Michael L. Love: Good morning world
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It is still a marvel to me that I have not yet been able to uncover any ancient lore regarding parsley.  Given its properties, one would expect it to be the stuff of legend.  For example, while maintaining myself on the parsley plan described in this blog, this has been my best allergy season for years, as anticipated.  More about this later.  Another thing I noticed lately is that parsley is a great preservative, which now should come as no surprise either.  Parsley is simply loaded with astringent phenolics, such as apigenin, which are excellent preservatives, in addition to being extraordinarily healthful. Some of you may know that I bring a zippy bag full of veges with me most times.  This bag of tricks typically contains a red pepper, a carrot, black grapes, parsley sprigs, sometimes grapefruit sections, and whatever other vegetables I happen to have around the house.  I also eat a bit of cheese, which I keep separate from the vegetables, but a little cross-contamination is inevitable, which has sometimes led to some surprisingly tasty results.  Unfortunately, it has also sometimes led to vegetable spoilage, even though I keep the bag in the fridge overnight.  Lately, I have also been adding about 1/4 cup of parsley flakes, and it has clearly been inhibiting the growth of micro-organisms and the resulting food spoilage.  One supposes that citrus stored buried in parsley flakes would suffer far less mold.  Cheese coated with parsley flakes would also likely store better, and many other excellent benefits are expected.  It is difficult to believe that the ancients were unaware of these important properties of parsley.  They were able to surmise the healthful benefits of many plants and spices based upon their preservative properties.  If anyone discovers some genuine parsley lore, I would definitely be interested in hearing about it. Regards, proclus http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

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Published Friday, May 07, 2010 09:06 AM by proclus

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Michael L. Love: rutabagas odyssey

I am following up with research on some of the foods on the list, particularly the ones that I am less familiar with. So I started with rutabagas, and this humble vegetable is taking far longer to research than I expected, which mostly explains why I haven't posted recently. There is rapeseed oil, canola, Monsanto, turnip greens, and much much more; each with research forks. It is really a marvellous subject, and there will likely be more in the future about this, but that is unfortunately all that I can say for now. I'll leave you with one of the more interesting references that I turned up, related to autism and iodine. Cheers! Autism: transient in utero hypothyroxinemia related to maternal flavonoid ingestion during pregnancy and to other environmental antithyroid agents. Regards, proclus http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

The blog Michael L. Love: I Love You! Michael L. Love: parsley and allergies Michael L. Love: parsley and triglycerides Michael L. Love: Parsley odyssey continues Michael L. Love: Community blog to rss extraction code Michael L. Love: winter bicycling Michael L. Love: more parsley info, anti-diarrhea and other matters Michael L. Love: Parsley recipe Michael L. Love: polyphenols and stable free radicals Michael L. Love: some bio info, blog links, plus some molecules site news Michael L. Love: USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content Michael L. Love: recipe; flax oil, tyrosol lignans update Follow Michael L. Love: on Google Buzz

Published Saturday, January 09, 2010 12:00 PM by proclus

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Regards,
proclus
http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

Michael L. Love: writing and riding

I have been busy writing. Some of it may appear here eventually. It is unclear to me that community members are interested in broader personal information, other than that which is focused on one of the four main interest categories. And I am inclined at this time to put such information elsewhere. Such is the case with the article I wrote today. Google, user interests, and biasing factors http://proclus.gnu-darwin.org/google-bias.html Data from the community blog post tables assisted my conclusions. That is how I spent my morning. There is more in the pipe, such as some autobiographical information. I am currently thinking that community members are less interested in topics that do not fall strictly under the four goal/interest categories. Which is the main reason I have been posting such material elsewhere. I think that this article is germane to anyone who wants to promote their blog, which many in the community might find helpful. It is like the code I developed for blog extraction, and I am posting to all four groups because of this fact. I split my bicycle rim this week, and I will likely spend the afternoon spoking it out. This problem is due to the magnesium, which is much softer than conventional bicycle materials. Other bicycles would be less expensive, more reliable, and stronger, as I describe in the winter bicycling articles. This is the disadvantage of riding in style, but I think that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The light weight and attention-getting appearance are the main advantages of this ultra-light bicycle. The crucial action is that people see the bicyclist. In addition to promoting the sport, it is good for the continued health and well being of the rider, as well as the writer. Regards, proclus http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

