Amino Acids are the chemical units or "building blocks" of the body that make up proteins. Protein substances make up the muscles, tendons, organs, glands, nails, and hair. Growth, repair and maintenance of all cells are dependent upon them. Next to water, protein makes up the greatest portion of our body weight. Amino Acids that must be obtained from the diet are called "Essential Amino Acids" other Amino Acids that the body can manufacture from other sources are called "Non Essential Amino Acids."
Functions as a powerful anti-oxidant in detoxifying harmful toxins; protects the body from radiation damage; protects the liver and brain from damage due to alcohol, drugs, and toxic compounds found in cigarette smoke; has been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and hardening of the arteries; promotes the recovery from severe burns and surgery; promotes the burning of fat and the building of muscle; slows down the aging process. Skin and hair is made up of 10-14% Cystine.
A powerful anti-oxidant and a good source of sulphur, which prevents disorders of the hair, skin, and nails; assists the breakdown of fats, thus helping to prevent a buildup of fat in the liver and arteries, that might obstruct blood flow to the brain, heart, and kidneys; helps to detoxify harmful agents such as lead and other heavy metals; helps diminish muscle weakness; prevents brittle hair; protects against the affects of radiation; beneficial for women who take oral contraceptives because it promotes the excretion of estrogen; reduces the level of histamine in the body which can cause the brain to relay wrong messages; helpful to individuals suffering from schizophrenia.
A colourless, pungent, suffocating, highly water-soluble, gaseous compound, NH3, usually produced by the direct combination of nitrogen and hydrogen gases: used chiefly for refrigeration and in the manufacture of commercial chemicals and laboratory reagents.
Anaerobic bacteria produce energy from food molecules without the presence of oxygen.
An organ in certain organisms that produces male gametes. Antheridia are found in many groups of organisms, including the bryophytes, ferns, ascomycete fungi, and some algae. Most gymnosperms and all angiosperms, however, have lost the antheridium, and its role is filled by the pollen grain.
A chemical compound or substance that inhibits oxidation. Certain vitamins, such as vitamin E, are antioxidants and may protect body cells from damage caused by the oxidative effects of free radicals.
The region of a body of water that is not reached by sunlight and in which photosynthesis is unable to occur.
A group of microorganisms, including the methanogens and certain halophiles and thermoacidophiles, that have RNA sequences, coenzymes, and a cell wall composition that are different from all other organisms: considered to be an ancient form of life that evolved separately from the bacteria and blue-green algae and sometimes classified as a kingdom.
The use of selected fragrant substances in lotions and inhalants in an effort to affect mood and promote health.
Any of various fungi belonging to the phylum Ascomycota, characterized by the presence of sexually produced spores formed within an ascus. Like most fungi, ascomycetes also reproduce asexually by the formation of nonsexual spores called conidia at the ends of filaments known as hyphae. Yeasts, many molds that cause food spoilage, and the edible fungi known as morels and truffles, are ascomycetes. A number of serious plant diseases, including ergot, the powdery mildews that attack fruit, and Dutch elm disease, are also caused by ascomycetes.
Any organism capable of self-nourishment by using inorganic materials as a source of nutrients and using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis as a source of energy, as most plants and certain bacteria and protists.
The isomeric form of carotene that is widely distributed in nature and most efficiently converted to vitamin A by the body.
Bio-Antioxidant is a composite nutritional supplement containing a range of antioxidant vitamins and minerals, together with other relevant micro nutrients.
A class of yellow to red pigments found especially in plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria. Carotenoids generally consist of conjoined units of the hydrocarbon isoprene, with alternating single and double bonds. The carotenoids absorb light energy of certain frequencies and transfer it to chlorophyll for use in photosynthesis. They also act as antioxidants for chlorophyll, protecting it from damage by oxidation in the presence of sunlight. Carotenoids are nutritionally important for many animals, giving flamingoes their colour, for example, and also have antioxidant properties. There are many types of carotenoids, including carotenes and xanthophylls.
The formation of organic compounds using the energy released from chemical reactions instead of the energy of sunlight. Bacteria living in aphotic areas of the ocean are able to survive by chemosynthesis. They use energy derived from the oxidation of inorganic chemicals, such as sulphur released from deep hydrothermal vents, to produce their food.
The complex chemical that gives a plant its green colour and plays an important role in the conversion of sunlight into energy for the plant.
The readily stainable substance of a cell nucleus, consisting of DNA, RNA, and various proteins, that forms chromosomes during cell division.
A tiny hairlike projection on the surface of some cells and microscopic organisms, especially protozoans. Cilia are capable of whipping motions and are used by some microorganisms, such as paramecia, for movement. Cilia lining the human respiratory tract act to remove foreign matter from air before it reaches the lungs.
The jellylike material that makes up much of a cell inside the cell membrane, and, in eukaryotic cells, surrounds the nucleus. The organelles of eukaryotic cells, such as mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum, and (in green plants) chloroplasts, are contained in the cytoplasm. The cytoplasm and the nucleus make up the cell's protoplasm.
