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Pine Bark’s Next-Level Antioxidant Properties
Plus: an easy vagus nerve exercise for calming your nervous system
The 10almonds Team
November 21, 2023
Today’s almonds have been activated by:
❝If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else❞
⏰ IN A RUSH?
Today’s 30-Second Summary
If you don’t have time to read the whole email today, here are some key takeaways:
Pine bark extract has enjoyed traditional use for a very long time to treat a wide variety of ailments
Modern science shows it has powerful antioxidant properties, in more ways than you might think (i.e., doesn’t just contain polyphenols as per blueberries and coffee, great as those are)
Not everyone wants to quit alcohol. So, if you're going to drink, you might as well enjoy your drinks mindfully!
Today’s sponsor, Sunnyside, is an app that helps you change your relationship with alcohol, so that your choice is really your choice—not a mindless habit that you don’t even truly take joy in.
Read on to learn about these things and more…
👀 WATCH AND LEARN
Easy Vagus Nerve Exercise For Calming Your Nervous System (9:10)
Relaxing menu:
Prefer text? You might like our previous main feature:
Want to watch it, but not right now? Bookmark it for later 🔖
💊 MAIN FEATURE
Pine Bark’s Next-Level Antioxidant Properties
Pine bark extract has been used by the indigenous peoples of N. America for a very long time, to treat a variety of ailments.
This one falls into the category of “things from traditional medicine that eventually got investigated and their scientific worth noticed by people from outside of those cultures”.
Not all pine trees!
If you happen to have pine trees near you, be aware that without sufficient botanical knowledge, you could find yourself bark-harvesting from the wrong tree—but many species of pine do have these qualities.
Useful (for this purpose) pine trees include, but are not limited to:
Pinus banksiana
Pinus massoniana
Pinus pinaster
Pinus radiata
Pinus resinosa
Pinus strobus
…which is already a fair list, but there are dozens more that have not been studied, and/or found lacking in medicinal qualities, and/or just didn’t make our list here today.
What does it do & How does it work?
We sneakily put those two questions together today because it’s easiest to explain in one:
The Pinus family in general has powerful antioxidant qualities, and not just like blueberries or coffee (wonderful as those are).
Rather, it has:
Phenolic acids: these are the polyphenols found in many plant foods rich in antioxidants. These are great, but they aren’t the exciting part here.
Catechins: these aren’t classified as antioxidants, but they are flavonoids that do the same job in a slightly different way
Procyanidins: another class of flavonoids, and this is where pine bark really comes into its own
And yes, as ever, “those three things that always seem to come together”, it having these antioxidant properties means it is also anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer:
…and anti-aging:
…which does of course mean that it almost certainly fights age-related cognitive decline, though studies for that have been animal studies so far, such as:
Where to get it?
As ever, we don’t sell it, but here’s an example product on Amazon for your convenience; we recommend shopping around though, as prices vary a lot!
Enjoy!
❤️ OUR SPONSORS MAKE THIS PUBLICATION POSSIBLE
Drink a bit less and still enjoy drinking
146 million U.S. adults drink alcohol, and 47% want to cut back. If you're one of them, Sunnyside has the tools to help, and they'll never judge you.
Sunnyside can help you reach your goals in a flexible, judgement-free way that allows you to achieve a healthier relationship with alcohol on your own terms.
Every membership includes:
Drink planning and tracking tools
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In the first 30 days, here are a few benefits you can expect:
$50+ saved
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So, as well as being good for your health, this app might even pay for itself!
PS: there's a free 15-day trial, so you can get to know how it works before committing 😎
Please do visit our sponsors—they help keep 10almonds free
🌎 AROUND THE WEB
What’s happening in the health world…
A better way to study Parkinson's disease in the lab could lead to earlier diagnosis
When cells touch, their genetics change: A new front in understanding cancer
Hunger hormones impact decision-making brain area to drive behavior, study finds
My pre-death grief over husband's dementia
AI-enabled technology independently predicts cardiac events based on coronary inflammation
Nearly half of American adults faced medical bill issues in last year – survey
Gene finding provides new insights into pancreas development and helps search for Type 1 Diabetes cure
More to come tomorrow!
📖 ONE-MINUTE BOOK REVIEW
The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to Be Calm in a Busy World – by Haemin Sunim
First, what this one's not about: noticing raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.
That’s great too, though. This writer particularly loves the cute faces of baby jumping spiders. Sounds unlikely, but have you seen them?
What it's rather about: noticing what's between your ears, and paying closer attention to that, so that we can go about our business more mindfully.
This is, fundamentally, a book about living a happier life, whatever the potentially crazy circumstances of the hustle and bustle around us. Not because of disinterest; quite the opposite. Sunim bids us ask the question of ourselves, what are we really doing and why?
The writing style is very light and easy, while being heavy-hitting in terms of the ideas it brings. Little wonder that this one is so highly-rated on Amazon, with more than 5,000 ratings.
Bottom line: if sometimes you feel like the world is a little hectic and all that is around you is out of your control, this is a great book for you.
What did you think of today's newsletter?We always love to hear from you, whether you leave us a comment or even just a click in the poll if you're speeding by! |
Wishing you the most well-informed start to the week,
The 10almonds Team