Pic by John Mason

Recent research indicates that we can forestall memory decline and promote brain health by eating ½-1 cup of berries per week.  The health benefits from blueberries and strawberries were noted in a study published by the Annals of Neurology.  However, the magic is in a little flavonoid called anthocyanidin (AN-tho-sigh-an-ah-din).

Anthocyanidin For Brain Health

Anthocyanidin is an aglycone or non-sugar flavonoid.  Besides supporting brain health, this flavonoid has anti-oxidant, anti-platelet and anti-carcinogenic properties.

In the study 16,000 nurses’ nutritional habits were tracked over 20 years.  The women who consistently ate berries slowed down cognitive decline by 1 ½ to 2 ½ years.  Elizabeth Devore, an instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, headed the study.  She and her colleagues focused on berries because previous rodent studies indicated that anthocyanidin passes through the blood into brain tissues and concentrates in the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and learning.  For more details on this study see Time’s online article  “Brain Food:  Berries Can Slow Cognitive Decline”.  

Best Berries To Prevent Memory Decline

Anthocyanidin is found primarily in the skin or outer layer of vibrant red, blue or purple pigmented fruits and vegetables.  Strawberries and blueberries were the focus in the study, but you can also find this memory enhancing flavonoid in cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, and even in sea buckthorn berries.

To get this flavonoid from a vegetable source incorporate eggplant, purple potatoes, red or purple cabbage, red onions and even black rice into your diet.

If you would like to get your brain enhancing nutrients from sea buckthorn, then try our Revitalize and Renew Drink or go for Sibu Raw, which is our 100% sea buckthorn berry puree.  Raw is unpasteurized and available exclusively through our website.  Sibu’s sea buckthorn is organic, wild-crafted, and sustainably harvested through fair trade agreements with our harvesters in the Himalayas.

Use Sibu Organic Sea Buckthorn Oil to heal your skin from sun exposure.  BOGO through May 31, 2012.  Place two 15ml seed oils in cart and use coupon code: OIL15BOGO at checkout.  Limit 4.  While Supplies last!  Click here to go to product page.

Photo provided by Skippy3E

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month.  As we’re heading into the summer season and more sun exposure, it’s a good time to review current research and protect ourselves from ultraviolet A (UVA), ultraviolet B (UVB) and now infrared (IFA) rays.

New Sunscreen Guidelines

Sunscreen companies base their SPF ratings on UVB protection and have been claiming “broad-spectrum” to include UVA without any proof of amount of UVA protection.  From here forward, sunscreens cannot designate themselves as “broad-spectrum” unless they have an SPF of 15 and can block 90% of UVA rays.  Avobenzone, ecamsule, oxybenzone, zinc oxide, and titanium dioxide are active sunscreen ingredients that provide UVA protection.

Cosmetic companies making sunscreen claims have not been required to verify their SPF claims on cosmetic products until now.  Starting this year, makeup must meet FDA guidelines to post an SPF rating.  We will likely see many cosmetic brands dropping the sunscreen claims on their packaging.

There is no such thing as “sweat-proof” or “waterproof” sunscreen. You will no longer see these claims on sunscreen products.  Companies will now have to be more specific by stating the duration a product will provide protection in adverse conditions.  For example, “water resistant up to 40 minutes”.

What are UVA, UVB and IFA Rays?

UVA or ultraviolet A long waves account for 90% of radiation reaching the earth’s surface and can penetrate clouds and windows.  While this ray is weaker than UVB, we are exposed to more of it and it penetrates deeper into our skin causing premature aging, permanent pigmentation (age spots) and DNA damage, which leads to skin cancers.  For this reason we need to wear sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day, regardless of the season or weather.

UVB or ultraviolet B short waves, while causing shallow damage to our skin, is the main culprit of skin reddening and sunburns.  Unlike UVA, UVB intensity is seasonal and varies during the day.  In the US, UVB rays are most intense between the hours of 10am and 4 pm from April to October.  UVB can still damage skin year round.  It cannot penetrate glass like UVA, but it reflects off of snow and ice.  Those living at higher altitudes and in temperate climates need to protect against UVB rays year round.

IFA or infrared rays cannot be seen or felt, as they do not generate heat.  But, these rays penetrate deep into the skin and cause damage to the mitochondria within our skin cells causing free radical damage.  They also increase pigmentation and inflammation within the skin leading to premature photoaging.  Sunscreens do not protect against infrared rays, but current research suggests that topically applied antioxidants fight against free radical damage caused by IFA’s.

