Earlier this summer we presented a blog summarizing a bunch of B's – various health-benefiting supplements, herbs, and foods, all beginning with the letter B – for readers to use as a handy guide in picking out items they might want to stock up on. Well, we figured we would revisit such a presentation by advancing one character forward on the alphabet. We now turn to the C's. We could have easily doubled the length of this list, but decided we would start with seven items and mix it up a little bit, including some obvious C items as well as a few others you might not have read about, or at least not as often, so this can be a learning experience as well as a refreshing one. We hope and trust you will find that sailing over these seven C's will be as helpful and useful as our previous list of B's was.
- Vitamin C. Honestly, what else did you expect to see leading off a list of items that all begin with the letter C ? It has long been thought that vitamin C is best suited as an immunity booster, such as for staving off colds, and indeed it can help in that regard. But vitamin C can possibly do much more for you as an antioxidant, such as speed up the healing from wounds, cuts, and grazes, as well as reduce damage from inflammation, thwart respiratory infections, and even kill drug-resistant tuberculosis bacteria in a laboratory culture, per medicalnewstoday.com.
- Calcium. The first remedial action of calcium most think of is how it helps build and strengthen bones in your body, and that is best accomplished when used in tandem, with vitamin D. Per mayoclinic.org, calcium and vitamin D have an array of other potential health benefits as well, such combatting diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension).
- Cat's claw. No, this is not sourced from the claws of cats. Cat's claw is actually a woody vine that grows in tropical regions such as the Amazon rainforest – and it does resemble a cat's claw. It has been used for about 2,000 years, per National Institutes of Health (NIH), to prevent or treat a wide assortment of unwanted health conditions such as herpes, human papilloma virus, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, colitis, gastritis, hemorrhoids, and leaky bowel syndrome – and the list goes on. Translated: cat's claw belongs in your medicine cabinet.
- Celery seed. It does come from a celery plant, just as the name suggests, and has long been used in medical treatment, especially holistic medicine and most closely associated with the practice of Ayurvedic medicine, per draxe.com. Celery seed has been used to treat colds, flu, poor digestion, etc. for thousands of years. Today it is often counted on to bolster your body's capacity to eliminate water through urination, treat arthritis and gout, diminish menstrual cramps, and reduce blood pressure. For good measure, it can also be used in cooking to enhance flavor.
- CoEnzyme Q10. Often referred to as CoQ10 in its abbreviated form, this is a naturally-occurring nutrient found in your body and which can also be acquired through the eating foods such as tuna, salmon, sardines, vegetables oils, and meats, per webmd.com. In terms of its purported health benefits, the assortment is intriguing. Per Mayo Clinic, CoQ10 has been shown to improve symptoms of congestive heart failure, benefit people with Parkinson's, counter muscle weakness linked to the use of statin medications, reduce the frequency of headaches for migraine sufferers, and boost energy production, especially useful for endurance athletes.
- Collinsonia Root. As you might have figured, this is a plant, and the good news is that its leaves as well as the roots are known to provide health benefits. Per wholisticmatters.com, the leaves are most commonly used as a poultice – a soft, moist mass – to treat sprains, burns, and bruises because of their capacity to enhance capillary function and assist in hastier healing. As for Collinsonia's roots themselves, they contain phytoactive compounds, to include flavonoids and saponins. The former are linked to such benefits as anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activity, and the latter to bolstering the immune system and maintaining healthy blood glucose and cholesterol levels.
- Colostrum. Identified at prohealth.com as the first substance to make its way through an infant's intestinal tract, colostrum is available in Mom's breast milk and can help fight off illnesses. Among the other conditions colostrum has shown the potential treating are leaky gut syndrome, immune health, and inflammation. In summary, young (to include very young) and old can benefit from colostrum.