Compounds & Therapies
Practices & Lifestyle
AHCC — Active Hexose Correlated Compound
AHCC is a fermented shiitake (Lentinula edodes) mycelia extract produced exclusively by Amino Up Co., a Sapporo-based supplement manufacturer. It is sold under multiple consumer brand labels but is the same underlying ingredient in every product…
Aloe Vera: A Practical Guide
Overview Aloe barbadensis miller (aloe vera) is a succulent plant whose gel and latex have been used medicinally for over 5,000 years. The inner gel (mucilage) contains acemannan (a polysaccharide), sterols, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids—responsible for wound healing, immune modulation…
Astragalus: A Practical Guide
Overview Astragalus membranaceus (Huang Qi) is one of the most fundamental herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine, used for over 2,000 years as a tonic for "Qi deficiency"—fatigue, immune weakness, and susceptibility to illness. Its primary bioactive compounds include polysaccharides…
Bacopa Monnieri: A Practical Guide
Overview Bacopa monnieri (Brahmi, water hyssop) is a perennial aquatic herb central to Ayurvedic rasayana (rejuvenating) medicine, used for millennia as a cognitive tonic and memory enhancer. Its primary bioactives are bacosides A and B—a class of triterpenoid saponins that undergo extensive…
Bergamot Extract (BPF)
Bergamot polyphenolic fraction (BPF) is a standardized extract of the peel and juice of Citrus bergamia, the same fruit responsible for the flavor of Earl Grey tea. The bioactive content is dominated by flavonoid glycosides — neohesperidin,…
Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia): A Practical Guide
Overview Bitter melon (Momordica charantia, also called bitter gourd, karela) is a tropical vine cultivated widely across Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for both culinary and medicinal use. Its fruit, seeds, and leaves contain a rich array of bioactive compounds: charantin (a steroidal…
Boswellia: A Practical Guide
Overview Boswellia (Boswellia serrata, Indian frankincense; also B. sacra, B. carterii) is a tree whose resin gum—commonly known as frankincense—has been used in Ayurvedic and traditional Middle Eastern medicine for thousands of years. Its primary bioactive compounds are boswellic acids…
Cinnamon: A Practical Guide
Overview Cinnamon refers primarily to two distinct species sold commercially: Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum, "true cinnamon") and Cassia cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum / cassia, the dominant variety in North America and China). Both contain cinnamaldehyde (the primary aromatic compound)…
Eleuthero (Siberian Ginseng): A Practical Guide
Overview Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus), commonly marketed as Siberian ginseng, is a woody shrub native to northeastern Asia and Siberia. It is one of the most extensively studied adaptogens in the Soviet and Russian pharmacological tradition—investigated heavily from the 1950s–1980s…
Fenugreek: A Practical Guide
Overview Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is an annual leguminous herb native to the Mediterranean, Middle East, and South Asia, used both as a culinary spice and medicinal plant. Its seeds are rich in soluble fiber (galactomannans), steroidal saponins (diosgenin, yamogenin, tigogenin)…
Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica): A Practical Guide
Overview Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) is a slender, creeping herb native to tropical Asia and Africa, used in both Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Its bioactive triterpene compounds—asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, and madecassic acid (collectively called…
Gymnema Sylvestre: A Practical Guide
Overview Gymnema sylvestre (Gurmar, "sugar destroyer" in Hindi) is a woody climbing herb from India and tropical Africa whose leaves contain gymnemic acids—a family of triterpenoid glycosides structurally related to oleanolic acid. Its most famous property is the suppression of sweet taste…
Hawthorn: A Practical Guide
Overview Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna, C. laevigata, C. oxyacantha) is one of the most important cardiovascular botanicals in European herbal medicine, with documented use for heart health dating to the 10th century. Its berries, leaves, and flowers contain oligomeric procyanidins (OPCs)…
Holy Basil (Tulsi): A Practical Guide
Overview Holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum, also known as Ocimum sanctum or Tulsi) is one of the most revered medicinal plants in Ayurveda—considered the "Queen of Herbs" and a sacred plant in Hinduism. Its bioactive compounds include eugenol, ursolic acid, rosmarinic acid, orientin, vicenin, and…
Maca (Lepidium meyenii): A Practical Guide
Overview Maca (Lepidium meyenii, Peruvian ginseng) is a cruciferous root vegetable native to the Andean plateau (3,500–4,500m elevation), where it has been cultivated for over 2,000 years for food and medicine. Its bioactive compounds include macamides (unique benzylated fatty acid amides)…
Nettle (Urtica dioica): A Practical Guide
Overview Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a perennial flowering plant whose leaves, root, and seeds each have distinct pharmacological properties and evidence bases. Nettle leaf is used primarily for allergic rhinitis and anti-inflammatory applications; nettle root is studied for benign…
Salidroside: Isolating the Bioactive of Rhodiola
Salidroside is the most-studied bioactive in rhodiola — and, as of 2024, finally available as a fermentation-derived isolated compound. One small Phase II RCT exists; everything else lives in the whole-extract literature. What the data actually say.
Schisandra: A Practical Guide
Overview Schisandra chinensis (Wu Wei Zi, "five-flavor berry") is a woody vine whose berries are prized in traditional Chinese medicine for containing all five elemental flavors—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and pungent—reflecting a diverse phytochemical profile. Its primary bioactives are…
Tribulus Terrestris: A Practical Guide
Overview Tribulus terrestris (puncture vine, gokshura) is a flowering plant found worldwide in arid climates, used in both Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine as an aphrodisiac, libido tonic, and general vitality herb. Its primary bioactive compounds are steroidal saponins—predominantly…
Yohimbine
Yohimbine is an indole alkaloid from the bark of the Pausinystalia yohimbe tree, used as a traditional aphrodisiac in West African medicine and prescribed for erectile dysfunction in the U.S. and Europe before sildenafil became available in 1998.…