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Gout is a metabolic disorder and a form of arthritis in which excess uric acid in the body is deposited to the joints, causing severe bouts of redness, swelling, warmth, inflammation, and pain, especially in the toes and feet. Uric acid is produced through the metabolism or breakdown of purine, a nitrogen-containing substance produced in the body and found in the foods we eat. Uric acid is usually found in the blood. It is considered a waste and should be eliminated through the urine. Gout occurs when excess uric acid in the blood is crystallized and then deposited to the joints.

But what causes hyperuricemia or excess uric acid in the body? It could be an increased production of uric acid in the body, increased consumption of foods high in purine, or under-elimination of uric acids by the kidney.

Since high intake of foods high in purine is linked to gout attack, doctors and dietitians advise gout sufferers to have a low-purine but still healthy diet. It is hard or even “impossible” to have a purine-free diet since majority of our foods contain purine. People with gout are advised to limit their intake of foods with high amount of purine and increase their intake of foods with low amount of purine.
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Consumption of the following foods should be limited to avoid gout attack:

Meat. Organ meats (e.g. liver, heart, & kidney), red meat (e.g. lamb, pork, & beef), and seafood (e.g. anchovies, herring, mackerel, tuna, shrimp, scallops, and lobster) are associated with increased risk of gout as they contain high amount of purine. You should avoid or severely limit (4 to 6 ounces a day) your consumption of these foods to prevent gout attack.

Alcohol. Alcohol (beer in particular) intake is linked to gout attack because it interferes with the elimination of uric acid from the body. According to MayoClinic, 18 milliliter of wine a day is not likely to increase your risk.

Legumes. Most legumes (dried beans and peas) are rich in purine so you should watch out your intake of these foods. I hear aged people complaining joint pain after eating too much beans. Legumes are good sources of protein but they should be consumed moderately to prevent gout attack.

Some Vegetables. Vegetables like mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, and cauliflower are also rich in purine. According to a scientific study, intake of these vegetables has no significant association to gout attack despite the fact that they contain high amount of purine. More studies are needed.

Foods To Eat

The American Medical Association recommends a balanced diet for people with gout which includes foods high in complex carbohydrates (e.g. whole grains, fruits, and vegetables), low in protein, and with less fat.

Examples of fruits good for people with gout are pineapple, banana, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, and oranges. You need to love fruits to fight gout.

Don’t forget vegetables; just avoid mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, cauliflower, and other vegetables high in purine. It is really hard to determine vegetables with high amount of purine. I recommend you to ask a dietitian or nutritionist for a list of vegetables with low amount of purine.

Increasing your consumption of foods with anti-inflammatory compounds may help prevent gout attack or even reduce gout symptoms. Spices such as basil, cayenne, chili powder, curry, coriander, chives, chicory, garlic, ginger, parsley, and turmeric are among the best sources of anti-inflammatory substances.

Drinking plenty of water may help prevent gout attack because it helps in faster elimination of uric acid from the body.

Studies show that drinking skim or low-fat milk and eating foods made with them (ex. yogurt) may help reduce the risk of gout attack.[ad#afterpost]

References

• Gout Diet – MayoClinic
• Foods That Impact Gout – MedicineNet.com
• Gout Diet – Foods To Eat – About.com

Guava is a perennial plant that grows in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Caribbean, Central and South America, and Africa. It belongs to the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) and grows up to 25 feet upon maturity. It has tough dark leaves, white flowers, and round or oval fruits. The nutritious rind of the fruit is green but turns yellow or maroon when ripe. Depending on the variety, the pulp is white, red, or pinkish. The small hard seeds are embedded at the pulp. The sizes of the fruit range from 4 to 12 cm depending again on the variety. The rind is usually eaten because it is considered more nutritious than the pulp. Guava fruit has lemon-like fragrance but less sharp. It is sweet or sour depending on the degree of ripeness.
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The most common species of guava is Psidium guajava, commonly known as the Apple Guava. It is the most common type of guava in my beloved country, the Philippines. It is one of my favorite fruits as a child growing in the province. My cousins, siblings, and I used to pick guava in our backyards. Eating the fruit became exciting when we dipped it to vinegar or salt. We don’t like overripe guava because the taste is little bit weird.