Sibu Beauty maximizes antioxidant-rich skin care with organic sea buckthorn.  Loaded with polyphenols, carotenoids, flavonoids, sea buckthorn is nature’s answer to free radical exposure.  Apply our Hydrating Serum or Repair and Protect Facial Cream to your skin every morning and follow with a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher.

Skin Cancer Screenings

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States.  There are more annual cases of skin cancer than breast, prostate, lung, and colon cancers combined, according to SkinCancer.org.  With May being Skin Cancer Awareness Month, you can get a free skin cancer screening with the Skin Cancer Foundation’s “Road to Healthy Skin Tour”.

Skin Cancer Foundation Recommended Sun Protection Guidelines

• Seek the shade, especially between 10am and 4pm
• Do not burn.
• Avoid tanning and UV tanning booths.
• Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV protecting sunglasses.
• Use a broad-spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day.  For extended outdoor activity, use a water-resistant, broad-spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
• Apply 1 oz. (2 tablespoons) of sunscreen to your entire body 30 minutes before going outside.  Reapply every two hours or immediately after swimming or excessive sweating.
• Keep newborns out of the sun.  Sunscreen should be used on babies over 6 months old.
• Examine your skin head-to-toe every month.
• See your physician every year for a professional skin exam.

Bottom line?  Protect the skin you are in.  Stay informed.  Read your sunscreen labels to ensure you are getting the amount of protection you are expecting. And, be sure to infuse your skin with antioxidants by applying topical moisturizers or serums every morning.  See your doctor immediately if you ever see anything abnormal with your skin.

Spring brings allergy season and for those of us who are negatively affected by  pollen, we usually have a love/hate relationship with this time of year.

While you have your parents and grandparents to thank for seasonal sneeze, there are ways to fortify your system for this annual onslaught.  Plants that are insect pollinated like wild and garden flowers are not to blame, so go ahead and smell the roses.  Wind-pollinated trees and plants are usually the culprits, so limit outside activities on windy days.

Omega-7 and Omega Oils

Fortifying your body with the nutrients it needs for healthy mucus membranes is foundational for natural allergy relief.  We’re not shy about this here at Sibu. Omega-7 is integral for the formation of healthy mucous membranes.  Pollen infiltrates our nasal passages and eyes first so healthy mucus membranes are the first and best defense.  Sea Buckthorn is the richest plant source of Omega-7.  Drinking Revitalize and Renew and taking our Cellular Support Capsules does the body good with Omegas 3, 6, 9, and especially Omega-7.

Along with supporting healthy mucous membranes, Omega oils are natural inflammation reducers.  With inflammation quickly following sneezing and watery eyes, it’s a must to take your omegas.

Spice Things Up

Heat up your recipes with cayenne pepper, ginger and fenugreek.  Curry, anyone?  Also, go heavy on onion and garlic.  According to WebMD, “Eating hot spicy foods can help thin mucus secretions and keep your sinus passages clear.”

Herbs and More

Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) helps relieve allergy symptoms like runny nose, sneezing, congestion, and itchy eyes. Patients given Butterbur, standardized to contain 8 mg of petasin, 3 times a day proved the most beneficial. No negative side effects were noted according to research done in Germany and Switzerland.

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) blocks histamine from binding to histamine 1 (H1) receptors, inhibiting allergic reactions like hay fever.  It also stops inflammatory response according to Phytotherapy Research.

Quercetin, one of many flavonoids naturally occurring in Sea Buckthorn, has growing research supporting its efficacy for natural allergy relief.  “Quercetin is a potent anti-histamine that prevents the release of itch chemicals that make our nose run and our eyes water. “ Richard Firshein (HealthPrism.com)

Bromelain, besides being an enzyme that aids digestion, helps break down mucus and lessen inflammation, according to Dr. Edward Group,  “The health benefits of bromelain also include help for colds, asthma, and excessive mucus production in the respiratory system.  Patients who suffer from hay fever and other seasonal allergies may also benefit from bromelain’s anti-inflammatory activity.”

Enjoy Your Spring and Summer

With a little help from Mother Nature, we don’t have to let allergy season slow us down.  Enjoy the breeze and blooms of spring and summer.  Just remember to “spice things up”, take your Omegas (especially Omega-7), and consider Stinging Nettle, Butterbur, Quercetin, and Bromelain for anti-histamine support.

