Raw Planet

Maqui is a native South America evergreen shrub that grows in dense thickets from 3–5 m in height and which reaches maturity between December and March. It is a dioecious plant that belongs to the family Elaeocarpaceae and produces small edible purple berries, about 6 mm in diameter, that are eaten fresh or used for juice, jams or wine-making. The plant prefers slightly acidic, moderately fertile and well-drained soils. It grows rapidly with adequate moisture and readily colonises abandoned, burned or over-exploited soils, thus protecting them from erosion. The intense red colour of the aqueous extract of its fruit is due to the presence of anthocyanin pigments causing it to be used as a natural dye. The leaves and fruits are astringent and have been used in Chilean folk medicine as anti-diarrhoeic, anti-inflammatory, anti-haemorrhagic and febrifuge.

The Mapuche Indian tribe is the only tribe in the Americas (northern and southerncontinents) that were not conquered by any European Countries. According to the Conquistadors, the Mapuche warriors ate very little solid food and drank a fermented beverage made from Maqui Berries several times a day, which may have contributed to the extraordinary strength and stamina that the warriors exhibited. The Mapuche Indians have used Maqui Berry leaves, stems, fruits and wine medicinally for thousands of years. Maqui Berries has been traditionally used by the Mapache Indians for sore throat, diarrhea, ulcers, haemorrhoids, birth-delivery, fever, tumors and other ailments.

Maqui powder is obtained from freeze-drying and milling the frozen 100% pure Maqui berry fruit.

The Maqui fruit is obtained from an indigenous Chilean plant known as the Maqui or Chilean Wineberry Tree (Aristotelia chilensis).The berries are then washed and frozen at a minimum of -35 degrees C, before being crushed, pureed and having their seeds removed. Finally, the fruit is freeze-dried and ground into powdered form.

All ingredients conform to E.U. and FDA food laws and regulations.

The benefits of the Maqui Berry are many and varied; read this report from Food Chemistry for the full details.

Our raw freeze-drying process retains maximum nutrients meaning that our Raw Organic Maqui Powder is a true wholefood supplement. With the highest antioxidant quantity of any fruit, Maqui is reported to stimulate weight loss, delays the ageing process and detoxifies and cleanses the body. Research is also showing that it's a powerful anti-inflammatory and contains high levels of polyphenols and anthocyanins.

Antioxidants are substances that delay the oxidation process, which is the natural deterioration of cells leading to ageing. A growing body of literature points to the importance of natural antioxidants from many plants, which may be used to reduce cellular oxidative damage, not only in foods, but also in the human body. This may provide protection against a wide range of chronic diseases. The ORAC test measures a food’s antioxidant ability to neutralise free radicals and potentially mitigate health imbalances. The USDA recommend up to 5,000 ORAC units per day and more if under any of the various stressors most of us face each day. Most individuals get only 1,200 ORAC units or less per day; using a wholefood supplement such as Maqui as part of a healthy balanced diet will ensure that you're getting enough antioxidants to reap the maximum benefit.

Anthocyanins are antioxidant flavonoids that protect many body systems and have some of the strongest physiological effects of any plant compounds. They're produced by plants for self-protection against sun, irradiation, diseases and biological enemies.

Laboratory research shows that anthocyanins:
Reduce the coagulation of blood platelets, inhibiting formation of blood clots involved in stroke, pulmonary embolism, peripheral vascular disease and heart attack.
Promote higher levels of “good” cholesterol, HDL.
Inhibit oxidation of “bad” cholesterol, LDL.
Neutralize oxygen radicals.
Down-regulate enzymes leading to inflammatory reactions that cause pain and stimulate other diseases.