The blog Michael L. Love: blogging, facebook, and Radical Mormon Michael L. Love: aspirin hiatus Michael L. Love: citrus pudding recipe Michael L. Love: parsley recipe alert! Michael L. Love: parsley and bone loss Michael L. Love: I Love You! Michael L. Love: parsley and allergies follow-up Michael L. Love: parsley and allergies Michael L. Love: parsley and triglycerides Michael L. Love: Parsley odyssey continues Michael L. Love: Community blog to rss extraction code Michael L. Love: winter bicycling Michael L. Love: more parsley info, anti-diarrhea and other matters Michael L. Love: Parsley recipe Michael L. Love: Linus Pauling Follow Michael L. Love: on Google Buzz

Published Saturday, February 27, 2010 02:27 PM by proclus

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Regards,
proclus
http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

Michael L. Love: Tyrosol Lignins

I would like to share my intitial impressions regarding tyrosol and lignins.  I finally got a chance to try a couple of products containing these substances, and I was able to do a little checking, including some blood pressure measurements.  I am borderline prehypertensive for various reasons, many of which are harmless, but I like to keep an eye on it.  It should be noted that these impressions are preliminary, empirical, and anecdotal. Lignins are a highly varied and often complex molecular species, so that it should always be inquired as to what type of lignans are being referred to.  I am convinced that lignan molecules can be expected to be at the frontier of longevity medicine.  It is no surprise that there is much excitement around these compounds, which have good free radical quenching capabilities, and similar structures to other polyphenolic compounds, which have been demonstrated to have enormously healthful benefits. Tyrosol is another molecule which shares in the same interesting properties as lignans in the general sense, and in fact, many lignans are based on tyrosol.  These include the lignins in flax and olive.  Tyrosol has been demonstrated to have similar beneficial qualities, but it is also deserving of certain caveats, as are the tyrosol lignan class in general. Tyrosol and tyrosol lignans are included in certain nasal and throat spray preparations, and it is not surprising that they exhibit a decongestant-like property, due to their similar structure to adenergic molecules, such as norepinephrine.  In fact, tyrosol has been demonstrated to have antiarrhythmic effects, which could be beneficial for some people.  This is consistent with alpha-1 adenergic activation, and explains the decongestant effect as well. At this juncture, I would like to remind that these are preliminary findings, and people should search out the matter in the literature for themselves.  My research is indicating at this time that alpha-1 activation is not beneficial from a longevity perspective, and is likely to cause harm to people with rapid heartbeat or high blood pressure.  One reason for this is the resulting Akt activation, which you can look up for yourself.  I try to avoid alpha-1 activation, which is a stress response.  For this reason, I have until now tried to avoid decongestant medicines, which are typically alpha-1 adenergics. Tyrosol shares its molecular properties with norepinephrin, the body's native alpha-1 receptor ligand, and as such it can be expected that there are ameliorating factors which offset the problems.  Although, alpha-1 activation may lead to runaway calcium cascades, tyrosine kinase activation, and an increase in inflammatory factors, these effects which are often adverse are offset by the phenolic structure of the molecule, which may tend to scavange the resulting free radicals and produce some of the other benefits that are associated with polyphenols, like resveratrol. My advice at this time is to use discretion and moderation when supplementing with tyrosol and tyrosol lignins.  Consider the state of your health.  Personally, with borderline prehypertension, I will tend to use less than some other people.  For example, I will use the topical and intranasal preparations only as needed.  I have the flax oil with lignan fraction preparation from NSI, and I think that it could be beneficial, but due to these concerns, I will limit myself to an occasional 1/2 teaspoon.  I like it in my yogurt fruit smoothie, and it tastes better than olive oil in the juice.  Much more could obviously be said about olive oils.  Anyway, for people with low blood pressure and/or adverse congestion and swelling in the nasal epithelium, the effects may be more beneficial. Adenergics are frequently a part of body building regimens, and I would advice caution.  There are beta-adenergic agonists, which are probably more on target and effective than the alpha-1 agonists.  Moreover, they can be expected to be more heathful in the general sense as well. I am afraid that I am always eager to try the hottest new supplement, in order to expand my longevity program, and as a result, I do not always proceed with scientific rigor.  I find myself backpedalling from time to time, which is why I put the caveats on this piece.  I must confess that the observed effects could be due to a change in my vitamin E regimen, but I find that unlikely.  For the future, I think that tannins are in a similar preliminary state as lignins.  There are huge potential benefits, but an equal degree of concerns.  I hope that this information helps someone, and I will post updates as I learn more. Incidentally, for those concerned about high blood pressure, you might want to have a look at forskolin.  It is available in herbal extract form  from NSI.  I recommend a strict regimen when using forskolin, in order to avoid the rollercoaster effect.  It would probably be wise to consult with a healthcare professional about it.  I will probably have more to say about this later, as it is related to this story above. Finally,  I would like to boost another new idea.  I think that phenolics which are not alpha-1 adenergic would be a better addition to an intranasal spray.  It would not give users that familiar punch, but it would be more benefical in the long run.  There are many naturally occuring flavonoids, which are known to have beneficial antimicrobal activity, and it should not be difficult to find the best one, perhaps among the citrus variety.  In a suspension with a little citric acid to lower the pH and aid absorption, it could be quite beneficial and effective, without the alpha-1 body load... BTW, for the throat spray too. Regards, proclus http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

