New York Buyers’ Club - The Blog

Some information about Women’s Blend from Super Nutrition, which also produces the Super Blend and Opti-Pack multivitamins.

Here are some excerpts from the Super Nutrition description of this multi:

This is a food-based multivitamin, enriched with organic green foods and herbs.

–Includes a robust B-Complex formula to increase energy throughout the day
–Immune supporting, anti-aging antioxidants
–Bone support - 1,000 mg Calcium, 600 mg Magnesium, 1,000 IU Vitamin D, 3 mg Boron and 1,000 mg Vitamin C
–Heart Healthy - 1,000 mcg Folic Acid, 200 mg Vitamin B6, 200 mcg Vitamin B12 plus 400 IU Vitamin E
–Enriched with 600 mcg Biotin & 100 mg GLA
–Special female herbal blend with Pau d’Arco, Peony, organic Nettles and Rosemary
100 mg 5:1 Vitex extract*
–Special flower petal blend, featuring Red Rosebuds
–200 mg Vitamin B6 to help reduce PMS*
–6 tablets per day

*Here’s some additional information, supplied by Michael Mooney at Super Nutrition in response to our request:

> Vitex for PMS.  A placebo-controlled study showed that 20 mg of Vitex extract reduced PMS 28> percent better than placebo. Women’s Blend has 100 mg of 5:1 extract.

Andrew Weill reports on studies suggesting that Rosavin, made from Rhodiola rosea, may be helpful in sustaining mood.

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/WBL02081/Herb-Reduces-Depression-May-Extend-Life.html

Rhodiola rosea is not a widely known botanical remedy, but perhaps it should be. Several recent studies have revealed that the herbal extract of this yellow-flowered, Arctic mountain plant may have multiple health benefits. A study published in the Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, reporting on people with mild-to-moderate depression, showed that patients who took a Rhodiola extract known as SHR-5 (sold under the trade name Arctic Root) reported fewer symptoms than those who took a placebo. And a study by researchers at the University of California at Irvine revealed that fruit flies that ate a diet rich with Rhodiola lived an average of 10 percent longer than those that ate three other herbs known for their life-extension properties.

As usual, these modern findings come long after indigenous people have already determined the plant’s value. Russians and Scandinavians have used it for centuries to combat stress and depression.

See also NYBC entry on Rosavin, a Rhodiola rosea extract produced by Ameriden.