RESVERATROL: What You Are Not Meant to Find Out!
So what exactly is resveratrol
and how come it is a really powerful natural plant product that has remained
well under the radar until recently? I reckon it is time that resveratrol came
out from under the radar!
Did you know Plants
have an Immune Systems too?
If a plant contains natural chemicals that help to protect it
from the harmful effects of bacteria, ultra-violet rays and chemicals, then the
question needs to be asked:
Can it also be beneficial for us?
Resveratrol occurs naturally in at least 72 plant species,
including some of the more well-known ones such as grapes, raspberries, walnuts,
olives, tea leaves, mulberries and peanuts. It is particularly prevalent in the
skin of red grapes. In fresh white grape juice you have up to 200 µg / litre
and in fresh red juice, up to 1100 mg / litre. In red wine, it is estimated
that the concentration of resveratrol is much higher, about 30 to 50 mg /
litre. White and rosé wines contain lower concentrations of resveratrol.
What
is Resveratrol?
Biologically, resveratrol
is classified as a polyphenol. Polyphenols help to give fruits and vegetables
and other plants their distinct colours and flavours. If you ever wondered why
pumpkin tastes so pumpkiny and grapes taste like so grapey, then your answer is
polyphenols! They help to establish the different plant tastes and flavours as
well as the different colours.
Polyphenols are known
as antioxidant substances which help to protect humans and plants from free radicals.
Sometimes, free radicals are produced internally as a by-product of digestion, but
they are also inhaled, ingested or absorbed through our skin in the course of
living. Antioxidants are like the good guys that fight the invading baddies to
banish them from causing us harm.
Some of the free
radicals that plants and humans are exposed to are: bacteria, pollutants
(cigarette smoke and car fumes), the ultra-violet rays from the sun, industrial
waste products in the air, water or in products themselves, chemicals,
sprays and parasites. We have an immune systems that activates in the presence
of toxins and so do plants! The plant’s immune system works in a similar way,
even though the substances that the plant uses differ from ours. One of the
most effective plant immune antioxidant substances is considered to be resveratrol.
It is like a high-grade plant protector!
So let’s recap again on
this information so far, as sometimes these things can get a bit complex, when
what we are really trying to say is simple! Each plant, vegetable and fruit has
a slightly different colour and taste. This is determined by so-called polyphenols,
which are classified as having antioxidant properties.
That
basically means they help plants to stay healthy and fight off any cells that
may damage them.
What
can Resveratrol do?
Resveratrol is a
special polyphenol, known as a phytoalexin. Phytoalexins help the plant to
fight fungi, bacterial and viral infections, as well as protecting the plant from
some environmental influences such as UV radiation and ozone pollution. The
word 'phytoalexin' literally comes from 'phyt' meaning plant and 'alexin' from
the Greek word 'alexin' meaning to ward off, to protect.
That makes Resveratrol
a high-grade plant protector as it helps to fight fungi, bacteria and parasites
in plants and is linked to having beneficial effects in our bodies as an
antioxidant and a strong one at that!
Its value also
increases as it is both water and fat soluble, and as such, it is considered to
provide broad antioxidant protection. In a sense, resveratrol
is like a natural antibiotic substance for
the plant and is also linked to possessing a variety of potential health
benefits including the prevention of heart conditions and is even linked to
cancer prevention. Resveratrol is a highly thought of antioxidant. One of the
plants with the highest known concentrations of resveratrol is the Japanese
knotweed, whose Latin name is Polygonum cuspidatumis.
It
is an interesting thought:
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