The Herb of Immortality Part 2

The Herb of Immortality

Part 2

Optimize Your Health and Performance with Gynostemma

By Anthony Ricciuto

After I posted the first part of this series to my website I got a huge response from strength athletes and layman alike that wanted to know more about this amazing tea. I tried with the first installment to introduce you to all the wonderful benefits it offers for numerous health conditions that many people suffer from around the world. But the reality is that I just scraped the surface in terms of what it can really provide to optimize our health and well-being. Not to be forgotten is that I did promise to highlight some of its amazing performance-enhancing benefits as well. Here I will go over not only how it can help improve your strength and body composition, but also how it can prevent and treat numerous other conditions that plague many of us.

Gynostemma is the Ultimate Longevity Tea!

Performance Enhancement

Now I know you might like to hear all the good health benefits it has to offer but I the youngsters might care less about all of that and just want to know what it can do for performance. So let’s see what this plant can do. First off it can increase nitric oxide production. Now while this is one other cardiovascular health benefit, it is also one known to benefit your performance. If you have taken a pre-workout powder before the main selling point is the increased nitric oxide production to give you a better pump in the gym. This increases blood flow to working muscles giving you that jacked pumped effect. Next, as I have mentioned before is its ability to help burn fat and increase the metabolic rate. For those who have dieted for a bodybuilding or bikini competition, you know that getting your body fat under 8% is not as easy as you may think. Gynostemma can burn fat without the stimulating effects most fat-burning compounds are noted for. Gynostemma can also optimize carbohydrate utilization to be used as fuel for hard-working muscles instead of being converted into body fat. This positive effect on improving Insulin sensitivity will then improve nutrient partitioning to help improve glycogen storage while preventing you from gaining fat. To make things even better this tea can also improve the efficiency of cardiac output without stimulatory effects that can strain the heart. This will allow you to train harder and longer while minimizing your heart’s workload. How many other compounds do you know that can help you burn fat, improve Insulin sensitivity, increase blood flow to working muscles, dramatically improve training endurance, enhance glycogen loading, and optimize nutrient partitioning all in one? Well, you get that plus more with Gynostemma. So why are you still not drinking this wonderful tea?

Gynostemma Increases Nitric Oxide Production!

High Blood Pressure

Another area where Gynostemma is amazing is its ability to regulate blood pressure. Now I know I could have put this under the cardiovascular health section but here I wanted to have it in a separate section. For strength athletes like bodybuilders, powerlifters, and strongmen, high blood pressure is a common occurrence. Even natural strength athletes can have issues with this problem. But when we are talking about enhanced strength athletes then this is a major issue with almost everyone. If you are a 300-pound powerlifter and taking potent androgens, the chances of you not having high blood pressure is rare. Now not only is this dangerous for your heart but not to be forgotten is your kidneys. Many times chronic high blood pressure will cause dramatic kidney damage over time if the athlete does not regulate this. One thing I get on my athletes for all the time is making sure they monitor their blood pressure daily. Not keeping this in mind can over time lead to kidney failure that will need dialysis. Gynostemma has been shown to regulate blood pressure from two angles. For those that suffer from high blood pressure, it can help lower it. For those that may suffer from low blood pressure, it can actually help increase it to a normal range. This has to do with its adaptogenic properties that help create homeostasis in the body for what is needed. Gynostemma can help create this healthy balance within the body to optimize your health.

Gynostemma Can Stabilize Blood Pressure

Anti-Cancer Benefits

Over the last couple of decades, Gynostemma has been extensively researched in relation to its anti-cancer effects. Since cancer is one disease that is prevalent in all parts of the world, researching natural compounds to aid in the prevention of it is of great importance. In America, over half a million people die from it every year. It is the gypenosides, saponins, flavonoids, and polysaccharides contained within Gynostemma that are believed to exert these anti-cancer benefits from multiple pathways. This tea contains antioxidants that scavenge the damage that free radicals do in the body. In fact, there is not one but five main areas in which Gynostemma can attack cancer and fight this disease. This is done by the following.

