First Cholesterol, Now Cancer - Tangerine Peel Offers a Variety of Potential Health Benefits!
Freeze! Put down that juicer. You are being robbed and you do not even know it. Once again it is time to reconsider simply indulging yourself with the sweet nectar of the tangerine and matter-of-factly tossing out the peel.
Although most of us are unaware, the healing properties of tangerine peel have been recognized for thousands of years. Citrus reticulata, the sweet fruit known in the United States as a tangerine, is native to Asia. The peel of the tangerine is one of the most important and widely used herbs in Traditional Asian Medicine. Practitioners use it to promote the circulation of Qi, energy, in various organs including the stomach, spleen, liver and lungs. Tangerine peel, in conjunction with other herbs, is used to break up congestion and support the respiratory system, clear the liver, and ease abdominal discomfort.
Recent laboratory studies in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom have revealed additional potential benefits of tangerine peel. In a 2004 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Elzbieta M. Kurowska, PhD. reported that the antioxidants contained in the peel of the tangerine had the most potent cholesterol lowering effect of any citrus antioxidants. In the study, tangerine peel supplements showed promise as a natural alternative for significantly reducing levels of total cholesterol and LDL "bad" cholesterol without altering the HDL "good" cholesterol level. In fact, antioxidants obtained from the peel were three times more powerful than antioxidants from the juice.
As if thousands of years of ancient wisdom and scientific links to reducing cholesterol were not enough to make you start supplementing with tangerine peel immediately, research data released just this month indicates that a compound extracted from the peel can kill certain human cancer cells! Tangerine peel contains a high concentration of Salvestrol Q40, a chemical naturally produced by the fruit to repel insects and fungi. A team of scientists from Leicester School of Pharmacy, lead by Dr. Hoon Tan, found that certain human cancer cells contain high levels of an enzyme that converts Salvestrol Q40 into a toxic compound. As a result of these high enzyme levels, Salvestrol Q40 from tangerine peel proved to be 20 times more toxic to cancer cells than healthy human cells. The researchers even went as far as suggesting a possible correlation between the rise of certain types of cancer and the current trend to throw away the peel.
The only downside to report is that the use of artificial pesticides and fungicides to protect the fruit has apparently resulted in lower levels of naturally occurring Salvestrol. The solution, find an organic source of tangerine peel.
I do not know about you but I personally cannot wait to run home and tear into the dry leathery peel of a tangerine!
Jay Adams is an alternative health care advocate and a proponent of utilizing natures resources for obtaining optimal wellness. Additional information on the use of super fruits and herbs to maintain a balanced state of health is available on his website http://NaturalWellnessWisdom.com/
Source: www.isnare.com