This article is for educational purposes only.  Always consult your doctor before taking any herbs or supplements.  Results from studies have not been confirmed by the FDA.

Is there really a difference between men and women’s products other than scent? Many skin care products catering to women will use distinctly feminine scents with floral or sweet notes, sending most guys out the store doors with bar soap and maybe sunscreen if they know enough about skin care to protect themselves from UV damage.

To reach the male skin care market, companies often take the same formulations geared toward women and exchange the scent with something more masculine smelling like woodsy notes.  But is that really all there is to it?

The Difference Between Men’s and Women’s Skin

Both genders have similarities when it comes to aging, sensitivity, oiliness and more.  The difference comes when we take a look at hormonal differences and the role of facial hair.  Men generally have higher levels of testosterone than women, which can result in increased oiliness.  While this oiliness can be troublesome for daily care and preventing breakouts, the increase in moisture retention from teens to the middle years can help men’s skin age better. Higher testosterone levels also provide some protection from collagen and elastin degradation.  After age 50, as testosterone levels decline, men will find their skin becoming more dry and in need of more emollient products.

If a man sports a beard, this actually protects the underlying skin from UV exposure.  Over many years the cumulative effect can make a significant difference in the youthfulness of that skin. Conversely, shaving the skin causes increased sensitivity, inflammation, potential for infection and ingrown hairs.  All of these factors call for products that can specifically address these variables.  Hence, the men’s old standby, “aftershave.”  Unfortunately, most aftershaves have not been updated to remove irritants and promote  healing of skin tissue.  This is where research-based skin care, usually reserved for women’s skin care, crosses over to help men get better results.

The likelihood of ingrown hairs decreases with regular exfoliation, so adding a scrub to the weekly routine can really help.  Aftershave needs to add moisture without increasing oiliness, reduce inflammation, and have ingredients that are anti-microbial.

Science Based Skin Care

With science supporting our skin care, Sibu Beauty’s formulations are suited for all skin types, including men’s.  To address the stress caused to the skin from shaving we particularly recommend our Exfoliating Scrub and Hydrating Serum.  Use our scrub on a weekly basis to reduce the likelihood of ingrown hairs.

In addition to being chalk full of antioxidants and Omega 7, sea buckthorn is naturally anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory.  Using our Sea buckthorn Hydrating Serum with hyaluronic acid makes the perfect moisturizing, calming, and healing aftershave.

What most skin care lines overlook, is that great skin starts from the inside out.  We always recommend drinking our all natural Revitalize & Renew Drink with organic Sea Buckthorn and taking our Cellular Support Capsules to give your body over 190 nutrients and especially Omega-7 for the formation of healthy hair, skin and nails.

For more information on men’s skin we recommend checking out the International Dermal Institute.

Meadowfoam Seed Oil

Looking like frothy ocean spray, seas of meadowfoam grow naturally in Northern California, Southern Oregon, Vancouver Island, and British Columbia.  The oil from the seeds of this herbaceous annual flower provides many benefits for cosmetic use.  Comprised of 98% long-chain fatty acids, the emollient properties of this oil absorbs quickly into skin, forming a moisture barrier and assisting the skin with preventing moisture loss.

Improves Skin Care and Cosmetics

Meadowfoam helps other skin care or cosmetic ingredients adhere to the skin.  Being highly stable, meadowfoam will stabilize more delicate ingredients, extending the shelf life of skin care and cosmetic formulations.  Meadowfoam plays a supporting role so that other nutrients can shine.

Protecting Our Planet

As an eco-friendly alternative to burning fields between plantings, grass seed farmers will rotate their fields with meadowfoam.  Agriculturally developed as an alternative to sperm whale oil, this little flower saves our giant ocean friends.

Sibu Beauty uses meadowfoam seed oil (Limnanthes alba) in the Daytime Facial Cream, Replenishing Night Cream, Body Cream, and Age Defying Eye Cream.

 

 

Our own Roxanne, here at Sibu Beauty is quite the chef.

Here’s a great recipe using Sibu Raw.

