Amrit: Ayuvedic Herbal Antioxidantby Vasu Nargundkar

Thousands of years ago, the masters of herbal intelligence from Earth's original health science, Ayurveda, put together an herbal "superformula" designed to nourish body and mind in the most complete way possible. Available today from Maharishi Ayurveda as "Amrit", this two-part formula is based on the twin cornerstones of herbal synergy and balance.

Today, doctors and researchers worldwide are confirming the broad spectrum of benefits this formula delivers in areas as diverse as free radical scavenging and antioxidant protection, cardiovascular health, chemotherapy toxicity, immunity, and the mind and nervous system. Amrit provides an all-natural, safe and effective way of reinforcing the body's own systems and innate intelligence, paving the way for physical, mental and emotional well-being.

In recent years, free radicals -- oxygen-based molecules or atoms that are unstable because of unpaired electrons -- have been widely linked to disease and aging. Research on Amrit has shown that it is up to 1,000 times more powerful than vitamin C or E, or the pharmaceutical antioxidant probucol, at scavenging free radicals. (Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, Vol. 43, pp 1175-1182,1992) "Amrit's antioxidant properties inhibit degenerative processes, abnormal platelet aggregation (clotting) and the aging process," says Harold Bloomfield, M.D., Yale-trained psychiatrist and a well-known authority on alternative medicine.

Hari Sharma, M.D., professor emeritus and former director of cancer prevention and natural products research at Ohio State University College of Medicine and author of Freedom from Disease, has been studying Amrit for over 10 years. He believes that plants hold the key to effective containment of free radicals: "Plants flourish in sunlight and sunlight causes oxidation. Plants obviously have a built-in system to produce antioxidants in sufficient quantities to neutralize the effects of free radicals." According to Sharma, synergistic plant-based antioxidant formulations such as Amrit offer hope for helping to prevent disease. "I believe we are in the midst of a medical revolution," says Sharma.

Amrit literally means "food for immortality." The two-part formula is classified as a "rasayana" -- that which enters the essence -- an elite class of herbal compounds detailed in the ancient Ayurvedic texts for their positive effects on overall health, vitality and longevity. Amrit contains 44 herbs, fruits and spices.

"Synergy and balance are critical attributes of Ayurvedic compounds," says Rama Kant Mishra, an Ayurvedic expert and direct descendant of a lineage of physicians to the erstwhile royal families of India. "Complex Ayurvedic formulas such as Amrit contain several categories of herbs to enhance one another's benefits and counter-act any side-effects from an individual ingredient. Primary and supporting herbs and spices, balancing herbs and spices, and bio-availability enhancers all combine in a rich Ayurvedic formula like Amrit to provide maximum potency and assimilation with no adverse side-effects. The word "holistic" is used everywhere these days, but applies aptly to a formula like Amrit which addresses the entire physiology -- cell, organ, body and mind -- to promote comprehensive well-being."

For more information on Amrit, visit the Maharishi Ayurveda web site at www.mapi.com.

Information provided in this article is for the sole purpose of imparting education on ayurveda and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or mitigate any disease. If you have a medical condition, please consult a health professional.


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