We also use the guava leaves in different purposes. When we have a wound, we ground fresh guava leaves and put them to the wound to stop bleeding. The guava leaves will not only stop bleeding but will also hasten the healing of the wound. In the province, boys with fresh circumcision wounds prepare a decoction of guava leaves to wash their wounds. The decoction will prevent infection and hasten healing. The decoction is also used as remedy for fever. Our parents usually advised us to eat guava fruit to strengthen our teeth and gums. These are the medicinal uses of guava that I know. When I searched the internet for more health benefits of guava fruit and leaves, I’ve got additional information which I will share to you.

According to the US Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database, 165 grams of guava fruit contains 133 g water, 8.9 g dietary fiber, 4.2 g protein, 23.6 g carbohydrates, 1.6 g fat, 377 mg Vitamin C, 250 I.U. Vitamin A, 81 mcg folic acid, 1.8 mg Vitamin B3, 0.1 mg Vitamin B2, 0.1 mg Vitamin B1, 688 mg potassium, 66 mg phosphorus, 33 mg calcium, 0.4 mg copper, and 0.4 mg iron. Guava also contains carotenoids, flavonoids, and other phytochemicals. I will try to provide the health benefits of each of these components of guava.

Water. We all know that water is a necessity for survival. Dehydration of the body causes death. The pulp of guava contains water.

Fiber. This coarse fibrous substance is largely composed of cellulose which human cannot digest but aids in digestion. Fibers like those found in guava and other fruits are considered to play a role in the prevention of many diseases in the digestive tract.

Carbohydrate. This is our primary source of energy.

Vitamin C. This water-soluble vitamin is an important antioxidant, a compound that inhibits the destructive effect of oxidizing agents like free radical, a highly reactive atom or group of atoms with unpaired electron. Free radicals are linked to various diseases like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, brain disease, atherosclerosis, stroke, premature aging, and cancer. Do you know that guava has four times Vitamin C than orange? Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy, a disease with symptoms including spongy gums, loosening of the teeth, and bleeding into the skin and mucous membranes.

Flavonoids. These are phenolic compounds, mostly plant pigments that also act as antioxidants like Vitamin C.

Carotenoids. These are also plant pigments that work as antioxidants.

Vitamin A. This vitamin is important for the health of the skin, eyes, and organs. Deficiency with this vitamin leads to roughening of the skin and night blindness.

Folic acid. This is important for normal cell division. Pregnant women need folic acid supplement to ensure normal development of the baby. Folic acid deficiency is linked to several cases of miscarriage.

Proteins. These are needed for muscle growth.

Vitamin B1. This is needed in carbohydrate metabolism.

Vitamin B2. This vitamin is an important coenzyme in many biochemical processes.

Vitamin B3. The deficiency with this vitamin (a.k.a. niacin) causes pellagra, a disease marked by dermatitis, diarrhea, and disorder of the central nervous system.

Calcium. This element is essential for teeth and bone development.

Potassium. This is important in heart functions.

Iron. This is very important component of hemoglobin, protein in red blood cell that transports oxygen.

Other Health Benefits

Studies show that extract of guava leaves has been found effective in killing different strains of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli. These bacteria are known to cause diarrhea. Drinking decoction of guava leave may help stop diarrhea. In fact, decoction of guava leaves is traditionally used to treat diarrhea in different cultures.

The ability of guava leaf extract to lower blood glucose level has been observed in laboratory studies where diabetic mice were used.

Scientists observed that guava leaf extract is able to inhibit the growth of cancer cells in vitro.

Preliminary studies show that guava leaf extract has anti-inflammatory properties.

There are scientific findings on the ability of guava leaf extract to lower blood cholesterol levels in human subjects.

Decoction of guava leaf is traditionally used as remedy for cough.

