5 favorites for a healthy winter

We live in a world where we are regularly invaded by aggressors of all kinds: viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, poisons and more. To fight these intruders, our bodies need to be well equipped, since at any given moment, our immune system enters the scene with its entire army to combat these undesirables..^{1, 2, 3}

Why are we more fragile in winter?

During the cold season, symptoms of colds, flu, fatigue and gastroenteritis proliferate a little more than usual. We're more vulnerable because, with each breath, our body tries to warm up.

This change in temperature has an impact on our upper respiratory tract, as it dries out our normally protective mucus, allowing viruses and bacteria to pass through more easily. What's more, the cilia that naturally clean our bronchi are less effective when temperatures drop.

Not only are we more hospitable hosts to these viruses, but the cold also makes them more numerous. One factor is that limited sunlight protects these viruses from the ultraviolet rays that normally degrade them..^{1, 2, 3}

Other causes that weaken us: there's the impact of our overheated and insufficiently ventilated homes, which increase the dryness of the air and the presence of undesirable substances such as viruses and microbes that irritate the nasal and bronchial respiratory tracts..^{1, 2, 3}

Good lifestyle habits

Don't underestimate your lifestyle habits, as they are the foundation of your immune system. A balanced diet to prevent nutritional deficiencies, a good night's sleep, physical activity, good stress management strategies and avoiding tobacco all contribute to maintaining a healthy immune system..^{1, 2, 3}

Maintaining intestinal integrity

Gut permeability is a condition in which the lining of the small intestine is inflamed, damaged and porous, allowing undigested food, bacteria and viruses to enter and circulate in our blood or lymph. This is the start of an inflammatory cascade. Our intestine is the place where we absorb nutrients from our food and acts as a barrier against undesirable elements (viruses, bacteria, etc.) that we need to protect..^{4, 5, 6, 7}

The power of fermented foods

The potential benefits of fermentation-activated herbs 

• Complete bioavailability
• Increase in key therapeutic nutrients
• Essential enzymes
• Made from a living plant

Fermentation starts a life process that Living Alchemy uses to transform and perfect the active substances in its range of living plants. You'll benefit from the millions of years of evolution of plants with their nutrients and active ingredients, and use them as natural medicine.

Living Alchemy's plants are organic, derived from a long traditional fermentation process and produced in small batches. Fermentation takes place in a kombucha kefir culture with a variety of therapeutic microorganisms (yeast and bacteria). The final stage, cold lyophilization (dehydration), preserves all this activated microorganism and nutrient life.

And to preserve all this vitality, the products are encapsulated slowly..^{4, 5}

Living Alchemy's powerful formulas provide bio-available vitamins and minerals, probiotics, beta glucans (immune system boosters), peptides (proteins), short-chain fatty acids, nucleotides, polyphenols (antioxidants), enzymes and more..^{4, 5}

5 favorites for a healthy winter 

1) Your Immune Flora

Certain bacteria have essential functions for our immunity, so that the slightest imbalance in our intestinal flora can have consequences for our health and lead to illness. A disorder that at first manifests itself discreetly, and if nothing changes, worsens. In short, the balance of our intestinal microbiota (intestinal flora) is the source of 80% of our immunity..^{4, 5, 6, 7}

The benefits of a fermented kefir-soy culture:

• Provides nourishment to maintain intestinal integrity
• Reduces (inflammatory) markers of intestinal dysbiosis and digestive diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
• Provides antioxidants

Your Living Alchemy Flore Immunity is formulated with organic European elderberry and organic acerola, a source of vitamin C: 

• Supports a strong immune system
• Contains antioxidants to slow or even halt cellular aging caused by free radicals
• Reduces intestinal inflammation
• Promotes intestinal health

2) Your Flore Professional

The product Your Flore Professional by Living Alchemy is an organically-sourced, long-fermented product from a culture of organic fermented kefir-soy with diversified strains of therapeutic microorganisms (yeast and bacteria).

Votre Flore Professionnel is food for the intestine. The aim of this long-fermented product is to replenish good bacteria and eliminate bad bacteria to restore intestinal health..^{4, 5, 6, 7}

3) Live Black Garlic

Black garlic or fermented garlic, is native to Asia. Black garlic is made from white garlic. It is aged to create a black candied clove with a particularly mild taste that enhances dishes deliciously. Several theories explain that when garlic was first created, it was fermented in clay pots in the heat of the summer sun. This preparation of black garlic was ready just in time for winter, a more virus-prone season.

Living Alchemy uses a unique fermentation process to naturally age garlic bulbs over a long period of time, increasing nutrients and perfecting active ingredients for maximum absorption, while softening odor and taste. The product ofblack garlic product from Living Alchemy offers an organosulfur compound (S-Allyl cysteine) twice as high and stable as white garlic (allicin)..^{8, 9}

Living Alchemy Black Garlic and its approved benefits:

• Promotes cardiovascular health
• Improves circulation
• Reduces blood lipid levels (hyperlipidemia)
• Relieves symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections and catarrhal conditions such as nasal congestion and excess mucus.
• Regulates blood glucose⁴

The transformation from white garlic to Living Alchemy's black garlic is a lengthy, 90-day fermentation process. This lengthy manufacturing process increases the antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory activity of the garlic..^{8, 9}

Living Black Garlic is formulated with cayenne and hawthorn.