References
    Assays for Hydrophilic and Lipophylic Antioxidant Capacity (oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC FL) of plasma and other biological and food samples. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2003, 51, 3273-3279. Visioli, F.; Borsani, L.; Galli, C.
    Diet and prevention of coronary heart disease: the potential role of phytochemicals. Cardiovasc. Res. 2000, 47, 419-425.
    Dietary antioxidants andcardiovascular disease.Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1992, 669, 249-258. Joseph, J. And Nadeau, & Underwood, Anne. (2002).
    Fruits and Vegetables and the Risk of Stroke.Nutr. Rev. 2001, 59, 24-27. Gaziano, J.M.; Manson, J.E.; Buring, J.E.; Hennekens, C.H.
    Juice and Phenolic Fractions of the Berry Aristotelia chilensis inhibit LDL oxidation in vitro and Protect Human Endotelial Cells against Oxidative Stress. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 50, 7542-7547. Parthasarathy, S.; Santanam, N.; Ramachandran, S.; Meilhac, O.
    Oxidants and antioxidants in atherogenesis.An appraisal. J. Lipid Res. 1999. 40, 2143-2157. Prior, R. et al.
    Polyphenol Rich Fractions of the Berry Aristotelia chilensisinhibit LDL Oxidation In-Vitro and Protect Human Endotelial Cells Against Oxidative Stress. FreeRadical Biology & Medicine (Oxygen Society), XI th Meeting of the Society for Free Radical ResearchInternational, July 16-20, René Descartes University, Paris, France. Miranda-Rottmann, S., et al. (2002).

Nutritional Information
Serving Size 5g

Serving Suggestions
Early in the day, Maqui is a great addition to your Buckinis, buckola, grawnola or smoothies: add one teaspoon of Maqui Powder to meet your daily requirement. If you need an antioxidising hit in the evening, Maqui's sweet, tart flavour goes great with many desserts!

Unlike many other powders, you'll never get that gritty, grainy quality with Maqui. It dissolves beautifully, emanating a gorgeous purple sweetness...this stuff just has to be be tasted to be believed!

Algorroba (Prosopis juliflora) is a leguminous plant found in South America that was spread to arid zones around the world, including the southwestern U.S., where it is known as mesquite. Algorroba trees growing wild in desert areas of northern Peru are extremely well adapted to adverse weather and soil conditions. This particular characteristic of all Prosopis spp. makes them a suitable plant to fight desertification, and the extension of its cultivation is recommended to stop desertification in semiarid regions and to promote development of drylands.

About Mesquite and Diabetes:
Researchers report that mesquite is highly effective in balancing blood sugar. The natural sweetness in the pods comes from fructose. Fructose doesn't require insulin to be metabolised -- making it safe for diabetics. The high rate of dietary fibre, pods are 25% fibre, causes the nutrients in mesquite to be absorbed slowly preventing the spikes and valleys in blood sugar. With a low glycemic index of 25, mesquite requires a longer time to digest then many grains. The digestive time for mesquite is to 4 to 6 hours unlike wheat that digests in 1 to 2 hours. These factors result in a food that maintains a constant blood sugar for a sustained time and as a result prevents hunger. Here is a food that supports the diabetic's diet and helps maintain a healthy insulin system in those not affected with blood sugar problem.

Approximate Nutritional Value of 100g Mesquite Meal:

    *  Protein 16 g
    *  Fat 3.4 g
    *  Calories 380
    *  Fibre 36 g Minerals
    *  Barium 3.7 mg
    *  Boron 3.2 mg
    *  Calcium 520 mg
    *  Chromium 0.12 mg
    *  Cobalt 0.03 mg
    *  Copper 0.8 mg
    *   Iron 18 mg
    *   Magnesium 140 mg
    *   Manganese 2.3 mg
    *   Molybdenum 0.05 mg
    *   Phosphorus 215 mg
    *   Potassium 1712 mg
    *   Sodium 12 mg
    *   Sulfur 222 mg
    *   Zinc 3.0 mg

Medical research has shown that spirulina produces the following results:

Energy Enhancement & Anaemia
Spirulina markedly increases available energy - it is very rich in vitamin E and bio-chelated iron (for enriched blood/cellular oxygenation).

Slimming
Spirulina normalises weight with effective natural appetite suppressants, by stimulating glandular functions (youth/sex hormones), increasing metabolism; and by satisfying the body's real biochemical needs by optimising nutrition.

Stress/PMT Relief
Spirulina is extremely effective for stress reduction and relief restoring and enhancing our normal biological control systems. It is the world's richest source of antioxidants and GLA (the active ingredient in Evening Primrose Oil).

Cholesterol Reduction
A recent medical study has shown that spirulina, taken regularly, has the ability to reduce blood cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL undesirable fat) levels in the blood.