Guava fruit and leaf decoction are excellent laxatives; they promote bowel movement in constipated individuals.[ad#afterpost]

When I was a child, I really did not enjoy eating soursop, a fruit that we locally call guyabano. Although I ate some occasionally, I did not feel the same excitement when I eat imported fruits like apples, grapes, tangerines, pears, etc. The pulp looks unpalatable to me, but I like the soursop juices sold in stores. (Weird) Some people I know (cousins, siblings, friends) don’t also like the fruit. I consider soursop as one of my least favorite native fruits but I wonder why old people in our community like it.

Lately, my perception on the soursop dramatically changed  when I learned that it has amazing health benefits. A local television program featured soursop as the “miraculous fruit” as it is claimed to treat cancer. Two old men with terminal stage cancer attributed the disappearance of their tumors on eating soursop. Their medical doctors were surprised when they found out that their tumors were already not existing in their bodies. The two old men are now living normally and spending the remaining years of their lives with their families.

With the help of the show, many people with cancer, mostly poor, learned the medicinal use of soursop and now using it. With soursop, there’s a hope for people who cannot afford radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and other medical procedures for cancer. In the Philippines, if you have cancer but don’t have money, you should begin asking for divine help or use herbal remedies, hoping that they’re effective. Cancer therapy is expensive especially when you are living in a third world country like the Philippines.

After watching the show, I said WOW, I must love guyabano. Although I don’t have cancer, I should regularly eat soursoup to prevent cancer as there are many possible carcinogens in the food we eat, the air we breath, and the things we use. I found scientific studies in the internet that shows how soursoup extract is able to kill different types of cancer cells.
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Scientifically known as Annona muricata of family Annonaceae, soursop is called in different names: guanabana in Spanish-speaking countries; thu-rian-khack in Thailand; durian belanda or durian maki in Malaya; sorsaka in Antilles; corossol in French-speaking countries; graviola in Brazil, anona de puntitas in Argentina; and sinini in Bolivia.

Soursop is found in tropical and subtropical regions such as Southeast Asia, Central and South America, Subsaharan Africa, Caribbean, and Mexico. It is low-branching, bushy, and grows up to 30 feet high. Its fruit is oval or heart-shaped, sometimes irregular, curved, or irregular. The fruit can grow up to 6 inches in width and up to 12 inches in length. It is covered with inedible, leathery-appearing, bitter skin from which protrude stubby or more elongated and curved, soft, pliable “spines”. The creamy white pulp inside the fruit has the combined flavor of strawberry and pineapple with sour citrus flavor. The pulp is processed to make candies, beverages, powdered juice, and other food products.

 

Health Benefits

Soursop contains water, proteins, carbohydrates, fibers, calcium, phosphorus, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), and amino acids. All these components of soursop are beneficial to the body: ascorbic acid is an antioxidant; fibers help regulate digestion; proteins for muscle building; carbohydrates as energy source; and the minerals (Ca, Fe, P) for proper body functioning.

The bark, roots, seeds, and leaves of sour sop are used as herbal remedies for haematuria, urethritis, dysentery, gall bladder trouble, coughs, catarrh, diarrhea, dysentery, indigestion, vomiting, eczema, rheumatism, wounds, and liver ailments. They are also used as sedative to induce sleep. They are usually boiled in water to make a tea, which is slightly bitter.

Scientists have isolated various compounds in soursop that demonstrate toxic effect to cancer cells of the lungs, breast, liver, prostate, colon, and pancreas. These are acetogenins, annomuricin C, muricatocin C, muricatetrocin A & B, gigantetrocin B, longifolicin, corossolin, corrosolone, annocacin, muricapentocin, cohibin A & B, annopentocin, murihexocins A & B, and many more to be isolated.

More studies are needed to learn more about the anti-cancer properties of soursoup.