Cayenne pepper is undoubtedly one of the most widely used chillies in the world, and it's thanks to it that it's possible to add spiciness to a dish without changing its flavour. It belongs to the Solanaceae family, along with eggplant, tomato, chili pepper, potato and others.

It's its active constituent, capsaicin, that brings many benefits. For people in the tropics, for example, they understand that capsaicin enables the body to better withstand the heat of these latitudes. It also contains vitamin E and carotenoids..^{8, 10}

Other benefits:

• Improves peripheral circulation
• Stimulates digestion
• Help for people with heart problems
• Relieves chronic pain
• Soothes sore throats, headaches, toothaches, etc.
• Helps control weight^{8, 10}

Hawthorn is a fairly dense, vigorous, thorny shrub with smooth, pale-gray bark that turns brown and rough with age. Herbalists use the leaves as well as the flowers, berries and bark. Here, we'll be talking about hawthorn berries..^{8, 11}

The hawthorn berry (C. Pinnatifida) contains over 150 compounds, including flavonoids, triterpenoids, steroids, monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, lignans, hydroxycinnamic acids, organic acids and nitrogen-containing compounds..^{9, 10}

These compounds have antioxidant, cardiotonic, cardioprotective and soothing properties.

Its benefits:

• Regulates heart rate
• Tonicardiac
• Hypotensive
• Calming
• Antispasmodic

Extensive pharmacological effects: on the cardiovascular, digestive and endocrine systems and on pathogenic micro-organisms.^{8, 11}

4) Defense Immune Support

A blend to support a strong immune system:

• Organic Shiitake mushroom, cultivated for 2000 years in China and Japan, has an immunomodulatory action.
• Organic Oregano: antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-infectious. Excellent for respiratory tract infections. Helps clear bronchial tubes
• Organic thyme: expectorant, antibacterial, fungicidal and antiviral.
• Organic garlic: Antimicrobial, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antiviral.
• Organic ginger: acts against fatigue and digestive problems, and is anti-inflammatory
• Organic clove: analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial

Living Alchemy Immune Support Defense promotes intestinal and immune health.^{8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17}

5) Defense Extra Strength Immune Support

The formula Defense Extra Strength Immune Support acts as a protective shield against immune deficiency. It's a blend of organic fermented plants: garlic, oregano, thyme, ginger and cloves.

• Good immune support
• Relieves colds and flu
• Fights infections and yeast infections
• Reduces the duration and severity of a weakened immune system.^{4, 5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17} 

Be well-equipped to remain a good winter friend! 

About the author

Marie Couture, Certified Naturopath

Specialized in :

• Digestive disorders
•  Inflammation
• Hormonal problems
• Stress management

References :

1. Liesse Véronique, Lefief-Delcourt Alix, L'alimentation "Spécial Immunité", Leduc.s éditions, 2020, 297 pages

2. https://www.pharmaciengiphar.com/maladies/troubles-respiratoires/rhume/virus-et-froid-tous-malades-en-hiver#:~:text=En%20hiver%2C%20l'ensoleillement%2

3. https://www.infodimanche.com/actualites/noel/327434/de-saines-habitudes-de-vie-pour-un-systeme-immunitaire-au-top

4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udm2hQvMdzQ Christopher Piker

5. https://livingalchemy.ca/fr/pages/kefi-soy-advantages

6. https://manaturopathe.com/blog/2017/12/19/8-causes-de-hypermabilite-intestinale-ou-leaky-gut-et-8-etapes-pour-y-remdier

7. https://julieleplae.com/permeabilite-intestinale-en-naturopathie/

8. Béliveau Richard Ph.D. Foods against cancerTrécarré, 2005, 213 pages

9. https://livingalchemy.ca/fr/collections/alive-series/products/black-garlic-alive

10. https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Solutions/PlantesSupplements/Fiche.aspx?doc=cayenne_ps

11. https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Solutions/PlantesSupplements/Fiche.aspx?doc=aubepine_ps#:~:text=Ils%20am%C3%A9liorent%20notamment%20l'efficacit%C3%A9,plante%2

12. https://laboiteagrains.com/pages/search-results-page?q=defense%20immunitaire

13. https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Solutions/PlantesSupplements/Fiche.aspx?doc=shiitake_ps

14. https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Nutrition/EncyclopedieAliments/Fiche.aspx?doc=origan#:~:text=Sous%20forme%20d'infusion%20et,et%20de%20lib%C3%A9rer%20les

15. https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Actualites/Dossiers/DossierComplexe.aspx?doc=5-bienfaits-du-thym

16. https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Nutrition/EncyclopedieAliments/Fiche.aspx?doc=gingembre_nu

17. https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Actualites/Dossiers/DossierComplexe.aspx?doc=focus-sur-les-bienfaits-des-clous-de-girofle