The blog Michael L. Love: Parsley recipe Michael L. Love: polyphenols and stable free radicals Michael L. Love: some bio info, blog links, plus some molecules site news Michael L. Love: USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content Michael L. Love: recipe; flax oil, tyrosol lignans update Michael L. Love: rutabagas odyssey Michael L. Love: polyphenols, first round results Michael L. Love: Tryosol Lignins Michael L. Love: Bisphenol Molecules Structural Archive and Gallery Michael L. Love: Nano baby doll house music maker Michael L. Love: Molecules Activism on Vitacost: Thai Black Rice update Michael L. Love: Antifungal nasal spray Michael L. Love: Merry Christmas Vitacost Community! Michael L. Love: more on the polyphenol story Michael L. Love: Seafood notes Michael L. Love: Polyphenols, etc Michael L. Love: Linus Pauling Michael L. Love: First entry Follow Michael L. Love: on Google Buzz

Published Friday, January 01, 2010 07:06 PM by proclus

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proclus
http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

Michael L. Love: proclus molecules blog

Welcome to Michael L. Love on Vitacost! Probably my most recognizable feature is that I don't own a car, and I bicycle for exercise twice most days. email:proclus@gnu-darwin.org

Michael L. Love: parsley and triglycerides

How might apigenin chloride channel blockade decrease serum triglycerides?  In other words, could one reduce serum triglycerides by eating parsley?  What follows is abit speculative, and I will admit that I have not yet researched the topic fully in the literature.  More will follow.  If you are comfortable with the fact the following may contain inaccurate extrapolations, the proceed.

The first thing to observe is that a decrease in serum triglycerides would be a paradoxical effect.  The channel blockade agents that are being considered here are also COX inhibitors and COX expression inhibitors, so that at low dose they can be expected to raise serum triglycerides, as observed.

At high dose, the agents would tend to raise the hydrostatic pressure of the cell, by blocking one of the primary means of reducing that pressure, the CFTR chloride channels.  The physical model indicates, that increased hydrostatic pressure may lead to increased inward vesicular transport, and reduce serum triglycerides.  The mechanism is unknown to me at this time.

Some things about the pathway and mechanism are known to me, for example, COX inhibitors would tend to raise serum triglycerides, because the product of the COX reaction, prostaglandins, binds to PPAR alpha and activates inward vesicular transport, probably by some genetic mechanism.  It should be noted that prostaglandin production is the direct result of the activity of phospholipase, which provides the COX reagents.

One could hypothesize that a cellular response to CFTR blockade combined with COX inhibition would be the release of agents which activate phospholipase activity, such as histamine and norepinephrine.  By doing this, the cell would be attempting to make more COX reagents, so that the inward vesicular transport can be turned on, perhaps in order to avoid hydrostatic rupture.

Hydrostatic rupture is probably an over-statement, and what we are discussing are more like tendencies, rather than requirements.  One observation in support of this argument would be that cAMP-activated CFTR chloride permeabiltiy is able to overcome the blockade to varying degrees.  The blockade is unlikely to be complete under cAMP-activated conditions.  In fact, in cells which express cAMP coupled receptors, such as the beta-adenergic receptors, extra-cellular ligands to these receptors can be expected to alleviate hydrostatic pressure, without recourse to vesicular transport.  Moreover, the cell likely has other means of releasing solutes to draw out water.  For example, there is another important chloride channel, which may play a key role.  More on that later.

