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Onagra oil comes from onagra or primrose (Oenothera biennis and Oenothera lamarkiana), a plant from North America with medicinal properties. The oil is obtained from their seeds put under pressure in cold. This oil has a very good nutritional profile, it is very rich in poliinsaturated essential fatty acids: linoleic acid (70 %) and gamma-linolenic acid (10 %), both of the series of Omega 6 fatty acids, important precursors of diverse cellular mediators that are indispensable for the correct operation and stability of cellular membranes in our organism. They are also essential for the proper development of the nervous system, hormonal system and the regulation of the coagulation processes.

They are also precursors of the eicosanoids (prostaglandins, tromboxanes, leucotrienes and hidroxiacids), which regulate a myriad if important biological processes during all our life. In addition, onagra oil contains oleic acid in smaller proportion (a monoinsaturated fatty acid).

The essential fatty acids, the ones that can not be synthesized by our organism, must be gotten up with the diet. When the diet lacks these essential fatty acids, affections in the heart, circulatory system, skin, the immune system, the reproductive apparatus and the nervous system are likely to appear.

Some properties and benefits of the onagra oil

• Regularizes anomalies or deficit of essential fatty acids
• Alleviates the symptoms of eccema
• Improves the prostate upheavals
• Reduces the cholesterol levels, without causing side effects, reducing the advance of atherosclerosis
• Reduces problems of arthritis and arthrosis by inhibiting the inflammatory processes
• Improves the responses of the immune system
• Eliminates the mucous dryness of eyes and mouth
• Balances the behavior in hyperactive children
• Regulates the liberation and action of the neurotransmitters of the nervous system
• Improves acne, dandruff, nails and hairloss
• Alleviates to the symptoms of the premenstrual syndrome (breast pain, mood, irritability, headache and retention of liquids) thanks to the stimulation of prostaglandins
• Alleviates the symptoms of the menopause (retention of liquids, hot flashes, dryness, etc.)
• Prevents cutaneous aging, hydrating the skin and favoring elasticity
• Reduces the arterial hypertension through vasodilator action and prevents blood clots

Presentation and dose

Comes in capsules that also contains vitamins to avoids its oxidation. The capsules usually contain 500 and 1000 mg. Their dose depends on each patient and is recommended by the doctor or nutritionist.

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The goal of a behavioral management of obesity is to train an individual with the skills that will allow him/her to promote a healthy weight level. The concept involves a number of strategies which are conducted in a way to help obese patients in making gradual but steady changes that can be incorporated into their everyday habits in a realistic way.

The effectivity of behavioral programs in curing obesity is promising. Results from several studies demonstrate an 8% to 10% reduction in initial weight during the first 6 months to 1 year of treatment. The long-term effectivity of these treatments are more difficult to assess and still remains unclear. It appears that many individuals tend to regain weight lost over time but the causes are still obscure and it is unknown whether they are related to the method.

In spite of the uncertainty, an effective behavioral approach will constitute a very god option as it lacks many of the drawbacks from other weightloss methods. Efforts such as the Diabetes Prevention Program and the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) trials are starting to provide strong data on the long-term results of intensive behavioral management interventions.

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University of Illinois scientist Elvira de Mejia conducted a study that showed that  mate tea drinkers increased the activity of enzymes that improve HDL (good) cholesterol and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. “Yerba mate” is a traditional infusion drunk in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and regions of Chile and Brazil. “Ilex paraguayensis, the mate plant has been grown and consumed for centuries. Dr Mejia has signed a five-year agreement with La Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM, national University of Misiones) to carry out a collaborative study to assess 84 genotypes of mate tea for their ability to provide benefits on cholesterol and other health factors. Both cultivated and wild varieties will be included in the study.

In the September issue of the specialized journal Planta Medica, Dr mejia said that their studies show that some of the most important antioxidant enzymes in the body experience induction by this mate herbal tea, and since Argentina has so many different mate varieties, they’ll perform more comparisons between the various genotypes. They’ll be also able to explore the benefits of cultivating under different conditions.

The aim is not only identifying the most beneficial genotypes of the herbal tea in terms of nutrition value, but also help Argentine producers to improve drying and processing of mate tea to achieve better extraction of the tea’s bioactive compounds.

“Food companies are very interested in adding tea extracts to juices, soda, and even beer to increase the nutritional value of their products,” she said.

Adapted from http://www.eurekalert.org/

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