 

Chicken/Seitan Picata

 

4 thinly cut chicken or seitan cutlets

Flour for coating

6 tablespoons olive oil

3 oz. combination of onions/garlic/shallots (Trader Joes)

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white wine

Tops of bunch of Thin Asparagus (3” slices from the top to stem)

2 cups vegetable stock or water

1 bay leaf

1/8 tsp. turmeric

¼ tsp. thyme

1 tsp parsley flakes

¼ cup Sibu RAW

 

Directions:

Coat chicken or Seitan cutlets in flour by placing in a bag and shaking.

 

In a saute pan, heat 2 TBL olive oil over high heat. Add thinly sliced chicken cutlets or seitan and cook 2-4 minutes per side until golden brown. Take cutlets out of pan and put on plate.

 

Add 3 to 4 TBL of olive oil to pan and onion/garlic/shallot mix. Cook 2-4  minutes until soft and clear. Add THIN tops of asparagus and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add 1 TBL. flour and cook for an additional 2 minutes stirring constantly.

 

Add wine, stir well. Add vegetable stock, bay leaf, turmeric, thyme, parsley, Sibu RAW and cook for 10 minutes.

 

Prepare Saffron Rice and top with chicken or seitan and sauce.

 

Enjoy!

Or as they say in Tibet, “Tashi!’- “Good health and good fortune.”

What Are We Eating?

In this Information Age, with data at our fingertips, you would think that we would know what is in our food.  But the information available to consumers runs the ragged edge of ethical disclosure when it comes to where our food is coming from and what is disclosed on the ingredient label.

Genetically modified food (GMO’s) is estimated to be in 80% of all packaged foods in the United States, according to the Grocery Manufacturer’s Association.  Of U.S. crops approximately 86% of corn, 94% of soy, 90% of cotton and 90+% of canola are genetically engineered (GE).

What Do They Know That We Don’t?

Over 50 countries, including the European Union and even China have significant restrictions or an outright ban on GMO’s.  Right now, Canada and the United States have no legislation for the disclosure of genetically engineered food.  Why are we late to the table when it comes to GMO legislation?

Rather than being at the forefront of protecting consumers, the U.S. is at the forefront of genetic engineering.  In fact, the U.S. is about to introduce the first genetically modified fish, an Atlantic salmon.  There are grave concerns as to how all of these GMO’s will ultimately affect or contaminate our non-engineered food supply as well as the potential toxicology of GMO’s in general.

Taking Action

The good news is that California is pursuing GMO legislation with “The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act.”  Hopefully, other states will follow suit.

On a national level, the “Just Label It” campaign launched in October of 2011 and has already submitted over 500,00 signatures urging the FDA to require labeling of all genetically modified food products.  To get involved go to: www.justlabelit.org

If this information is new for you, take action by researching this topic.

For more information on the risks of GMO’s visit www.labelgmos.org

To get a current non-GMO’s shopper guide visit True Food Now.

Sibu Beauty is committed to producing ONLY non-GMO supplements and skin care products.

You may have to cut back on butter in your diet, but when it comes to your face butter should definitely be on the menu.  We’re talking about shea butter and the luxurious benefits it provides your skin.

Shea trees grow wild across the African Savannah. The nut from this tree is the main source of cooking oil and topical treatments for indigenous populations who apply shea butter to skin and hair and use it to treat minor skin conditions.

The extracted oil forms a rich butter with exceptional moisturizing capabilities due to its abundant source of fatty acids.  These emollients promote skin renewal and elasticity.  Shea butter also contains cinnnamic acid, a substance that imparts some UV protection.  Vitamin A and E are naturally occurring and provide antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.  The cream from this nut can do all of this without being greasy.  In fact, it melts right in leaving a smooth and soft finish to your skin.

So get nutty and slather on the shea butter.   And if you want a tongue twister, try calling it by its scientific names-Vitellaria paradoxa and butyrospermum parkii.

Here at Sibu Beauty, we found that while sea buckthorn does our heavy lifting, shea butter is a synergistic addition to our Daytime Facial Cream, Replenishing Night Cream, Body Cream, and our Age Defying Eye Cream.  

For the Pink Super-Charge mix:

1 cup crushed ice

1/2 cup fresh-cut strawberries

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1 kiwi diced

1/2 cup greek vanilla yogurt

1 tbsp honey

1 cup vanilla soy milk (or skim milk if you prefer)

1/2 cup Sibu Revitalize & Renew liquid supplement

1 oz (2 tbsp) Sibu RAW

Blend on “puree” or “mix” for 1 minute – blend on high if necessary.

Pour & Enjoy!