Devil's claw is a plant native to southern Africa. Its name comes from the small hooks on the plant's fruit. The active ingredients in devil's claw are believed to be iridoid glycosides called harpagosides, which are found in the secondary root.
One-celled organisms found mostly in the ocean, usually having two flagella of unequal length and often an armorlike covering of cellulose. Dinoflagellates are one of the main components of plankton. Since dinoflagellates have characteristics of both plants and animals, their classification is controversial.
A non contagious inflammation of the skin, characterized chiefly by redness, itching, and the outbreak of lesions that may discharge serous matter and become encrusted and scaly.
A system of interconnected vesicular and lamellar cytoplasmic membranes that functions especially in the transport of materials within the cell and that is studded with ribosomes in some places
A group of hormones, secreted mainly by the ovaries, that influence the female reproductive system in many ways, notably in preparing the body for ovulation and in the development of female secondary sex characteristics.
An organism whose cells contain a nucleus surrounded by a membrane and whose DNA is bound together by proteins (histones) into chromosomes. The cells of eukaryotes also contain an endoplasmic reticulum and numerous specialized organelles not present in prokaryotes, especially mitochondria, Golgi bodies, and lysosomes. The organelles are enclosed in a three-part membrane (called a unit membrane) consisting of a lipid layer sandwiched between two protein layers. All organisms except for bacteria and archaea are eukaryotes.
A slender whiplike part extending from some single-celled organisms, such as the dinoflagellates, that moves rapidly back and forth to impart movement to the organism.
Marine protozoans in the order Foraminiferida or Foraminifera, having a body enclosed by a shell called a test and making up an important constituent of plankton. Perforations in a foraminiferan's test allow the protrusion of numerous long extensions (pseudopods), which form a net used to trap food. The tests of foraminiferans grow throughout the organism's life, and can exceed 5 cm (2 inches) in diameter. The tests of dead organisms form ooze found on the ocean floor. Extinct foraminiferans are important index fossils.
An atom or molecule that bears an unpaired electron and is extremely reactive, capable of engaging in rapid chain reactions that destabilize other molecules and generate many more free radicals: in the body, deactivated by antioxidants, uric acid, and certain enzyme activities.
An organelle, consisting of layers of flattened sacs, that takes up and processes secretory and synthetic products from the endoplasmic reticulum and then either releases the finished products into various parts of the cell cytoplasm or secretes them to the outside of the cell.
A vascular plant having seeds that are not enclosed in an ovary; a conifer or cycad.
Rod-shaped archaebacteria, as of the genera Halobacterium and Halococcus, occurring in saline environments as the Dead Sea, salt flats, and brine, and using the pigment bacteriorhodopsin rather than chlorophyll for photosynthesis.
Halococcus is a genus of gram-negative, non-motile, spherical, red or orange bacteria which grows in very high concentrations of salt and can be found in (and can spoil) salted fish and meats. They are naturally found in extremely salty environments like the Dead Sea and the Great Salt Lake. These halophiles require at least a 9% salt solution to survive and can withstand up to a 32% salt solution. Halococcus belongs to the family Halobacteriaceae and the super class archaebacteria.
Any organism, as certain halobacteria and marine bacteria, that requires a salt-rich environment for its growth and survival.
A nucleus possessing only half the normal somatic number of chromosomes. It may occur in a germ cell after meiosis and before fertilization. Also called hemikaryon.
Harpagoside is the active ingredient (majority constituent) extracted from Harpagophytum procumbens (Devil’s Claw), which gives it remarkable, natural, anti-inflammatory properties.
An organic compound found widely in animals and plants that in humans and other mammals is released as part of the body's immune response, causing physiological changes including dilation of the blood vessels, contraction of smooth muscle (as in the airways), and increased gastric acid secretion. The itching and sneezing typical of respiratory allergies are caused by the release of histamine.
Hydrolytic enzymes break down protein, carbohydrate, and fat molecules into their simplest units. The hydrolysis of polymers by hydrolytic enzymes results in free monomers.
One of the long slender tubes that develop from germinated spores and form the structural parts of the body of a fungus. In many species of fungi, hyphae are divided into sections by cross walls called septa. Each section contains at least one haploid nucleus, and the septa usually have perforations that allow cytoplasm to flow through the hypha. A large mass of hyphae is known as a mycelium, which is the growing form of most fungi. From time to time, hyphae develop reproductive structures that are partitioned from the hypha by hole less septa. In many species, these structures are microscopic; in others, they are visible and large. Mushrooms and shelf fungi are visible reproductive structures of fungi.
A cell organelle that is surrounded by a membrane, has an acidic interior, and contains hydrolytic enzymes that break down food molecules, especially proteins and other complex molecules. Lysosomes fuse with vacuoles to digest their contents. The digested material is then transported across the organelle's membrane for use in or transport out of the cell.