Antibiotic, Anti-Fungal Effects
Spirulina inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and fungi.

Cancer suppressant
A recent study has shown that daily ingestion of a small amount of spirulina maintains or accelerates normal lymphocyte (immune control cell) function to prevent generation of malignancy, such as cancer, or to inhibit its growth or recurrence.

Wound healing
Studies have shown that spirulina in creams, ointments, and taken orally, accelerates wound healing, promotes skin metabolism and reduces scarring.

HIV/AIDS
Extracts from spirulina have been shown to kill HIV - the virus associated with AIDS - in vitro.

Vitamin B12
The bioavailability of vitamin B12 in Spirulina is in dispute. Several biological assays have been used to test for the presence of vitamin B12. The most popular is the US Pharmacopeia method using the Lactobacillus leichmannii assay. Studies using this method have shown Spirulina to be a minimal source of bioavailable vitamin B12. However, this assay does not differentiate between true B12 (cobalamin) and similar compounds (corrinoids) that cannot be used in human metabolism. Cyanotech, a grower of spirulina, claims to have done a more recent assay, which has shown Spirulina to be a significant source of cobalamin. However the assay is not published for scientific review and so the existence of this assay is in doubt.

Spirulina is unsurpassed in its power to help enhance metabolism and normalise weight, makes you feel younger, stronger and sharper, give you a powerful sense of potency and aliveness, and a greater resistance to stress, tiredness and disease. Our spirulina is grown organically and spray dried at very low temperature so valuable nutrients are preserved.

Our spirulina powder is certified organic by Naturland.
Naturland, Germany

The Organic Spirulina certification under Naturland, Germany is based on Naturland Organic Standards of January 2006 under 'Processing standards for the production of microalgae and microalgae products'.
 
TYPICAL ANALYSIS OF SPIRULINA (General Composition)

A rich food source of Betacarotene and the essential fatty acid - Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA).
A complete vegetarian source of all the essential amino acids, Spirulina is 65% protein, with virtually no saturated fat.
An excellent source of chelated organic iron. Spirulina provides ten times as much iron as spinach.
Acts as an appetite suppressant as it is relatively high in the amino acid phenylalanine, and is therefore ideal in weight control programmes.
Detoxifies the body, clearing away impurities in the blood and bowel.
Helps to balance fat and cholesterol metabolism.
A study with human volunteers in Japan showed decreased LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels with spirulina consumption (Tokai Univ.)

Dried yacon root powder contains 50-70% (dry basis) FOS and low proportion of simple sugars (e.g., glucose, fructose and sucrose). The human body has no enzyme to hydrolyze FOS, so it passes through the digestive tract unmetabolized, providing few calories, a marketing strength for dieters and diabetics. Yacon also acts as a prebiotic. The undigested portion of yacon serves as food for “friendly” bacteria, such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus species, in the colon. Clinical studies have shown that administering inulin can increase the number of these friendly bacteria in the colon which in turn enhances our immune system while simultaneously reducing the population of harmful & bacteria  & suppresses putrefactive pathogens such as Candida albicans. Yacon helps the intestines to function efficiently and eliminate toxins and waste products from the body.

Other benefits noted with FOS supplementation include increased production of beneficial short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate, increased absorption of calcium and magnesium, and improved elimination of toxic compounds. Preclinical studies indicate an increase in bone density after consumption of FOS. In addition, the beneficial effects of FOS on the presence of Bifidobacteria suggest an improved absorption of vitamins, such as the B complexes.

Yacón is a useful sweet food for diabetics.

Yacon is a useful food for managing weight control and obesity. It provides few calories 15-20Kcal/100g, whereas bread typically contains around 50Kcal/100g.

Yacon has proven useful in preventing & treating the following conditions:
    *  Acne
    *  Colon disease
    *  Constipation
    *   Diabetes
    *  Low immune system
    *  Poor Gastrointestinal health
    *  Obesity
    *  Osteoporosis

Yacon syrup, pressed from the tuber, has a sweet flavor, and is used as a delicious vegan, raw, low GI sweetener and prebiotic with few calories.

The taste is very rich and somewhat similar to caramel, molasses & maple syrup combined.  A little goes a very long way. Yummy!

Nutrition Information: Serving Size 10g