Salvestrols cannot be made in the body. They have to be supplied through our diet and to date, herbalists have identified Salvestrols in many organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs. It is estimated that our modern diet contains 10 – 20% of the Salvestrols that it did 100 years ago.
The Need for A Salvestrol Supplement
Even with a solely organic diet, there is no guarantee of adequate levels, as many modern fruit and vegetable varieties are low in Salvestrol. Differing food-growing locations, food growing methods and whether the food was fully ripe at harvest all have an effect.
Salvestrols are mostly found in the skin, peel or rind of fruit and vegetables and in the modern diet, this is the part of the fruit or vegetable least appealing and often not eaten. Many of the modern varieties of fruit and vegetables have been bred to be less bitter and this has meant that the often bitter salvestrol component has been reduced or removed.
Discovery and Research
The discovery of Salvestrols evolved from the work of research scientist Professor Dan Burke. As a faculty member of Aberdeen University Medical School for nearly 20 years, he specialised in the Cytochrome P450 enzyme system. His research group discovered that an enzyme CYP1B1 was present in diseased cells but absent from healthy tissue.
Discovery in Nature
Initially the pair worked on developing synthetic pharmaceutical products to combat disease. But in 2002 they discovered similarly structured compounds were naturally present in many foods. Professor Potter called this new class of natural compounds Salvestrols.
How Salvestrols Work in Plants
The best way to picture Salvestrols is to understand their role in the plants that produce them. When attacked by pathogens, primarily fungi plants defend themselves with Salvestrols. Where pathogens contain a CYP enzyme, Salvestrols are metabolised by the enzymes and die.
The Potential for Humans
The CYP1B1 enzyme in diseased cells offers the potential to use the plants’ response and make it part of our own defence. Consuming Salvestrol-rich plants lets Salvestrols enter our diseased cells and induce their death through metabolism by CYP1B1.
Are Salvestrols Safe?
Salvestrol is made from organically grown fruit. Mostly they are extracted in high concentrations from tangerine or orange peel and blueberries and mixed with concentrated blackberry and strawberry powder.
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