Maltodextrine is a polysaccharide that is used as a food additive. It is produced from starch and is usually found as a creamy-white hygroscopic powder. Maltodextrine is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose, and might either be moderately sweet or might have hardly any flavour at all. Maltodextrine can be derived from any starch.
Any of a diverse group of widely distributed archaebacteria that occur in anaerobic environments, as the intestinal tracts of animals, freshwater and marine sediments, and sewage, and are capable of producing methane from a limited number of substrates, including carbon dioxide and hydrogen, acetate, and methylamines: an important source of natural gas.
A structure in the cytoplasm of all cells except bacteria in which food molecules (sugars, fatty acids, and amino acids) are broken down in the presence of oxygen and converted to energy in the form of ATP. Mitochondria have an inner and outer membrane. The inner membrane has many twists and folds (called cristae), which increase the surface area available to proteins and their associative reactions. The inner membrane encloses a liquid containing DNA, RNA, small ribosomes, and solutes. The DNA in mitochondria is genetically distinct from that in the cell nucleus, and mitochondria can manufacture some of their own proteins independent of the rest of the cell. Each cell can contain thousands of mitochondria, which move about producing ATP in response to the cell's need for chemical energy. It is thought that mitochondria originated as separate, single-celled organisms that became so symbiotic with their hosts as to be indispensible. Mitochondrial DNA is thus considered a remnant of a past existence as a separate organism.
A female reproductive structure in certain algae and fungi. It is usually a rounded cell or sac containing one or more oospheres.
Non-photosynthetic protists belonging to the phylum Oomycota and living in marine, freshwater, and soil environments. Oomycetes have cell walls made of cellulose or similar substances, and store their food as glycogen. They reproduce asexually by the formation of diploid spores (called zoospores) with two flagellae. Sexual reproduction involves the formation of a number of eggs within a structure called an oogonium. The eggs are fertilized by antheridia that penetrate the oogonium and deliver nuclei to the eggs.
An unfertilised egg within an oogonium.
The process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source.
Any of various bio active chemical compounds found in plants, as antioxidants, considered to be beneficial to human health.
Organisms whose cells do not have a nucleus in which DNA is housed and which lack many of the organelles found in more advanced cells.
Protists are eukaryotes and live in water or in watery tissues of organisms. Some protists resemble plants in that they produce their own food by photosynthesis, while others resemble animals in consuming organic matter for food. Protist cells are often structurally much more elaborate than the cells of multi cellular plants and animals. Protists include the protozoans, most algae, diatoms, oomycetes, and the slime moulds.
A large group of one-celled organisms (called protists) that live in water or as parasites. Many protozoans move about by means of appendages known as cilia or flagella. Protozoans include the amoebas, flagellates, foraminiferans, and ciliates. Their traditional classification as the subkingdom Protozoa is still used for convenience, but it is now known that protozoans represent several evolutionarily distinct groups.
An unsaturated alcohol that occurs in marine fish-liver oils and is synthesized biologically from carotene
A tiny, somewhat mitten-shaped organelle occurring in great numbers in the cell cytoplasm either freely, in small clusters, or attached to the outer surfaces of endoplasmic reticula, and functioning as the site of protein manufacture.
A white crystalline acid used in making aspirin and in the topical treatment of skin conditions such as eczema.
A nonmetallic element that resembles sulphur and tellurium chemically, causes poisoning in range animals when ingested by eating some plants growing in soils in which it occurs in quantity, and occurs in allotropic forms of which a gray stable form varies in electrical conductivity with the intensity of its illumination and is used in electronic devices
A thin wall or membrane that separates two parts or structures in an organism. Septae separate the chambers of the heart and subdivide the hyphae of some fungi.
The medical study of the mouth and its diseases.
Any organism, esp. a type of archaebacterium, that thrives in strongly acidic environments at high temperatures.
A fat-soluble vitamin or a mixture of vitamins, especially vitamin A1 or a mixture of vitamins A1 and A2, occurring principally in fish-liver oils, milk, and some yellow and dark green vegetables, and functioning in normal cell growth and development. Its deficiency causes hardening and roughening of the skin, night blindness, and degeneration of mucous membranes. Also called Retinol.
A fat-soluble vitamin found chiefly in plant leaves, wheat germ oil, and milk and used to treat sterility and various abnormalities of the muscles, red blood cells, liver, and brain.
Any of various yellow pigments occurring in the leaves of plants and giving young shoots and late autumn leaves their characteristic colour. This colour is masked by chlorophyll when the leaf is mature. Xanthophylls aid in the absorption of light by capturing certain wavelengths not captured by chlorophyll and rapidly transferring the energy to chlorophyll by boosting one of its electrons to a higher energy level. Xanthophylls are carotenoids, differing from carotenes in having one or more oxygen-containing groups attached.
A motile flagellated spore that serves as a means of asexual reproduction among certain algae, fungi, and protoctists.