Tap one of the links below to download the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database PROFESSIONAL VERSIONiOS version for iPhone , iPad, or iPod TouchAndroid version You may also visit the regular site. website may not work on some mobile devices.Wherever possible, you should prepare and use solutions on the same day. However, if you need to make up stock solutions in advance, we recommend that you store the solution as aliquots in tightly sealed vials at -20°C. Generally, these will be useable for up to one month. Before use, and prior to opening the vial we recommend that you allow your product to equilibrate to room temperature for at least 1 hour.Need more advice on solubility, usage and handling? Please visit our frequently asked questions (FAQ) page for more details.The World's Healthiest Foords are health-promoting foods that can change your life. Try the exciting new lunch recipe from Day 1 of our upcoming 7-Day Meal Plan. Happy St. Patrick's Day! Can Preparation Methods Impact the Benefits of Cruciferous Vegetables?
How consistent does my diet have to be in order for me to stay healthy? Is it possible to create a well-balanced diet without paying attention to portion sizes? Is Healthy Eating possible on a tight budget? Is it okay for me to "eat on the run?" Does Healthy Eating require cooking on a regular basis? Are grocery lists and organized food plans required for Healthy Eating? Does Healthy Eating require three meals each day? Are snacks a good thing or a bad thing for Healthy Eating? Does it matter if dinner is the largest meal of the day? Unwanted Consequences of High-Heat Cooking? Raw vs Cooked Food - Chewing and Digestion Raw vs Cooked Food - Making Raw Foods More Digestible How do cooking temperatures affect vegetable nutrients? What do you think about microwave cooking? Eating Grains -or Not Adapting a Meal Plan for Little or No Grains Is gluten-free the same as wheat-free? How is wheat related to other grains?
Is gluten sensitivity the same thing as wheat allergy? Can I still have an unwanted reaction to wheat or grains, even if I always choose whole grains? Do you consider grains to be a priority food group for healthy eating? Can you help set the record straight on gluten-free foods, grain-free diets, and the "wheat belly diet?" Are there legitimate and distinct health issues related to consumption of grains versus wheat versus gluten? Are vegetarian diets really more healthful? What do you think about a mostly vegetarian-plus-seafood meal plan? What do you think about a mostly vegetarian-plus-dairy/eggs meal plan? How does seafood compare with dairy/eggs as a "protein booster" on a vegetarian diet? What nutrients are most likely to be deficient in a vegetarian diet? How much of a problem is iron in a vegetarian diet? How much of a problem is protein in a vegetarian diet? Is vitamin B12 really a problem in a vegetarian diet? Can a vegetarian diet help me lose weight?
Does WHFoods directly advocate a vegetarian meal plan? What if I eat vegetarian most of the time, but enjoy meat and poultry on occasion? If I am mostly eating plant foods, do I still need to be concerned about food quality? I've heard a lot about eating a "colorful diet." Should I pick fruits and vegetables based on color to help me get more benefits from these foods? How do our vegetable recommendations at WHFoods compare with common public health recommendations? All Foods are not for Everyone An Overview of Adverse Food Reactions What are food intolerances? Adverse Food Reactions: Environment and Cross Related Reactions What is meant by the term "goitrogen" and what is the connection between goitrogens, food, and health? What are purines and how are they related to food and health? Can you tell me about oxalates, including the foods that contain them and how are they related to nutrition and health? Which foods are classified as "nightshades," and is it true that foods from this group can potentially contain problematic substances?
Can you tell me more about chlorophyll? Does chlorophyll provide health benefits? How do cooking and handling affect the chlorophyll in food? Which foods contain chlorophyll - and in what amount? What is the certification process in a food becoming certified organic? Can you tell me more about the labeling of organic foods? What is the difference between a focus on organic regulations versus a focus on sustainability? What is your approach to genetically modified foods? How does my digestion work and how can I improve it? Is it ok to cook with extra virgin olive oil? We're Number 1in the World! Over 100 Quick &Easy Recipes Our Recipe Assistant will help you find the recipe that suits your personal needs. The majority of recipes we offer can be both prepared and cooked in 20 minutes or less from start to finish; a whole meal can be prepared in 30 minutes. A number of them can also be prepared ahead of time and enjoyed later.
