YouthFlow

General Information and Product Ingredients

Not All Herbal Products Are Created Equal
Our gentle Colon Support product is based on an ancient, all-natural herbal formula that uses a special blending of herbs, which aids in digestion and helps to promote and strengthen the normal functions of the colon.

We have true certified organic herbs by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), which is fully accredited with the USDA National Organic Program. Our herbs are also certified Kosher through Earth Kosher. They are free from irradiation and ozone treatment, sulfites, gases and other sanitary chemicals. They are unsurpassable in color, depth, taste and aroma and are guaranteed fresh and not from "warehouse stock." All of our herbs are processed and handled according to strict organic standards, including analytical testing for quality, safety and true botanical identity.

Superior Herbal Support / Gentle and Safe

Promotes Regularity & Supports Digestion
100% USDA Certified Organic Herbs
No Fillers, Alcohols, or Additives
No Senna or Cascara Sagrada
Doctor Recommended
Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans
K-Caps® Vegetable Capsules
Supports Cleansing, Fasts, and Weight Loss
Promotes Anti-Aging
Exclusive YouthFlow Proprietary Formulation

This special formulation includes:

Black Seed
An annual herbaceous plant, black cumin seed with the botanical name of nigella sativa l., or black seed for short, is believed to be indigenous to the Mediterranean region, but has been cultivated into other parts of the world including the Arabian Peninsula, northern Africa and parts of Asia. The plant has no relation to the common kitchen herb, cumin, since black seed originates from the common fennel flower plant (nigella sativa) of the buttercup family. Nigella sativa is sometimes mistakenly confused with the fennel herb plant.

Nigella sativa and its black seed are known by other names, varying between places, including black caraway, black cumin, onion seeds or even coriander seeds. In English, the nigella sativa plant is commonly referred to as black cumin. Nevertheless, this is nigella sativa, which has been known and used from ancient times and is also known in Persian as Shonaiz.

Nigella sativa was discovered in Tutankhamen's tomb, implying that it played an important role in ancient Egyptian practices. Although its exact role in Egyptian culture is not known, we do know that items entombed with a king were carefully selected to assist him in the afterlife. The earliest written reference to black seed is found in the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament.

Since 1959, over 200 studies at international universities and articles published in various journals have shown clinically proven results supporting the traditional uses of black seed originally recorded almost 1,400 years ago. While black seed is highly effective by itself, ongoing studies, with various combinations of other herbs, have produced remarkable formulations.

Black seed has been traditionally used in the Middle East and Far East countries for centuries to treat various ailments, including bronchial asthma and bronchitis, rheumatism and related inflammatory diseases. It has also been used to increase milk production in nursing mothers, to treat digestive disturbances, to support the body's immune system, to promote digestion and elimination, and to fight parasitic infestation.

The oil of black seed has been used to treat skin conditions such as eczema and boils and is used topically to treat cold symptoms. The many uses of black seed have earned for this ancient herb the Arabic approbation, "habbatul barakah", meaning "the seed of blessing".

From a historical perspective, black seed has been documented and used for well over 2,000 years. It has been said that the protective and healing properties of black seed are so remarkably comprehensive and varied that many people over the centuries have considered it a miracle cure. The most famous reference was that black seed should be used regularly because it has a cure for every disease except death.

Peppermint Leaf
Peppermint contains an essential oil that is unique to other mints for its quality and flavor. Evidence exists that it was originally cultivated by the ancient Egyptians and came into general use in Western European medicine about the middle of the eighteenth century. Peppermint oil and tea is often taken to support healthy digestion.

Fennel Seed
For the medicinal use of its fruits, commonly called seeds, Fennel is largely cultivated in the south of France, Saxony, Galicia, and Russia, as well as in India and Persia. Fennel is used in cooking as an excellent spice, but also used to make herbal teas. Fennel is often added to “laxative preparations” to ensure gentle action.

Rhubarb Root
Rhubarb root, most commonly known as Turkey rhubarb root, da huang, or Chinese rhubarb, has been used as a purgative herb for over 2,000 years and was recorded in Chinese medical texts two centuries before the beginning of the Christian era. In the 1600's, Marco Polo discovered rhubarb root during his travels in China and is responsible for the plants arrival in Europe. Rhubarb root became so popular in Europe that it became one of the more expensive herbs on the trading market; its value as a medicine was greater than opium. Traditionally taken as a tea or tincture, it is often combined with cinnamon to relieve chronic constipation or taken encapsulated as part of a complete herbal formulation. .

Cinnamon Stick
Cinnamon is also known as cinnamomum zeylanicum, true cinnamon, sweet cinnamon, and Ceylon cinnamon. The quest for cinnamon was one of the major factors that led the Europeans to explore the world in the 15th century and its value during this time cannot be understated. In the 1st century, Pliny the Elder wrote that 350 grams of cinnamon was equal to 5 kilograms of silver, or about 15 times the value of silver per weight. Due to its incredible value, sweet cinnamon was used for centuries as a spice of the aristocracy and the wealthy. During the middle ages, it was used as a meat preservative due to its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal qualities, but also so that it could mask the stench of "aged" meats much better than salt. Cinnamon has a fragrant perfume and is thought to help support the digestive process, which includes having a cinnamon tea as a digestive aid after a meal.

