nuts

Brazil Nuts. Despite their name, they are not nuts but rather seeds of a vulnerable but longest lived tree in the Amazon forest: Bertholletia excelsa. They are an excellent source of Selenium. Selenium is a power antioxidant able to reduce stress due to its capacity to neutralise excess free radicals (Brenneisen et al 2005) similarly as vitamin C. However one needs significantly less selenium to do so less than 100 micrograms a day. That means one would eat only one Brazil nuts a day.

Snack on walnuts and almonds. They are packed with beneficial fats that are known to support brain function. In particular, walnuts provide a specific fat known alpha linolenic acid (Holly et al 2018) known to improve learning. A small amount of only 15 g of walnuts a week may do wonder if actively learning new things according to a 2018 study (Holly et al, 2018). Almonds are the best source of natural vitamin E. A handful of almonds will provide 50% of the daily vitamin E requirement: around 7mg.

  1. Sweet Violets – Viola Odorata

Ever wondered why do you like the violets fragrance? The aroma compounds, termed ionones, in the violets mess-up with our sense of smell. One moment we think we got their sweet scent in, the next we can’t smell a thing. The ionones desensitise our olfactory system: the scent disappears for a short while as the ionones bind and shut off the scent receptors so we can’t smell the violets for a short time. After taking a breath the smell reappears. Josephine, Napoleon’s first wife, used this charming trick to make herself more fascinating.

But behind the trick, hides a medicine giant. As a nutraceutical, Persian Pharmacopeia shows its use in the form of sugar-coated flowers called Gulqand (Afsari Sardari et al 2018). It is used to combat fever and coughing in lung related disorders (pleurisy, pneumonia). Sweet violets have a slight mucilaginous quality (Ameri et al, 2015), that is extremely soothing and cooling to mucous membranes.

The reason I mention it here is due to its ability to combat chronic insomnia (Feyzabadi et al 2014). Although, in this research the plant was not used as a nutraceutical, rather the fragrant compounds from dried Violets was extracted in almond oil then used as intranasal drops. The participants were suffering from chronic insomnia in its various forms: difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep without suffering from any other major disorders (including major depression, generalized anxiety disorders, psychosis, drugs abuse, neurologic diseases). The treatment, involving the violet oil, consisted in taking intranasal drops nightly before going to sleep for a month. The sedative activities were assessed as very favourable despite the small batch of participants.

I admit that as a scientist, this is a reasonable beginning. I would rather consider the nutraceutical properties of this plant for its plant-derived melatonin bioactivity (Ansari et al 2010).

How to take it

  • Eat the flowers raw, pluck them from your garden if you happen t accidentally grow them; do not overindulge;
  • Sprinkle flowers on salads, smoothies, etc
  • Make a tea from fresh or dried flowers. The colour of the tea is blue. It turns purple if add a few drops of lemon juice. Something nice to try.

Summary of what to do to keep anxiety level under control with Nutraceuticals:

  • Two kiwifruit per day: benefit of vitamin C;
  • ¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice: benefit of vitamin C plus orange fragrance;
  • Have some leafy green salads: benefit of magnesium;
  • Eat a banana before or when facing a stressful situation: benefit beta-blocker effect;
  • Eat only one Brazil nut: benefit of selenium;
  • Eat a handful of Almonds: benefit vitamin E;
  • Eat a few sweet violets: benefit helps improve sleep;
  • Eat 15 g walnuts a week: benefits alpha linolenic acid.

What Should you Know before Using Nutraceuticals as Mood Enhancer?

Always speak with your doctor before deciding to try a Nutraceutical. These foods may interact with other medications and may cause side effects that could adversely influence your health.

This blog is for information only. Do your diligent homework, talk to your doctor and enjoy a natural mood enhancer — and potentially greater well-being.

Resources

Ameri, A., Heydarirad, G., Jamileh Mahdavi Jafari, J.M., Ghobadi, A., Hossein Rezaeizadeh, H. & Choopani, R. (2015). Medicinal Plants Contain Mucilage Used in Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM), Pharmaceutical Biology, 53(4), 615-623, https://doi.org/10.3109/13880209.2014.928330

Afsari Sardari, F., Azadi, A., Mohagheghzadeh, A., & Badr, P. (2018). Gulqand: A Nutraceutical from Sugared Petals. Traditional and Integrative Medicine, 3(4), 180-185. Retrieved from https://jtim.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jtim/article/view/164

Ansari, M., Rafiee, K. h., Yasa, N., Vardasbi, S., Naimi, S. M., & Nowrouzi, A. (2010). Measurement of melatonin in alcoholic and hot water extracts of Tanacetum parthenium, Tripleurospermum disciforme and Viola odorata. Daru : Journal of Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 18(3), 173–178. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22615614/

Brenneisen, P., Steinbrenner, H., & Sies, H. (2005). Selenium, oxidative stress, and health aspects. Molecular aspects of medicine, 26(4-5), 256–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mam.2005.07.004

Carr, A. C., Bozonet, S. M., Pullar, J. M., & Vissers, M. C. (2013). Mood improvement in young adult males following supplementation with gold kiwifruit, a high-vitamin C food. Journal of nutritional science, 2, e24. https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2013.12

Cobley, J.N., Fiorello,M.L. Bailey, D.M. (2018). 13 Reasons why the Brain is Susceptible to Oxidative Stress, Redox Biology, 15 (490-503). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2018.01.008.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231718300041

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