Two of the ligands which can activate both phospholipase and cAMP production are histamine and adenergics, such as epinephrine and norepinephrine, and cellular secretion of these products would be expected to help relieve hydrostatic pressure, by activating both CFTR, and inward vesicular transport, even during CFTR blockade which tends to be partial.  This cellular response may take time to come to full fruition, perhaps days or weeks.

It should be noted that alpha-1 and H1 activation leading to phospholipase activity is the very stress response that we are trying to avoid.  Phospholipase activity is associated with many problems, being implicated in cancer for example, and one infers that phospholipase activators would have the same association.

My experience is consistent with adenergic activation resulting from CFTR blockade, but I will need another week or so to eliminate some extraneous factors.  Such activation would also be consistent with some of the puzzling and unexpectedly elevated blood pressure readings that I have had transiently in recent days.

Are blockading levels of resveratrol or flavonoids beneficial in the overall sense?  My parsley experience clearly rings a cautionary note, but the animal experiments are indicating that a higher dose is consistent with deeper CR memesis, and that it is more healthfully beneficial than a lower dose.  Perhaps the explanation for this observation resides in the intestine, resulting from CFTR blockade, but it may also result from a greater increase in triglyceride transport, especially inward transport.  I am anxiously awaiting my next blood triglyceride assay.  I would also add that increasing water intake is recommended for the parsley regimen in order to compensate for the diminished mucous secretion, among other things.  

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Regards,
proclus
http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

Published Friday, January 29, 2010 01:23 PM by proclus

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proclus
http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

Michael L. Love: parsley and allergies follow-up

Now that my eyes have been sensitized to dryness for the very first time in my life, I think that I can describe something I would call parsley eyes.  They are apparently a little dryer than what they normally would be, even without any anti-histamine.  In fact, my eyes have returned to normal, though perhaps occasionally on the dry side of normal.  On my bicycle this morning, it was clear that my wet winter nose had returned.  The stye is gone, and I stopped the niacin a day or two ago.  Of course, the dryness would be linked to the CFTR blockade from the parsley regimen, but it also appears that a normal dose of anti-histamine was far too much, when combined with the parsley.  I think that a few doses of niacin helped the stye recovery immensely, and now I think I am in the normal range, better than I was before.

This experience has taught me very much about the interplay between flavonoids and histamine.  In the future, I may experiment with a very low dose of anti-histamine, which may be beneficial, if you can find one with high H1 receptor selectivity.    Now that the dry eyes has been solved, I will be continuing with the parsley regimen for the foreseeable.  There are just too many benefits from high dose polyphenol to give the parsley up, besides the fact that it is delicious.

This would be a good time to reiterate concerns around the use of flavonoid and polyphenol supplements with respect to development; pregnancy, nursing, and little children.  As I have previously pointed out these concerns, I would only wish to indicate this caveat.  For example, some women are using parsley in an attempt to restore or regularize menstruation.  I don't know if it is effective, but if so, then there could obviously be a danger of miscarriage during pregnancy or worse. 

Regards,
proclus
http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

Published Friday, February 05, 2010 04:05 PM by proclus

Michael L. Love: parsley and allergies

Yesterday I realized that people with allergies might like to try the parsley regimen.  I have definitely had dry eyes and nose as a result of using this much parsley, and I think I actually developed an eye stye because of it.  Of course, this speaks to the histamine connection.  I had been taking an anti-histamine for atopic cough and runny nose, which are allergy-like symptoms, and it appears that the parsley regimen has eliminated that problem.  Because of the stye, I stopped the anti-histamine, so that I would have more tears, and I have started taking niacin again, which I intend to do until the stye is gone.  Today I have tears in my eyes, so that it appears that the combination of parsley regimen and anti-histamine was too strong for me.  This is still preliminary in my case, but it would be wonderful if people could use parsley to reduce their allergy symptoms, and reduce or eliminate their anti-histamine use as indicated.  It is clear that many who suffer from allergies or related problems would like to give this a try in order to get some relief.  Parsley apigenin has been demonstrated to reduce cell invasiveness, which is a big part of the allergy problem and cancer too.  My atopic cough is far better after two weeks of this parsley regimen.  Research relates atopic cough directly to immune system invasion in the trachea.  Perhaps we can add this parsley regimen to the body of allergy information and remedies.  Time will tell.  More later. Share | Regards, proclus http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