The first pathway is the blocking of cancer cell initiation. The second pathway is by initiating apoptosis via Ca2+ overload. The third pathway is by causing mitochondrial membrane depolarization via caspase-dependent and independent pathways. The fourth pathway is the inhibition of DNA repair genes by downregulation. The last and final pathway is Gynostemma’s anti-metastatic effect by downregulating the synthesis of numerous tumor-associated metastatic-related proteins. The above has been proven that Gynostemma for both in vivo and in vitro studies proved its ability to inhibit cancer cell growth and development. So it can not only prevent cancer but has the ability to even kill specific cancerous cells. This one benefit alone should make everyone want to drink this amazing tea on a daily basis without a doubt.

Gynostemma’s Anti-Cancer Benefits are Proven!

Immune System Strengthener

Now if we have learned anything over the last year and a half of this pandemic is that we want to have a healthy and strong immune system. This important system is a conglomeration of your organs, tissues, and cells working in unison to protect you from nasty things like bacteria and viruses but also from disease. As you can see having a compromised immune system is not something you want in any shape or form. Gynostemma works on improving your immune response through two pathways. These are its abilities to increase and regulate nitric oxide levels in the body, as well as its potent antioxidant effects.

When it comes to nitric oxide production you don’t want too little or too much. Either way is not good for optimal health. I know many of you reading this may have used a nitric oxide booster pre-workout to help you get your pump on. But when we look at this compound we need a balance to keep the body in homeostasis. Gynostemma helps regulate nitric oxide production not only to help fight off invading pathogens but also to prevent overstimulation of the immune system which can lead to inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. Gynostemma’s potent antioxidants which I have mentioned earlier also provide protection for our delicate immune system. It does this by fighting free radicals that cause the body harm but also from environmental toxins that plague us from many directions. Numerous studies have shown Gynostemma can protect the immune system from intense physical activity that elite competitive athletes place on their body several times per week. One thing that almost everyone can relate to is after one of your hardest workouts where you hit PR’s or jacked up the volume, the following day you came down with a cold or flu. This is exactly what Gynostemma can help protect you from.

Liver Protection

Now, this is another area that is of concern for the strength athlete. The reality is that many strength athletes suffer from NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) due to their large consumption of carbs both simple and complex. This can lead to serious health issues when left untreated. The other issue is with enhanced lifters. Those that use performance-enhancing drugs especially oral anabolic steroids can put tremendous strain on the liver. Potent oral androgens like Anadrol 50, Halotestin, Dianabol, Methyl-Testosterone can dramatically elevate liver enzymes. Gynostemma has been shown in several studies to help protect the liver on many fronts.

First off it can help with NAFLD by modulating fat metabolism and reducing oxidative stress. This is a big plus for those that suffer from this condition. When liver conditions are not taken care of it can lead to fibrosis. For those of you that are not familiar with what this is, it’s basically how the liver responds to the injury caused by your lifestyle choices that leads to a scarring formation. Gynostemma has been shown in one study to cure Hepatitis B in a five-year study with close to an 80% effective rate. To make this better Gynostemma can protect against liver cell death that can be caused by your atrocious eating habits, or from wolfing down Dianabol for breakfast.

Protect Your Liver from Oral Steroid Use!

Anti-Anxiety Effects

Now one of the most common issues that a huge part of the population deal with at least some time in their life is that of anxiety-related issues. Some people may have chronic anxiety, and others may deal with it during stressful periods of time where they have undergone high levels of pressure due to different circumstances they were unable to control. Gynostemma has been proven in studies to help reduce stress levels in humans. This may be due to its adaptogenic properties that help self-regulate the body’s hormones and complex systems within the body. Its potent anxiolytic effects can help those that deal with numerous daily stressors from work deadlines, family life, as well as traumatic events that may have occurred in recent times. It has been shown to help stabilize both serotonin and dopamine levels and bring them back to homeostasis. Gynostemma can help balance these delicate brain chemicals so you can feel like your old self in no time at all.

