YAMAMOTO MELOGRANO PUNICA GRANATUM 30 Capsules

Modern research is revealing the nutraceutical qualities of pomegranate, known in the past as "divine apple". Curious as it is the most cited fruit in theological books like the Bible, the pomegranate is native to Persia and Afghanistan, and was then imported into Europe by the Romans. Many legendary stories boasted its virtues in ancient times; for the Greeks it was the “good grains” apple and it was generated from the blood of Bacchus, which boiled with passion for Venus, and it was used as an ornament by women as a symbol of fertility. Then, in Christian times, the pomegranate became the symbol of the Church crowded with believers, and in the Renaissance we find sacred paintings that show a pomegranate in the hand of the Child Jesus, as a precious gift for humanity.

Today scientific research has brought to light the precious qualities of the many substances found in the pomegranate that are beneficial to the body; in particular, the fruit contains numerous chemical compounds with high biological value in all its parts, from the peel to the grains it contains ("arils"). The most important product derived from pomegranate is the juice, the richest in bioactive concentrates and the most studied, with numerous recent studies in international scientific literature. The peel and fibrous membranes are also a very important source of bioactive compounds: flavonoids, ellagitannins, proanthocyanidins and minerals including potassium, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and sodium. Thus, we note that both the juice of pomegranate and its nutraceutical products and food dressings processed with extracts of peel and fruit membranes are a confirmed source of substances that are beneficial for health on various fronts. In ancient times the bark was also used for its astringent and disinfectant properties (considered the most effective "vermifuge" that exists in nature) as well as tonic and antihaemorrhagic properties. Today, thanks to scientific research, we use its juice instead to protect the heart and blood vessels against the onset of arteriosclerosis and the damage caused by diseases such as cholesterol and diabetes; it is also used to counteract the premature aging of cells caused by oxidative stress, and its usefulness in the field of sexuality and male infertility has recently emerged.

It is thus a pool of precious substances for health, characterised mainly by a very high concentration of antioxidant substances useful for protecting the human body from free radicals and delaying the cell aging process. These substances belong to the group of phenolic compounds that include anthocyanins (which provide the typically red colour of the grains), tannins (to which ellagitannins belong and from which gallic acid and punicalagin are produced) and phenols (between including gallic acid, caffeic acid and catechins). A real concentration of many substances with precious beneficial potential where, in particular, research has shown that the components of the pomegranate with the greatest potential therapeutic capacity are ellagic acid, ellagitannins, punicic acid, flavonides, anthocyanidins and flavonoids, and where the main "protective" properties are attributed to the phenolic component, which promotes strengthening of the gastric mucosal barrier and proper functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Pomegranate juice, which is obtained from the mechanical pressing of the grains contained in the fruit, is in any case a reserve of vitamins A, complex B, vitamin C and tannins with anti-oxidant, astringent, tonic and refreshing properties, capable of slowing down the oxidative process that is at the origin of arteriosclerosis; it proves to be a powerful blend of "scavengers" contrasting the free radicals we are exposed to in modern life, starting from an incorrect lifestyle, exposure to UVA and UVB rays, atmospheric pollution, the toxic substances that we inhale or ingest with an increasingly "refined" nutrition that is low in nutrients such as vitamins and minerals but rich in chemical "additives", water contamination, infections and excessive psycho-physical fatigue. These are all situations that weaken the body and make it age prematurely. All these factors cause the "oxidative stress" that everyone talks about and the consequent increase in our body of reactive molecules, called free radicals.

Physiologically, in a healthy condition, free radicals are deactivated by antioxidant substances, but they can become harmful if in excess, because they damage all cell components, including proteins, lipids and DNA, and the increase in these attacks induces erroneous codes in the genomes. The repetition of these errors causes apoptosis or cell death, resulting in effects on the aging of skin tissues (wrinkles, loss of elasticity, skin blemishes), of the eyes (cataracts, macular degeneration), of the brain (Alzheimer, brain degeneration), but also arthritis and an increased tendency to muscle atrophy.

However, the most "critical" area where the bioactive substances contained in pomegranate are most recognised and help is under the preventive cardiovascular profile. The degeneration of the tissues that make up the blood vessels can give rise to arteriosclerosis, tissue hardening, or sclerosis, of the arterial wall that appears with advancing age, as a consequence of the accumulation of fibrous connective tissue to the detriment of the elastic component; its action at the level of the stimulation of nitric oxide is also of great help at the vascular (vasodilatory) level in this case. A particular form of this disorder is atherosclerosis, characterised by chronic inflammation of the large and medium calibre arteries that is created due to cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, hypertension and obesity. In this case, research in the cardiovascular field has shown that enriching a diet with polyphenol derived from pomegranate can help prevent and delay endothelial dysfunctions, which are among the first signs of atherosclerosis and strokes. A recent study has shown that pomegranate can prevent and even cure the main cause of deaths due to cardiac causes, that is, progressive enlargement of the coronary arteries due to the accumulation of fatty deposits. Arteriosclerosis is mainly caused by hypertension, oxidative stress and high cholesterol, three imbalances that pomegranate counteracts directly. In fact, a recent study showed that pomegranate juice was able to reduce arteriosclerosis in 25% of patients who took part in the experiment.

Furthermore, pomegranate juice can have a positive influence on keeping cholesterol levels under control, but also with regard to blood sugar, thanks to the presence of phenols that inhibit the alpha-amylase enzyme. In this context, ellagic acid and gallic acid, active ingredients that have anti-inflammatory, vasoprotective and gastroprotective properties, slow down the digestion of starch contained in foods such as bread, pasta, potatoes, and its consequent release into the blood. Their astringent properties help to counteract diarrhoea (those suffering from constipation should not abuse pomegranate juice), and its effectiveness in combating intestinal parasites is well known. Recently, research interest has also extended to the male intimate sphere, insofar as pomegranate juice can help improve sexual performance and fertility. CP Forest research has confirmed its potential for extension as a therapeutic field of action; in 2007, the "International Journal of Impotence Research" reported that pomegranate juice improves erection in men with erectile dysfunction, which seems to be partly due to the already mentioned effect of pomegranate juice on nitric oxide, which allows the smooth muscles of the blood vessel walls (as in the penis in this case) to relax, widen and increase blood flow . Moreover, again in the field of male fertility, studies have shown that pomegranate juice also improves the quality of sperm, officially opening up its use for other therapeutic actions, in addition to the purely antioxidant, antibacterial and cardiovascular discourse.