“Eleutherococcus is for everybody, especially the overworked or the run-down - the major problem is to tell people in a way as to remove the barriers of cynicism and disinterest.”-Dr Nicholas Miller, Biochemist.

Good health is important to all of us, especially when our often-hectic lifestyles can upset the harmony of our body and leave us susceptible to infection. We count ourselves lucky if we get through winter without a cold or flu, but in reality seasonal viruses can hit even the healthiest of us. The good news is that there is an herbal remedy that can help.

Eladon Continually Evolving

Like a good wine matures over time, a good product continually evolves - such is the case for Elagen - arguably the best standardised extract of Eleutherococcus Senticosus you will find on the market.

Humanity has always extracted its plant medicines since the time of the ancient Egyptians and the Greeks until today. The advantages of decoctions, infusions, tinctures and syrups are clear - if not for the extraction of herbs you would need to somehow chew your way through a considerable quantity of possible bad tasting leaves or roots. Extraction concentrates the active ingredients and produces a soluble concentrate, leaving behind the dirt, bacteria and contaminants. Providing the extraction is exhaustive and follows traditional methods, all the advantages are won with hardly any loss of active ingredients.

Highest Standards Maintained

Standardisation is simply the control, by chemical analysis, to check the level of active ingredients in each batch of plant remedy and ensure that they are all the same. Of course plants vary in their quality and strength from place to place and plant to plant. To make sure they are the same a decision is made on which is the main active ingredient and what is its level in correct and reasonably good quality plants. Eladon Ltd has obtained its information by continually consulting the experts, the latest scientific literature, and carrying out many analyses of plants from a variety of sources. Off the shelf analysis of many herbs on the market today have shown that the market is full of blended, substituted, contaminated, incorrect or poor quality plants which manufacturers have often unwittingly put into capsules or tablets. Imagine if you were buying a tub of paracetamol and you were faced with a selection of products of indeterminate strength, some of which had not been quantified and contained little or no paracetamol and some of which had known amounts. Which would you buy? The same goes for Eleutherococcus - always look out for a standardised product or you may not get any active ingredient at all.

Over the 12 years Eladon Ltd has been trading we have grown to appreciate that our customers deserve an herbal supplement that evolves into the best possible product. We pride ourselves on our dedication to continually checking we have the best extracts from the best sources and our customers can always be sure they are getting the best quality standardised extract in each capsule. We have moved forward from using Silica, to rice flour and now to finely ground organic Eleuthero herb, as the carrier for the active ingredient in our Elagen capsules. Our tubs now boast a Trufil label, which means our product is 100 per cent Siberian shrub, Eleutherococcus Senticosus, with 2gms equivalent of dried root (active ingredient) in each capsule.

What can Eleutherococcus do?

So let us kill the suspense and reveal what this wonderful product can do. Eleutherococcus is an immune system regulator, which was first formally classified in 1855 by the director of St Petersberg Botanical Gardens, Carl Maximovich who brought back samples of the shrub from Eastern Siberia. Whilst strengthening the immune system it can reinforce the body's response to stress, increasing physical endurance, improving recovery from illness, helping to prevent viral infections (such as cold's and flu) and generally acting towards normalising any abnormalities in the system. Remarkably it can do all this without any serious side effects.

Adaptogens

In the 1950's Prof Brekhman of the pharmacological department of the Far East Scientific Centre of the Russian academy of Sciences recognised the potential value of the root and initiated extensive research into its properties. He subsequently classified Eleutherococcus as an 'adaptogen'. An adaptogen is a natural plant substance, which acts to normalise the body's systems in harmony with the normal metabolic, biochemical and immunological processes, as such adaptogens are innocuous and cause no harm. Adaptogens should have a non-specific action, such is the ability of Eleutherococcus to modulate stress and improve performance under a wide variety of stressful conditions.

The most widely researched and most acclaimed source of Eleutherococcus Senticosus is the Primorsky region of Eastern Siberia. Whilst Eleutherococcus does grow in the adjoining provinces of China and Korea, it is the exacting climate and the organically rich soils of Eastern Siberia, which favour the highest quality roots with the best levels, and ratios of active ingredients.

Not a Ginseng!

Certain confusion arises because Eleutherococcus Senticosus is sometimes incorrectly referred to as Siberian Ginseng. This is because it does have some properties in common with Ginseng and has been called this for familiarity. Eleutherococcus however, has different active ingredients and a different way of acting - unlike Ginseng it is not a stimulant.

‘Quack’ remedy for bored housewives?

According to Biochemist Dr Nicholas Miller, B.sc, P.hd, health food supplements are often perceived to be 'quack' remedies taken by bored housewives and bewildered hippies, however, few can deny that early 21st century lifestyles tend to be high-stress, high-pressure, performance orientated and plagued with toxins and pollutants of first-world technology. Eleutherococcus with its anti-stress, anti-toxic and stimulatory effects can delay hardening of the arteries, allow for harder work for longer hours without damage to health and can allow people to tolerate higher than normal levels of poisons. Its effect of generally strengthening the immune system combats poor diets and day-to-day viruses and has also been shown to be useful in the treatment of nervous disorders such as depression.

Dr Miller believes it is only a matter of time before the West accepts Eleutherococcus as an officially recognised medicine. “While of undoubted benefit for the sick or convalescent, it is also of boundless value as an invigorating prophylactic to ensure continued good health,” he remarks. “Eleutherococcus is for everybody, especially the overworked or the run-down - the major problem is to tell people in a way as to remove the barriers of cynicism and disinterest.”