Keeping Destructive Inflammation Out Of The Brain
Apigenin has been shown to be particularly effective at protecting the brain from damage caused by inflammation, a danger that grows increasingly worrisome as you get older, and your immune system is prone to becoming overactive. Chronic inflammation caused by immune cells is a huge problem for millions of people. According to researchers, three out of every five deaths worldwide are due to inflammation-related maladies.1 Unfortunately, your brain is particularly vulnerable to inflammation and this process can wreak havoc with the way your brain neurons establish and retrieve memories. Central players in this harmful process are immune cells called dendritic cells which roam through the brain and, when necessary, alert other immune cells to attack pathogens and quell infections. However, when dendritic cells misbehave, they can raise a false alarm and cause immune attacks that damage neurons instead of protecting them. And that’s where apigenin can step in. For instance, research at Drexel University has produced evidence that apigenin can protect against multiple sclerosis by keeping inflammatory dendritic cells from causing immune cells to go into attack mode.2 If left uncontrolled, those immune attacks lead to lesions (scarring) on the myelin sheaths that protect neurons and speed their communications with other neurons.Growing And Preserving New Memories
Apigenin also supports the brain in its efforts to incorporate new memories and learn new skills. Laboratory tests at the Salk Institute show that neuroplasticity -- the creation of new neurons and the establishment of neural networks in response to acquiring new information -- increases when apigenin is in the brain.3 Other tests show that apigenin improves the way neurons work by making them more sensitive to the effects of insulin -- boosting their insulin sensitivity.4 In that way, the brain cells can absorb sugar more efficiently to fuel cellular activity and maintain better blood sugar control. According to this research, apigenin can help fend off some of the brain-damaging effects of consuming a poor diet and gaining a large amount of weight. The researchers conclude by saying, “Apigenin could be a potent neuroprotective agent and a possible candidate for the prevention and therapy of cognitive dysfunction and neuronal changes in diseases associated with over-nutrition.” (“Over-nutrition” is researcher speak for eating more food than is good for us.)Sources Of Apigenin
In Traditional Chinese Medicine some of the richest sources of apigenin are chamomile tea, radish, celery and parsley. In fact, researchers at Case Western Reserve University report that the apigenin in chamomile is one of the chief reasons it’s so effective against insomnia.5 And apigenin has also been shown to act as a muscle relaxant.6 Apigenin is also available as a supplement, but there’s no consensus on how much apigenin to take.7 However, some experts recommend 50 mg a day. And remember not to megadose -- huge amounts of apigenin are not great for your liver.8 On the other hand, if you depend on foods like parsley, celery, radish, and chamomile tea as your apigenin sources you can’t go wrong. Best Regards, The Awakening From Alzheimer’s Team1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/ 2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7772281/ 3 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1517/13543770902721279?journalCode=ietp20 4 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464620301225 5 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995283/ 6 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26456328/ 7 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.681477/full 8 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10942912.2016.1207188
