since 1911
• Willner Chemists •
the nutritional supplement professionals
DaVinci Labs
market driven by non-sporty consumers.
Nutraingredients. Retrieved on December
10, 2010 from http://www.nutraingredi-
ents.com/Consumer-Trends/Sports-nutrition-
market-driven-by-non-sporty-consumers
Lambert, C. P., Frank, L. L., & Evans, W. J.
(2004). Macronutrient considerations for the
sport of bodybuilding. Sports Medicine,
34(5), 317-327.
World Anti-Doping Code (2nd ed.).
(2009). Montreal, Quebec: World Anti-
Doping Agency.
For more information on sports nutrition and
the products formulated by Bluebonnet in
conjunction with Carl Germano, listen to an
interview with Carl on The Willner Window,
originally broadcast on June 24th.
Go to www.willner.com and click on the
“Radio Show” tab. Click on the “Listen to past
program” and scroll down to June 24.
Or, you can go directly to the first hour with
the following link:
http://www.willner.com/content/3533142.mp
3
The products are under the “Extreme Edge
Sports” label, by Bluebonnet Nutrition. To see
the full listing, select “Extreme Edge Sports” in
the Manufacturer pull down menu on
www.willner.com
the case with autoimmune diseases, you
should avoid echinacea. It’s also not recom-
mended for progressive diseases such as mul-
tiple sclerosis. Finally, the jury is still out on
whether echinacea should be used by per-
sons with HIV infections.”
This is why many experts in the field
believe that these conditions are the domain
of the adaptogenic herbs. Adaptogens such
as astragalus, ashwagandha and eleuthero
“tend to enhance the immune system by way
of a balancing approach, as opposed to the
more nonspecific approach taken by echi-
nacea. This means adaptogens can be used
to treat conditions in which the immune sys-
tem is either depressed or overactive.”
Donald Brown, N.D., in his book Herbal
Prescriptions for Better Health, Prima
Publishing, lists the following immune-related
conditions that may be treated with herbal
adaptogens:
- HIV infection
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Chronic hepatitis
- Cancer patients recovering from radiation
or chemotherapy
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
He cautions, of course, that with most of
these conditions, immune-enhancing actions
“represent only one aspect of a complete
health care program.”
Dr. Brown then continues, with the follow-
ing observation: “Some mushrooms, includ-
ing shiitake, reishi, and maitake, contain a
high concentration of polysaccharides. These
polysaccharides, like those of immunomodu-
lating herbs, affect the immune system.
Traditionally employed as tonics, these mush-
rooms have many of the same applications as
the herbal adaptogens.”
In fact, when it comes to serious immune
enhancing and/or immuno-modulating
agents, the mushroom extracts he mentioned
above–reishi, maitake and shiitake–have
taken front stage when it comes to clinical
research and treating serious immune-related
medical conditions.
Products such as the Willner Chemists
Phyto-Tech Mushroom Extract Complex are
now available, providing combinations of
these powerful immuno-modulating agents.
The Phyto-Tech Mushroom Extract Complex
contains a blend of Shiitake mushroom,
Reishi mushroom, Maitake mushroom and
fresh Ashwagandha Root. The information
that follows, summarizing the current
research on each of these four extracts, was
taken from current reference databases,
including Memorial Sloan Kettering, NHI,
and Natural Standard.
Immunomodulation
“Immunomodulation describes the ability
of an herb, nutrient, or other substance to
promote healthy immune function. Our
immune systems are a complex interplay of
cells that dictate the body’s resistance to
infections. These include macrophages, lym-
phocytes (B and T), and other factors known
as cytokines (e.g., interleukin, interferon, qnd
tumor necrosis factor). Lymphocytes, the
body’s primry defense against viral infections,
have been a primary area of focus with
regard to HIV infection.
“A common denominator among
immunomodulating herbs is the presence of
complex sugar molecules known as polysac-
charides. Polysaccharides improve the activity
of lymphocytes and other cells of the
immune system, thus strengthening the over-
all immune response.
“Perhaps the most well-known example of
an immunomodulating herb is echinacea. .
.echinacea simply increases all aspects of the
immune response. . . the perfect short-term
boost that many immune systems require
from time to time.
“However, a ‘get busy’ immune stimulant
like echinacea is not for everybody. If your
immune system is already overactive, as is
. . . continued on page 84