I ran across an interesting article the other day and thought it was worth sharing.

It was in New Life Magazine, an alternative health magazine, and it was written by David Wolfe, who is arguably the most well-known figure in the raw food world.  While the title says it is for women’s health, I believe that the list is just as applicable to men.

Below, I have summarized his 10 remedies and give my feedback on each of them.

MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS

He mentions one of the most popular medicinal mushrooms, reishi. Very high in antioxidants, protects body from free radicals, and good for heart disease and blood pressure.

My Take: Personally, I have not used medicinal mushrooms but I hear excellent things about them. The one medicinal mushroom that he surprisingly did not mention is chaga.

The brand of medicinal mushrooms that many people rave about is Mushroom Science.

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS

He talks about how these are important for women to balance hormones. David Wolfe also mentions how an excess of omega-6 fatty acids and rancid trans-fatty acids lead to inflammation in the body.

David suggests foods that have alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) – chlorella, marine phytoplankton, hemp seeds, chia seeds and flax seeds. For non-vegetarians, fish oil.

My Take: Rancidity is an issue not discussed enough. From what I hear, most olive oils and other oils go rancid very quickly.

I eat very little hemp seed and no flax seeds. Some people say that flax seeds raise natural estrogen levels.

I do eat sprouted chia seed powder and take cod liver oil capsules.

B-VITAMINS

B-Vitamins are essential, especially B-6, B-9 and B-12. They help fight stress and combat environmental toxicity that gets into our bodies.

My Take: Couldn’t agree more. I take B-Vitamins in liquid form.

MACA

A superfood from the Andes that has been around for thousands of years. It is an adaptogen that increases energy, strength and libido, and contains 10% protein and 20 amino acids.

My Take: I put maca powder in my breakfast drink a few times a week. I am a fan.

PROBIOTICS

David Wolfe quotes Donna Gates, the author of The Body Ecology Diet, who says that consuming probiotics and eating fermented foods help to keep the immune system strong.

My Take: I probably don’t eat enough fermented food, which contains beneficial bacteria. Good fermented foods include Kim Chee, sauerkraut and kefir. I have yet to come across a certified organic kefir.

ASTRAGALUS

An herb in Chinese medicine that has been used for thousands of years. David Wolfe says that it is great for anti-aging and for the immune system.

My Take: Never heard of this herb before. I would be very cautious about taking any herb that comes from China, for reasons of purity.

GOJI BERRIES

Sun-dried, red berries that have been used in Chinese medicine for over 5,000 years. Great for the eyes, high in antioxidants and associated with longevity and beauty.

My Take: I like goji berries and they are a very popular superfood within the raw food community.

CACAO

David Wolfe is a massive fan of cacao, has written books on it and touts it all of the time. He believes that it is the strongest antioxidant on the planet, #1 source of manganese, elevates mood and balances brain chemistry.

My Take: I see a lot of products out there that claim to have higher ORAC scores (antioxidants) than cacao and it is hard to know what to believe. I use cacao powder 2-3 times per week or occasionally eat raw chocolate that contains cacao.

I don’t eat too much cacao, however, because of its high levels of copper.

ALOE VERA

David Wolfe says raw aloe vera contains vitamins A, C, E and many other minerals and amino acids.  It is also important for weight loss and has anti-fungal properties.

My Take: I believe what he says about aloe vera. I take it in liquid form, probably not as good as eating the actual gel from the plant itself.

GROUNDING

By walking barefoot on the earth (grass, sand, soil, forest, etc.), we can help neutralize the electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) and other types of radiation from all of the computers, cell phones, PDAs and Wi-Fi. Connecting with the energy of the earth is critical and is the most powerful antioxidant that we can access.

David Wolfe mentions a book called Earthing by Clint Ober, who has compiled research on this subject, and it looks very, very interesting.

My Take: I agree 100%. When was the last time you walked barefoot on the earth?

I haven’t done it in a long, long time and need to make a conscious effort to do it A LOT more. The amount of radiation and EMFs in our world is staggering and is definitely impacting our health.

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Overall, David Wolfe has put together a great list, and I am sure he could have filled it list with a lot more than 10.

The big one that was missing for me was wheatgrass. Anything missing for you?