Digestive and Gastro-Intestinal Benefits

Now I know it seems like the list of things this tea can benefit are endless but here is yet another plus. Gynostemma has been shown to have numerous different gut health properties that we can take advantage of. It can help optimize not only our metabolic rates of which I discussed earlier but it can also help improve the digestive process as well. Two areas that it shines is its ability to not only protect from but also treat atrophic gastritis and gastric ulcers. If you have ever suffered from either of these conditions you know how painful and debilitating they can be. Especially if you are a strength athlete trying to get his meals in properly to maximize gains from your training sessions. Another plus is its ability to help treat constipation. This is common more in women than in men especially when they are dieting to dial their physiques in for a competition. Now the study of the gut microbiome has been really been investigated in recent years and its relation to numerous other disease and health conditions. Gynostemma can help optimize your gut microbiome by setting up the right environment for health. It does this by increase the symbiotic bacteria to turn the tide against harmful bacteria that may get overpopulated through the use of antibiotics and poor lifestyle choices. This amazing finding with Gynostemma may be one of the reasons why it is so effective in working its magic on other conditions that may be caused by a bad microbiome including allergies, autism, arthritis, and cancer.

Optimize Your Gut Microbiome with Gynostemma!

Reverse the Aging Process

Now it wouldn’t take a scientist to understand with all the above benefits that I have described that Gynostemma could help extend life and even better the quality of said life. When you can prevent disease and then help reverse certain conditions, then it only makes sense that an improved life span most likely will be in your cards. You have to understand that longevity is not just about trying to live to 100 years old. More so it is about feeling healthy and strong and looking good at the same time. One thing that Westerners found out about Gynostemma when it was first being researched is that those that lived in certain areas of China that consumed large amounts of this “Magical Grass” had unusually long lifespans even when compared to other parts of the country. Now when you make Gynostemma part of your daily lifestyle plan not only will it help reduce the visual aspects of aging like that of your skin, but in fact, you will become younger and healthier due to its amazing properties and the effects that are taking place inside your body. Since this herb has healing effects on numerous organs in the body, it is actually slowing down the aging process from the inside out.

Gynostemma Can Increase Longevity!

Now you may be wonder how this is all possible when it already does so much. The secret to Gynostemma’s longevity benefits is the fact that it can help neutralize free radicals and the damage that they do to the body. But the second part of the equation of how this takes place is because of its abilities to dramatically increase the three most important endogenous antioxidants that our bodies can produce. This would be none other than Glutathione Peroxidase (Gpx) which I have discussed in other articles, Catalase (CAT), as well as Superoxide Dismutase (SOD). Human clinical studies have shown Gynostemma to reduce numerous general signs and symptoms of the aging process. These three endogenous antioxidants are so important for the health of the body that I could write an entire article about each one. As much as I want to go more in-depth here on them, it would not be possible to do them justice. But the good news is that you can look forward to more information about them in an upcoming series so don’t stress. The Cliff Notes of this powerful triple-team is that they are some of the most important compounds to help prevent numerous diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease, detoxifying the body of toxins, strengthening your immune response, reducing inflammation, provides organ protection, and much more.

Gynostemma can Increase Your Longevity!

Conclusion

So as you can see with this latest installment, Gynostemma can help dial in your performance from many angles. Not only can it help you burn fat and change your body composition for the better but also improve your insulin sensitivity as well. Not forgotten is the increased endurance it offers your training and the ability to recover more efficiently as well. For the enhanced athlete the liver protective qualities are another thing that should not be overlooked in the least especially for those that use high-dose oral anabolic steroids during their cycles. During this pandemic, we have never been so focused on having a fine-tuned immune system and Gynostemma shines in this area too. Those looking to improve the quality of their latter years and not just the quantity of them should also look to what this “Miracle Grass” has done throughout the history of this plant. For all that it offers, how could you not want to make it part of your daily regimen?

In the third and final installment, I will be covering more about where to source the best quality Gynostemma tea. I will explain how to prepare it and the proper dosing to get the most bang for your buck. Now that I went over all the many good things it can do for you, making sure you know how to implement it into your lifestyle is a must. I don’t want to provide you with all this amazing information and then leave you in the dark on what is the best way to take advantage of it. So take it from me, if you are looking for new angles to improve numerous health markers as well as training parameters, Gynostemma is just what you are looking for!