If you have cancer or any disease, you should try eating soursop pulp or drinking soursop tea. There is nothing wrong with trying. Right?
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Chaga, Inonutus obliquus, is an edible mushroom with amazing health benefits. It is parasitic to trees, mainly birch trees. In terms of geographical distribution, chaga is found in temperate countries such as Japan, Korea, Russia, East European countries, United States and Canada. In terms of appearance, chaga has irregular shape, black, deeply scarred outer surface (resembling charcoal), and a brown inner layer. For centuries, chaga has been used in Oriental and Russian medicine in treating different diseases such as cancer, gastritis, ulcer, and tuberculosis. The mushroom became popular when Nobel laureate Alexandr Solzhenitsyn introduced it to the world through his novel “Cancer Ward”.  The protagonist in the novel  is cured of cancer with the aid of chaga mushroom. Today, chaga is marketed as medicinal mushroom in the health supplement industry. There is growing number of studies on the therapeutic properties of the mushroom.
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Chemical Composition

Chaga mushroom contains minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, fibers, fats, proteins, essential amino acids, and special compounds such as phenols, beta-glucan, inotodiol, isoprenoids, and betulinic acid.

Health Benefits and Medicinal Uses

Antioxidant Properties

Polyphenols and triterpenoids from chaga have been shown in laboratory studies to be effective antioxidants. They are able to scavenge  free radicals, which are unstable and reactive compounds that damage cellular structures such as DNA and RNA. Free radicals are believed to be involved in degenerative diseases and cancers. (Cui et al. 2005) In one study, chaga extract has been found to protect cells (human lymphocytes) by inhibiting oxidative damage to the DNA. (Park et al. 2004) DNA damage can result to abnormal cellular behavior like uncontrolled cellular division observed in cancer.

Hypoglycemic Properties

Chaga mushroom may help lower blood sugar levels. X. Lu et al. (2010) and Sun et al. (2008) found out that chaga extract showed significant anti-hyperglycemic and anti-lipidperoxidative effects in diabetic mice. The researchers said that the terpenoid and sterol compounds in chaga mushroom exhibited the hypoglycemic effect. Clinical studies are needed to learn if chaga extract can help people with diabetes.

Antimutagenic Properties

Ham et al. (2009) studied the antimutagenic effects of chaga mushroom extract. They concluded that 3beta-hydroxy-lanosta-8, 24-dien-21-al and inotodiol components of chaga showed antimutagenic and antioxidative activities. Antimutagenic compounds inhibit mutations, which are changes in DNA and RNA sequences. Mutations can be beneficial but most of the time dangerous as they can cause genetic disorders as well as cancer and degenerative diseases.

Anticancer Properties

Medical databases like Pubmed.com show that most of the researches done so far on chaga are about its anticancer and antitumor properties. The results of these researches are promising. It has been shown that chaga extract was  able to inhibit tumor growth, initiate apoptosis (cell death) of cancer cells, and stimulate the immune system to fight cancer.

Betulinic acid, a compound found in both birch  tree and chaga, shows anticancer properties in laboratory studies. Chaga absorbs betulinic acid from the birch tree.

Immune System Stimulation

Chaga extract has been found in several studies to stimulate the immune system to fight infection, cancer, and immune diseases.[ad#afterpost]

References and Further Reading

• Cui, Y. et al. 2005.  Antioxidant effect of Inonotus obliqus. Journal of Ethnopharmacology.
• Park, Y.K. Et al. 2004. Chaga mushroom extract inhibits oxidative damage in human lymphocytes as assessed by comet assay. Biofactors.
• Sun, J.E. Et al. 2008. Antihyperglycemic and antilipidperoxidative effects of dry matter of culture broth of Inonotus obliquus in submerged culture on normal and alloxan-diabetes mice.
• Lu, X. et al 2010. Phytochemical characteristics and hypoglycaemic activity of fraction from mushroom Inonotus obliquus.
• Ham, S.S. Et al. 2009. Antimutagenic effects of subfractions of Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) extract. Mutation Research.
• Chaga – Chaga The “King of Herbs”

Agaricus blazei is an edible mushroom with medicinal properties. It is native to Brazil but now cultivated in various countries including China, Japan, Korea, United States, and Taiwan. Agaricus blazei is known in Japan as Himematsutake, Kawarihiratake, or Agarikusutake, in China as Ji Song Rong, in Brazil as Cogumelo do sol (mushroom of the sun), Cogumelo Piedade or medicinel. Japanese scientist Takatoshi Furumoto discovered the mushroom in 1960 and sent it to Japan for investigation. Agaricus blazei was accounted in Byzantine medical treatises as a cure for malignant ulcers of the larynx from the 4th century AD to the 15th century AD.