Cinnamon comes from the Laurel tree, a tropical evergreen that grows in low altitudes and that needs a moist, hot climate in which to thrive. Cinnamon bark comes in sticks, or quills, which when peeled from the tree will naturally roll up. The difference between sweet cinnamon and cassia cinnamon is quite apparent; sweet cinnamon quills will have a layered look to them, as if several were rolled together, while cassia will appear as one thick piece of bark. Sweet cinnamon is also lighter in color, and as the name implies, of a sweeter flavor. Cinnamon quills have a long, almost indefinite shelf life, while cinnamon powder will eventually lose its flavor over time.

Ginger Root
Ginger is the dried or fresh root of a tropical member of the ginger family native to the Old World tropics. Cultivated for millennia in both China and India, ginger reached the West at least 2,000 years ago. Most of the thousands of prescriptions in Chinese traditional medicine are combinations of many herbs. Ginger is used in nearly half of them to mediate the effects of other ingredients as well as to stimulate the appetite and calm the stomach. In European herbal traditions, ginger is primarily used to stop nausea and quiet an upset stomach.

Cumin Seed
Cumin is a flowering plant native to the eastern Mediterranean region east to India. Cumin seeds are similar to fennel seeds, but are smaller and darker in color. Cumin seeds are used as a spice for their distinctive aroma, popular in North African, Middle Eastern, western Chinese, Indian and Mexican cuisine. In herbal medicine, Cumin seed is used to stimulate digestion and improve overall digestive health as well as to relieve gas and bloating in the digestive tract.

Psyllium Seed Husk
Psyllium Seed Husk is considered a dietary fiber from the plant that is native to the Mediterranean and also grown commercially in India. It is commonly used to promote regularity and is often added to foods, such as cereals, for the benefits of it fiber content.

The Importance of Colon Health

The Human Digestive System
If a human adult’s digestive tract were stretched out, it would be 6 to 9 meters (20 to 30 feet) long. In humans, digestion begins in the mouth, where both mechanical and chemical digestion occurs.

After food leaves the small intestines where most digestion, as well as absorption of digested food, occurs, a watery residue of indigestible food and digestive juices remains unabsorbed. This residue leaves the ileum of the small intestine and moves by peristalsis into the large intestine or colon, where it spends 12 to 24 hours. The large intestine forms an inverted U over the coils of the small intestine. It starts on the lower right-hand side of the body and ends on the lower left-hand side. The large intestine is 1.5 to 1.8 meters (5 to 6 feet) long and about 6 cm (2.5 inches) in diameter.

The large intestine serves several important functions. It absorbs water, about 6 liters (1.6 gallons) daily, as well as dissolved salts from the residue passed on by the small intestine. In addition, bacteria in the large intestine promote the breakdown of undigested materials and make several vitamins, notably vitamin K, which the body needs for blood clotting. The large intestine moves its remaining contents toward the rectum, which makes up the final 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) of the alimentary canal. The rectum stores the feces, which is waste material that consists largely of undigested food, digestive juices, bacteria, and mucus, until elimination. Then, muscle contractions in the walls of the rectum push the feces toward the anus. When sphincters between the rectum and anus relax, the feces pass out of the body.

Diseases and Disorders of the Digestive System
Infection of or damage to any part of the digestive system may affect digestion as well as other bodily functions. Common infectious agents that attack digestive organs include the mumps virus, which often infects the salivary glands; the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which causes most stomach and duodenal ulcers; and viruses and bacteria that cause various forms of gastroenteritis, often called stomach flu or traveler’s diarrhea.

Diarrhea, frequent elimination of loose, watery feces, is a symptom of many disorders that occurs when the large intestine is irritated or inflamed. As a result, food residues move through it too quickly for it to absorb the excess water. The opposite condition, constipation, occurs when the large intestine absorbs too much water because food residues are moving slowly. As a result, the feces become hard and dry, which may make elimination difficult.

With constipation, stools are usually hard, dry, small in size, and difficult to eliminate. Some people who are constipated find it painful to have a bowel movement and often experience straining, bloating, and the sensation of a full bowel. Constipation is a symptom, not a disease. Almost everyone experiences constipation at some point in their life, and a poor diet typically is the cause. Most constipation is temporary and not serious. Understanding its causes, prevention, and treatment will help most people find relief.

Common causes of constipation are:

not enough fiber in the diet
lack of physical activity (especially in the elderly)
medications
milk
irritable bowel syndrome
changes in life or routine such as pregnancy, aging, and travel
abuse of laxatives
ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement
dehydration
specific diseases or conditions, such as stroke (most common)
problems with the colon and rectum
problems with intestinal function (chronic idiopathic constipation)

Cancerous tumors may develop in any part of the digestive system, though they most commonly occur in the large intestine, rectum, and anus as in colorectal cancer. Other than skin cancer, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer found in men and women in this country. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 106,680 new cases of colon cancer and 41,930 new cases of rectal cancer in 2006 in the United States. Combined, they will cause about 55,170 deaths.

The death rate from colorectal cancer has been going down for the past 15 years. One reason is that there are fewer cases. Thanks to colorectal cancer screening, polyps can be found and removed before they turn into cancer. And colorectal cancer can also be found earlier when it is easier to cure. Treatments have improved as well.

Colitis, which has various causes, is a potentially life-threatening inflammation of the large intestine (ulcerative colitis). Chronic conditions that cause at least intermittent distress include irritable bowel syndrome, caused by spasms of muscles in the lower intestine, and Crohn’s disease, an inflammation of the intestines. Abnormal sensitivity to proteins called glutens can damage the lining of the small intestine and hinder absorption of nutrients, leading to malnutrition and other problems. The eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia disrupt the normal functioning of the digestive system and are potentially fatal.