natural supplements
A
Professor of Pharmacognosy, Maurice Iwu, has said it was time Nigerians
embraced organic foods because of their antioxidant capacity and other
elements, all of which are nutritionally significant.
Pharmacognosy is the study of medicines derived from natural sources.
Iwu said plant-based foods had been known
to benefit human health because of their “potent antioxidant activities
and wide range of pharmacologic properties, including anti-cancer,
antioxidant, and platelet aggregation inhibition activity.”
He also recommended the consumption of
functional beverages, which, he said, are non-alcoholic drink products
whose formulation ingredients include herbs, vitamins, minerals, amino
acids or additional raw fruit or vegetables.
Iwu, who currently heads the Bioresources
Development Group — a non-governmental, knowledge-based organisation
dedicated to sustainable utilisation of biological resources — said this
at a media briefing on Tuesday.
He noted that functional beverages had
become popular due to their appeal to consumers who seek specific health
benefits from their foods and beverages.
He said, “Both convenience and health
have been identified as important factors when consumers make decisions
about purchasing foods and beverages. And functional drinks are known to
contain health-enriching benefits such as heart health, improved
immunity and digestion, joint health, satiety and energy-boosting.”
The renowned scientist advised that the
best way to prevent diseases of old age is to regularly eat foods in
their natural forms and to also take dietary supplements to augment any
perceived shortfalls.
Indeed, scientists warn that as we age,
our bodies are unable to absorb all its dietary needs from foods alone,
hence the recommendation to augment the shortfall by taking plant-based
dietary supplements, which are able to provide nutrients that may
otherwise not be consumed in sufficient quantities in ordinary foods.
According to Iwu, “Dietary supplements are foods that work on the body tissues of humans when taken over time.”
He gave as example the virgin coconut
oils, which he said contain lauric acids which experts say increases the
good HDL cholesterol in the blood to help improve cholesterol ratio
levels.
“Coconut oil lowers cholesterol and it
can help restore normal thyroid function. When the thyroid does not
function optimally, it can contribute to higher levels of bad
cholesterol. And that is why we have formulated into natural supplements
the coconut oil.
“The virgin coconut oil serves various
hygiene purposes, stretch mark prevention, swimmer’s ear prevention,
immunity booster during pregnancy, control of morning sickness, vaginal
lubricant and first aid.
“It could also be used for immune
system/thyroid support, weight loss, diabetes, diaper rash prevention,
sore nipples treatment, body massage and cardiovascular health.
Iwu said towards this end, Bioresources
Institute of Nigeria currently coordinates scientific and technical
cooperation, along with centres of excellence in science and technology
as applied to medicinal plant research and development.
The scientist opined that locally
available foods could be researched, developed and packaged for daily
use because their properties were very useful as medicines for healthy
living.
LAGOS—A
50-year-old grandmother escaped death by the whiskers yesterday, in the
densely populated Ajegunle area of Lagos, after she was attacked by a
mob that thought she stole a day-old baby.
The woman, whose identity could not be immediately ascertained, was reportedly seen cuddling the day-old-baby whom she wrapped in a cloth.
Some curious persons were said to have raised alarm that she kidnapped the baby which made the mob surround her.
She reportedly tried in vain to explain that the baby was her grand-child and that the mother was still recuperating in the hospital, as the mob descended on her.
An eyewitness, who identified herself as Ubani Amara, said: “When they asked her at first where she got the baby from, she ignored the question.
“That gave room for suspicion that she could have kidnapped the baby because of the spate of kidnappings in Lagos. Again, she looked too old to give birth.
“A man among the crowd was the first to hit her, followed by slaps. That was when she said the baby belongs to her daughter. Nobody believed the claim because they expected to see the mother with her.
“The mob even tried to take the baby from her but the woman held tight to him, causing the baby to start bleeding from the cord.”
The swift arrival of policemen from Ajegunle division saved the woman from being lynched.
Preliminary investigation, according to sources at the division, revealed that the child was indeed the woman’s grandchild.
Sources disclosed that the medical doctor at an undisclosed private hospital around Aiyetoro where the grandmother claimed her child was, was invited to ascertain the claim.
According to the source, “when the doctor arrived, he confirmed that the biological mother was still in the hospital, explaining she developed some complications after birth. The doctor said she also could not breast feed the baby and advised the grandmother to take the baby home in order to give him proper bath and water, while the mother was being treated.
“The doctor said the baby was delivered around 8.45 a.m. and that any attempt by his mother to breast feed him could lead to her death because she has lost so much blood and was weak and pale.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/05/grandmother-saved-from-lynching-over-false-kidnap-alarm/#sthash.shyT7Wnq.dpuf
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The woman, whose identity could not be immediately ascertained, was reportedly seen cuddling the day-old-baby whom she wrapped in a cloth.
Some curious persons were said to have raised alarm that she kidnapped the baby which made the mob surround her.
She reportedly tried in vain to explain that the baby was her grand-child and that the mother was still recuperating in the hospital, as the mob descended on her.
An eyewitness, who identified herself as Ubani Amara, said: “When they asked her at first where she got the baby from, she ignored the question.
“That gave room for suspicion that she could have kidnapped the baby because of the spate of kidnappings in Lagos. Again, she looked too old to give birth.
“A man among the crowd was the first to hit her, followed by slaps. That was when she said the baby belongs to her daughter. Nobody believed the claim because they expected to see the mother with her.
“The mob even tried to take the baby from her but the woman held tight to him, causing the baby to start bleeding from the cord.”
The swift arrival of policemen from Ajegunle division saved the woman from being lynched.
Preliminary investigation, according to sources at the division, revealed that the child was indeed the woman’s grandchild.
Sources disclosed that the medical doctor at an undisclosed private hospital around Aiyetoro where the grandmother claimed her child was, was invited to ascertain the claim.
According to the source, “when the doctor arrived, he confirmed that the biological mother was still in the hospital, explaining she developed some complications after birth. The doctor said she also could not breast feed the baby and advised the grandmother to take the baby home in order to give him proper bath and water, while the mother was being treated.
“The doctor said the baby was delivered around 8.45 a.m. and that any attempt by his mother to breast feed him could lead to her death because she has lost so much blood and was weak and pale.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/05/grandmother-saved-from-lynching-over-false-kidnap-alarm/#sthash.shyT7Wnq.dpuf
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