Agaricus blazei is a relative of the common mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. It has a sweet taste and fragrance of almonds – the reason why it is also called almond mushroom. It has a convex brownish-gold cap (5-18 cm), short and hard stem or stipe (6-15 cm), and chocolate brown basidiospores found underside the cap. It grows in plant litter or rich soil. Japan, China and Brazil are the major countries that cultivate the mushroom as a functional food and  medicine. It is still debated whether the North American Agaricus subrufescens and Agaricus blazei are similar mushrooms or just relatives.
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Chemical Composition

Agaricus blazei is made up of water, proteins, amino acids, fats, fibers, and carbohydrates. It contains special class of polysaccharides called beta-glucans, which were found in laboratory studies to stimulate the immune system and fight cancer.

Health Benefits

In Brazil, China, Taiwan, and Korea, Agaricus blazei is believed to stimulate the immune system, fight cancer, reduce blood cholesterol levels, cure digestive and circulatory disorders, prevent peptic ulcer and osteoporosis, improve the quality of life of diabetics, and fight emotional and physical stress. A growing number of scientific researches support these claimed health benefits of the Agaricus blazei, especially on cancer treatment.

Complex polysaccharides isolated from Agaricus blazei like beta-glucans have been found in laboratory studies to inhibit tumor growth and directly kill cancer cells. Other studies also suggest the ability of Agaricus blazei extract to inhibit cancer metastases.

Beta-glucans from Agaricus blazei works on a cellular and molecular level to stimulate the vital components of the immune system such as neutrophils, eosinophils, macrophages, monocytes, and natural killer (NK) cells. These immune system cells do not only help the body fight infection but also fight tumors and cancer cells.

Agaricus blazei has also been found to exhibit antioxidant properties. The antioxidants in the mushroom will prevent the oxidation of cholesterols, which form plaques in the inner linings of blood vessels, hardening blood vessels and obstructing blood flow. Cholesterol plaques in blood vessels are the major culprits in incidents of heart attack and stroke. Antioxidants also benefits the body by neutralizing unstable and harmful free radicals that damages cells and tissues.

In one study, Agaricus blazei extract protected laboratory mice from fatal septicemia (serious bacterial infection). The extract also increased the survival rate of the infected mice.

Agaricus blazei extract showed anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hypertriglyceridemic, anti-arteriosclerosis, , and anti-hypertriglyceridemic activities in laboratory rats with streptozocin induced diabetes.

In Japan, thousands of patients are using Agaricus blazei to improve their quality of life after undergoing chemotherapy. Patients who are taking Agaricus blazei report improvement of the side effects of chemotherapy such as appetite loss, alopecia (hair loss), emotional instability, and general weakness.

Studies on human subjects show that  both systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly reduced in subjects that take Agaricus blazei than those who take placebo.

Safety Concern

Agaricus blazei and other mushrooms are able to accumulate toxic heavy metals from the substrate  such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.  Wild mushrooms are more likely to accumulate heavy metals than cultivated ones. They can grow in environments that are greatly polluted by toxic metals. Mushrooms that grow in places near mines, dump sites, chemical factories, and polluted bodies of water should be avoided.

Another concern is the presence of aromatic hydrazines in Agaricus blazei like agaritine and its derivatives. Hydrazines are believed to  be carcinogens. More studies are needed.[ad#afterpost]

Reference

• F. Firenzuoli et al. 2007. The Medicinal Agaricus blazei Murrill: Review of Literature and Pharmaco-Toxicological Problems. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Oxford Journals