Amitriptyline is a pharmaceutical often prescribed to treat depression.

Some of the serious side effects of this drug are a disruption of your cell’s mitochondrial function, an increase in cellular oxidative stress and a decrease in the production of coenzyme Q10. The result was accelerated cell death. We also know that the mitochondria are responsible for producing the energy we need to run the body machine. Sick mitochondria cannot produce the energy required, leading to serious weakening of organ function.

Scientists from Sevilla, Spain have just published their results on the use of dietary coenzyme Q10 and natural vitamin E to treat and prevent the toxic effect of amitriptyline. They found that both antioxidants, Q10 and vitamin E helped to protect the mitochondria and to compensate for the decreased production of Q10.

Cordero MD, et al. 2009. Coenzyme Q10 and alpha-tocopherol protect against amitriptyline toxicity. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2009 Mar 15;235(3):329-37.

One of the reasons we combined coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E in our Liquid CoQ10 product is to provide the absolute optimum protection. Click here for more information about this effective and delicious product.

Take a chocolate bean and bite into it. Yuch! You would never know that this bean can produce some of the most delicious foods on earth. The process of turning this unpalatable bean into the product of a French chocolatier is long and complicated. In fact, the process is often a diligently guarded trade secret and everyone has their own methods. Not only is the taste of the chocolate affected by the process used, but also the health benefits from the flavonoids.

As expected, each step along the way has an influence on the
flavonoid content of the chocolate. Similarly to teas, the amount of
fermentation determines the polyphenol content. Green tea is unfermented; it has the highest polyphenol content and the most EGCG of all teas. Black tea is thoroughly fermented and has the lowest content. Oolong is somewhere in between. The same is true for chocolate. The less the fermentation, the higher the flavonol content.

The first step after harvesting is to let the beans ferment. For seven days, the beans are turned and aerated, as different fermentation
processes occur together or in succession.

After fermentation, the beans are dried and cleaned to avoid spoilage. Then they are roasted, subjected to temperatures of 120 – 150C. This causes many changes to the beans: the roasted parts can be separated from the shell, the
sugars are caramelized, other chemical reactions occur with the many amino acids and peptides in the beans. Most of the taste
nuances develop during the roasting process. The polyphenol
flavonoids are also changed during the roasting process.

The next step is a vigorous shaking or winnowing. This separates out the shells and breaks the cocoa into nibs, or small pieces. These are
actually edible. They can, if desired, be re roasted to improve flavor.

The next stage that can alter the flavonoid content is milling. The nibs, which contain high fat content, are ground into a fine powder. Because of the 50% or more of fat, the cocoa becomes liquefied as temperatures rise again during the milling process. This tends to decrease and change the flavonoid composition. Also, further refining can be done, such as separating the cocoa fat from the cocoa solids. Food additives are added to the mixture now to achieve certain desired results.

Acids, which develop in the cocoa during the fermentation process must be removed. This can be achieved with a process called conching, or grinding under mild heat, or through the process of dutching, or treating with a mild basic solution. Dutching removes a large portion f the flavonoids.

Products, such as HerbaSway’s Crème de Chocolat is made with undutched cocoa powder and an extract made from unfermented beans. This insures the best possible mixture of cocoa polyphenols and their health benefits.