In fact, retinoic acid a.k.a. tretinoin is the active ingredient in Retin A and Renova - some of the best-known anti-wrinkle creams (see our article on tretinoin). However, topical retinoic acid often causes skin irritation and other side effects, which limit its use, especially in sensitive individuals. The good news is that skin cells have the "equipment" (specialized enzymes) converting various forms of vitamin A into retinoic acid. Indeed, if sufficient amounts of retinol, retinyl palmitate or retinaldehyde are added to the culture of skin cells, the amount of retinoic acid in the cells increases. Therefore, at least in theory, topical vitamin A may deliver at least some of the well-established skin benefits of retinoic acid while producing fewer side effects. Not all forms of vitamin A are created equal. Some are more easily converted to retinoic acid than others. A typical conversion pathway looks like this: It takes two and three metabolic steps, correspondingly, to convert retinol and retinyl palmitate to retinoic acid.
The overall rate of conversion of retinol to retinoic acid is low and that of retinyl palmitate is lower still. Therefore a relatively large amount of retinol and even larger amount of retinyl palmitate needs to be delivered into a cell to boost retinoic acid levels and produce clinically meaningful effects. Numerous products with retinol and retinyl palmitate are touted as equivalent to retinoic acid (tretinoin, Retin A) in effectiveness yet devoid of its side effects. The reality is a bit more complicated. Many of these products contain too little retinol / retinyl palmitate to have any noticeable effect. Simply the fact that these agents are in the list of ingredients is not enough. The products with high concentrations do exist but may still not deliver the purported benefits for a number of reasons. In particular, a product with highly concentrated retinol may cause skin irritation, especially in people with sensitive skin. Highly concentrated retinyl palmitate is less irritating than retinol (at equivalent levels) but is also less effective.
(After all retinyl palmitate is the farthest away from retinoic acid in the metabolic pathway.) Furthermore, conversion rates of various forms of vitamin A to retinoic acid vary among individuals - the same product/concentration may yield visible benefits in some people and little or none in others. Further still, retinol, and to a lesser degree retinyl palmitate, can be degraded by oxidation if formulated, stored and/or used improperly. Considering all these caveats, how should one use retinol / retinyl palmitate products (if at all)? As of the time of this writing, research indicates that the most reliable way to get all the skin rejuvenation benefits of retinoic acid is to actually use retinoic acid a.k.a. tretinoin (or other directly acting retinoids at optimal concentration. However, this may not be a viable option for some people. Retinoic acid and other directly acting retinoids require a prescription (at least in some countries) and are relatively expensive. They also tend to cause skin irritation, especially in sensitive individual or if used imprudently.
The closest alternative is to use either topical retinaldehyde or retinyl retinoate (each of these agents is only one step away from retinoic acid). However, even though retinaldehyde creams do not require a prescription, they tend to be expensive and may still cause skin irritation whereas retinyl retinoate is a novel agent that is relatively untested and not easily available. If for any of the above reasons retinoic acid (tretinoin, Retin A), retinaldehyde or retinyl retinoate are not suitable for you, a product with retinol and/or retinyl palmitate may be worth a try. When looking for such a product, it is important to find a stable, sufficiently concentrated formulation that does not irritate your skin. If commercial retinol/retinyl palmitate products prove too expensive or otherwise unsuitable for you, a do-it-yourself approach may help. It allows to easily customize retinol concentration to fit your skin physiology, i.e. you can adjust the concentration high enough to produce benefits but not so high as to cause irritation.
Furthermore, if the DIY cream is used up soon after is has been prepared, retinol does not have time to degrade too much. For more on making your own retinol cream see DIY Anti-Aging Skin Care Infopack Despite the increasing availability of products containing various forms of vitamin A (retinoids precursors), retinoic acid a.k.a. tretinoin still offers a better chance of anti-wrinkle effects because its activity does not depend on conversion rates and other variables. Among retinoids precursors, retinaldehyde is the nearest (on metabolic pathway) to retinoic acid and is likely to match its benefits more closely. However, well-designed products containing retinol and/or retinyl palmitate provide an additional alternative that may be cheaper and, at least for some people, less irritating. A retinoic acid (tretinoin) user who has developed side-effects, such as skin irritation and/or chronic peeling, may first try to reduce the concentration or frequency of application. Then she might try a retinaldehyde product.