The blog Michael L. Love: I Love You! Michael L. Love: parsley and allergies follow-up Michael L. Love: parsley and allergies Michael L. Love: parsley and triglycerides Michael L. Love: Parsley odyssey continues Michael L. Love: Community blog to rss extraction code Michael L. Love: winter bicycling Michael L. Love: more parsley info, anti-diarrhea and other matters Michael L. Love: Parsley recipe Michael L. Love: polyphenols and stable free radicals Michael L. Love: some bio info, blog links, plus some molecules site news Michael L. Love: USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content Michael L. Love: recipe; flax oil, tyrosol lignans update

Published Tuesday, February 02, 2010 09:47 AM by proclus

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proclus
http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

Michael L. Love: recipe; flax oil, tyrosol lignans update

This is another late night quick update on several items.  I managed to isolate the effects of the flax oil with lignan fraction formulations, and I am checking off.  I could not detect any increase in blood pressure, or any decongestant effect either.  It is likely that this is a most healthful oil formulation, second only to certain fish oils. I think that the lignans add a little bitter taste to this oil, which is comparable to some olive oils that may be similar, but I recommend the flax oil anyway.  Cooking and acidic foods are likely to create something deeply pleasant from the bitters.  In fact, I have a recipe for this below. Before proceeding to the recipe, I would like to point out a problem with citrus bioflavonoids, like hesperidin and naringinin.  Although citrus fruits typically have hundreds of milligrams of these beneficial substances, they are not absorbed well into the body.  In fact, the absorption is terrible, in spite of the high vitamin C content of the fruit.  One reason for this may be that people tend to wolf citrus fruits down without chewing, and I recommend small, well-chewed bites.  I have also applied some biochemical insights and kitchen wizardry to make a recipe that attempts to address this problem. Again, before proceeding to the recipe itself, I need to point out that this citrus pudding has a very unusual ingredient, fresh ground pepper.  Like the flax oil bitters, this spice takes on a very different and rich taste in the acidic pudding mixture.  Here is the recipe. Juice two citrus fruits, and save the pulp.  Set the juice aside, or drink it as you like.  It is not a part of the pudding.  The vast majority of healthful fiber and flavanoids are found in the pulp.  Be sure to juice vigorously all the way to the peel.  Put the pulp in a soup bowl, and add 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil.  I am recommending the flax oil because of the high omega 3  and lignan content.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper, and a large heaping tablespoon full of yogurt.  Make sure that you have the kind with live cultures, because this will aid in the digestion of the fiber and absorption of the flavonoids.  Like the flax lignans, this is very healthful fiber, and it is helpful to find a way to digest it.  Stir the pudding to a thick uniform mixture, then enjoy your delicious treat. I recommend experimenting with more pepper.  The combination of citric acid and emulsion will remove any unpleasant taste, and like the other ingredients, the pepper may aid in absorption of the citrus bioflavanoids.  Be sure and use fine ground fresh pepper. If you have recommendations for this new recipe, be sure and post them.  I am anxious to try them.  I am really enjoying my citrus this way, and I promise a big wet kiss to anyone who can prove that it does not improve the absorption of these crucial nutrients.  Enjoy your pudding.  It is very filling and satisfying. Share | Regards, proclus http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

The blog Michael L. Love: Parsley recipe Michael L. Love: polyphenols and stable free radicals Michael L. Love: some bio info, blog links, plus some molecules site news Michael L. Love: USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content Michael L. Love: recipe; flax oil, tyrosol lignans update Michael L. Love: rutabagas odyssey Michael L. Love: polyphenols, first round results Michael L. Love: Tryosol Lignins Michael L. Love: Bisphenol Molecules Structural Archive and Gallery Michael L. Love: Nano baby doll house music maker Michael L. Love: Molecules Activism on Vitacost: Thai Black Rice update Michael L. Love: Antifungal nasal spray Michael L. Love: Merry Christmas Vitacost Community! Michael L. Love: more on the polyphenol story Michael L. Love: Seafood notes Michael L. Love: Polyphenols, etc Michael L. Love: Linus Pauling Michael L. Love: First entry Follow Michael L. Love: on Google Buzz

Published Sunday, January 10, 2010 08:03 PM by proclus

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proclus
http://www.gnu-darwin.org/