(Punica granatum)
It was one of the first fruit trees that the human race “tamed” more than 7,000 years ago. From its homeland, Persia, today’s Iran, it quickly spread across the Mediterranean. Tablets from Mesopotamia dating back to the third millennium BC contain a cuneiform inscription that mentions it. Pomegranate, an unusual fruit full of juicy seeds, quickly grew into a symbol of fertility and prosperity. Its scientific name, Punica granatum, literally means “apple full of seeds”. This meaning was retained in English and French – pomegranate, pomme-grenade, although in the latter there was confusion when granatus in mediaeval Latin was connected with Granada, a city in Spain. And indeed, today the Spaniards call pomegranate a granada, which also means “a bomb”. The association is unequivocal, this fruit really looks like a bomb, but when we break down and analyse its composition we come to the conclusion that it is a real health bomb.
WHAT DOES THE POMEGRANATE CONTAIN?
The pomegranate fruit, which can contain over 1,000 seeds, is considered a superfood today. It is rich in vitamins of the B group, especially folates, vitamins C, E, K, as well as minerals: calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. But what makes it especially good for health are polyphenols, especially hydrolysing tannins – gallotannin, ellagitannin and ellagic acid, anthocyanins – thanks to which pomegranate has an intense red colour – terpenes, terpenoids, ursolic acid, lignans, tannins, catechins, prodelphinidins… There are also punicic, palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic fatty acids…
All these ingredients synergistically contribute to improving our health on many levels. This fruit of abundance helps us fight diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular problems, bacterial infections, diseases and skin damage caused by harmful sun radiation, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis… As ursolic acid builds muscles and improves metabolism, pomegranate is an ideal “energy bomb” that helps us to go beyond our capabilities when doing sports. By doing so, it helps us to stabilise the level of insulin in the blood, and also to look better, to be slimmer and more agile.
Ellagic acid exhibits antimutagenic, antiviral and antioxidant activity; it has the ability to whiten the skin, so it does not only protect the skin from melanoma, but also gives it a beautiful and even complexion. According to the latest research, pomegranate owes its antioxidant effect specifically to the ellagitannin punicalagin, which has a strong ability to control special types of free radicals, thus protecting not only our skin but also the entire body.
Pomegranate has an extremely beneficial effect on blood vessels. Its vasculoprotective effect has been proven by studies, and it is attributed precisely to ellagitannin and ellagic acid, as well as to anthocyanins. Substances from pomegranate extract reduce oxidative stress and prevent platelet aggregation, lipid deposition in macrophages, have a favourable effect on endothelial functions and regulate blood pressure. That is why we reduce the risk of developing hypertension and atherosclerosis if we drink pomegranate juice every day, and therefore we avoid more serious diseases such as heart attack or stroke.
In addition to its strong antioxidant effect, pomegranate also has an anti-inflammatory effect, which is extremely important for another vicious disease – colon cancer. Namely, what we know today is that chronic inflammation is a prelude to cancer, and studies have proven that pomegranate juice suppresses the presence of inflammatory cells in colon cancer. Experiments have revealed that it has anti-carcinogenic effects against lung, prostate and skin cancer.
FIGHTER AGAINST PROSTATE CANCER
Every man should know that pomegranate is his great friend: ellagic acid has a strong antioxidant effect and latest research has confirmed that this polyphenol has the power to prevent the spread of prostate cancer cells. In particular, ellagic acid in pomegranate extract suppresses the proliferation of PC3 cells, causing them to undergo apoptosis – programmed cell death.
Pomegranate is not a symbol of fertility by chance. This fruit is an excellent fighter against male infertility and erectile dysfunction. Today, due to a modern lifestyle that includes too little physical activity and too much unhealthy, fatty and processed food, there is a real epidemic of infertility and urological diseases, such as erectile dysfunction, prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia and, unfortunately, prostate cancer. Statistics show that these disorders mostly affect men between 51 and 60 years of age, when there is usually a greater drop in testosterone, so this period is also called andropause. The power of the ingredients in the pomegranate to reduce oxidative stress and prevent inflammation is extremely important for the prevention of these diseases. Inflammation and enlargement of the prostate, in addition to being very painful, is also accompanied by a number of unpleasant symptoms – difficult and frequent urination, water retention, sexual dysfunction, all of which can leave a mark on the mental and social life of the sufferer. Science has proven that all this can be easily prevented with the help of pomegranates. Antioxidants in this plant can reverse erectile dysfunction by improving circulation while relaxing smooth muscles. In the same way, they also affect the complete blood flow and functioning of the heart – it is known that cardiovascular problems in men are often reflected in potency.
But pomegranates are also a friend of women. Luteolin and naringenin have an effect similar to that of hormones secreted before pregnancy. The oestrogen effect of polyphenols is produced when they bind to oestrogen receptors, including kaempferol, quercetin, naringenin, luteolin coumestrol and 17-alpha-estradiol, which is why pomegranate juice has the power to inhibit oestrogen-dependent breast cancer.
However, pomegranate is not always easily available to us, it is often not easy to peel it or make juice from it. That is why we can take its extract through supplements. One such supplement for men comes from the expert laboratory of Herba Svet. Alfa Aktiv HS Pro is a complex and completely natural preparation that, in addition to precious pomegranate extract whose antioxidants and polyphenols protect both cardiovascular and prostate health, also contains saw palmetto extract – which is extremely effective for benign prostatic hyperplasia; damiana – a natural aphrodisiac and protector against stress; nettle – full of 3-β-sitosterol that protects the prostate, as well as acetyl-L-carnitine, an amino acid that has a positive effect on metabolism, gives energy and improves sperm quality. In addition to the plant extracts, Alfa Aktiv HS Pro also contains zinc, a mineral that is necessary for good sexual health and general immunity.
Even today, the tradition of giving a pomegranate as a housewarming gift – a symbol of prosperity, fertility, health and success – lives on in Greece. With two Alfa Aktiv HS Pro capsules a day, health and vitality are more than just symbols.
