Really! Not kidding!
Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Home to thousands of plant species. I had the incredible opportunity to visit this wonderland in April.
The traditional Ecuadorian soup you see below, Loco De Papa, ended up being our favorite. It’s a traditional potato soup, creamy, full of flavor and seasoned with ground anchiote from the annatto plant, which gives it flavor and a golden color.
So why talk about Ecuador and a potato soup when I started out this post promising you an anti-aging elixir? Because this elixir is an extract from that same Annatto plant found in South America, in Ecuador, and in the potato soup!
The Annatto plant has been used by the Incas for centuries in a variety of ways: as an insect repellant, face paint, dying fabric and seasoning. And just recently, it’s been discovered to contain something called Geranulgeraneol or (GG) which has far reaching benefits, to the point it sounds like I’m trying to sell you snake oil. But I’m not.
Annatto has natural anti-aging properties. And I’m super excited to share with you what I’ve learned as it can benefit most of us in a variety of ways—letting us move into our golden years with a little more spring and fluidity in our steps. To know if you might benefit from GG let me ask you some questions.
Do you experience any of these?
- Muscle pain from taking a statin drug
- Muscle shrinkage and loss since taking a statin or just because you’re getting a bit older
- Post-Menopausal weight gain
- Low energy
- Kidney stones
- Gallstones
- Drop in testosterone
- Osteoporosis (read more here)
- Atherosclerosis
- Osteoarthritis
These are things many of us may encounter as we start to move into our 60’s and 70’s. If you checked off any of them, you need to continue reading!
While I can’t guarantee taking GG will magically make all of these things disappear (because there can be various causes for all of the above), it looks like GG can significantly slow down these processes associated with aging.
Before we go any further, I’d like to give you the reader’s digest version of what GG is and why it’s so helpful for retaining muscle and bone integrity, so crucial to our wellbeing and mobility. If you’d like to listen to a longer version (2 hours), which I highly recommend, please follow this link.
First, GG is something we make ourselves, in the liver, which means it’s necessary for our survival. GG is part of the same pathway that makes cholesterol, CoQ10, Vitamin K2, and testosterone–the Mevalonate pathway.
When we take a statin to block the production of cholesterol, we’re also stopping the production of GG (which happens just downstream from cholesterol synthesis), which in turn stops the production of CoQ10, Vitamin K2/K4, and testosterone and progesterone. All are very important, and when we don’t have enough, the conditions listed above can emerge. And BTW, our ability to make GG diminishes as we age as well. So even if you’re not taking a statin, you can still experience any of these.
Let’s take a closer look:
GG (the star here): Besides required to make Vit K2/K4, CoQ10, testosterone and progesterone, it also plays a role in preventing muscle atrophy and wasting by being the hook or catalyst that moves protein into the muscle. Without GG and without exercise, it’s really hard to build and maintain muscle. Adequate amounts of testosterone, is required for increasing muscle and for a man’s sense of wellbeing.
CoQ10 (Think of energy): Required by the mitochondria to convert our food into energy, and also a powerful antioxidant. If we don’t have enough, our energy can tank.
K2/K4 (Bone and Vascular Health): Required to put and keep calcium in our bones, where it belongs. It prevents calcium from scattering, depositing into soft tissue, causing atherosclerosis, kidney stones and gallstones along with bone loss/osteoporosis.
Testosterone (Happy Man): Benefits both men and women but men in particular. It drops off significantly with age for a variety of reasons. As GG production diminishes with age, so does the ability to produce testosterone. A significant number of males take statins, which lower levels of GG significantly. For men, testosterone is a source of wellbeing, muscle mass, libido, drive and energy. Men, if you’ve become grumpy and just no longer yourself, I would pay close attention to all of this.
When you add this all up, having adequate GG means looking better, feeling better, less risk of stroke and having a stronger bone structure. Definitely a magic elixir!
Lucky for us, GG is not only made in humans but is also made by a plant and available in supplement form–another tool to help you feel better and support your aging process.
I’m watching my peers becoming slower and more debilitated for a variety of reasons and I want to yell from the mountain tops that it does not have to be this way!
What do you want do that you’re no longer doing or would like to do more of? Traveling? Hiking? Moving through the day pain free? Enjoying sex more or again? Have more patience? Having the energy to do the things you love? Spending more time doing these things and less time at the doctor’s office?
I want all of these things for you and more! Yes, we all slow down a bit as we get older but quality of life can still be maintained. I am super excited about GG, how it slows the effects of the aging process and to know that we can actually take it in a form that our bodies can utilize.
I’ve just started taking the Designs for Health Annatto GG supplement myself. I’ll let you know if I notice any difference in my energy and muscle mass. (Yes, I’ve noticed a subtle change in my own muscle mass and energy in the past 2-3 years).
If you’re interested in purchasing a quality GG supplement, please make sure it has not been extracted using harsh chemicals. I recommend looking for a supplement that contains the patented formulation GG-Gold TM. The recommended dosage is 150-300 mg/day.
If you’d like to purchase the Design’s for Health formula, click on the image below. You’ll see two different types: one is just straight GG and the other has tocotrienols for additional benefits (tocotrienols are a whole nother post-not yet written).
Here’s to living a pain-free abundant filled life!