Natural Products Expo also explores beauty, supplements and more
The Natural Products Expo West included more than food. There were personal-care products and supplements galore. Here are some highlights.
SagaPro is a single herb supplement made from Icelandic angelica, which has been shown in controlled, double-blind studies to calm overactive bladder and help improve stress urinary incontinence. It appears to work by soothing nerves that fire inappropriately in the bladder; Icelandic angelica was considered so precious the Vikings used it for trade. SagaPro is considered a safer alternative to the prescription drugs.
Homeopathic remedy maker Boiron has made more improvements to its app, the Boiron Homeopathic Medicine Finder. Users can find natural solutions to more than 360 self-treatable conditions, including allergies, colds, digestive problems, joint and muscle pains, stress and sleep, and women’s issues. The app is compatible with Apple iOS, Android and Kindle devices, and can be downloaded free via iTunes or Google Play.
AfterPartyPal is a new hangover remedy, made with vitamins, amino acids and whole foods, designed to reduce many of the damaging effects of alcohol as well as the uncomfortable aftermath. Its proprietary blend includes Oriental raisin tree, prickly pear cactus, l-Cysteine, succinate and fumarate, shown to help the body metabolize alcohol, reduce booze’s stress effect on the body and reverse alcohol damage.
Talk about a sweet delivery system, probiotic Ohso Belgian Chocolate contains 1 billion bacteria, freeze-dried so they bypass stomach acid and get into your gut to boost immunity and ease intestinal issues. Drink with a glass of red wine and you’ve got one healthy party. The chocolate, which ranges from 53% to 70.3% cacao, comes in cute 13.5-gram bars. The new raspberry flavor is delicious.
Here are two probiotic options that are a bit more serious than the chocolate bar: Bio-K+ Culture Probiotic shots come in dairy and non-dairy and deliver a whopping 50 billion bacteria per serving. They can be pricey, but the rates get better if you buy in bulk ($25 for a six-pack), and you are assured of live, fresh cultures. American Health Probiotic CD tablet is coated to survive the acid passage through the stomach but then soften to deliver 12 billion active cultures.
Think natural beauty products don’t work? Think again. Pacifica’s Stellar Gaze Length & Strength Mineral Mascara is a bestseller that rivals your go-to with its super thick brush and great goopy formula ($14); the founder is model-gorgeous Brook Harvey Taylor, one of the few female chief executives in the natural beauty industry. Mychelle’s Refining Sugar Cleanser doubles as a face wash and an exfoliator, depending on how much water you put in; it is so delicious you’ll look forward to washing your face.
Seventh Generation’s new coffee filterator is a stainless steel French press and insulated to-go cup all in one. Put coffee into the metal filter, hot water in the cup and let it steep, then press. The triple thermal walls keep coffee hot for three hours.
Are telomeres the new turmeric? Could be. Twinlabs’ Daily One Age-Defense Telomere Multi is packed with antioxidants that may protect our sensitive telomeres, the tips of our chromosomes, from aging (fraying and getting shorter). B vitamins also help support energy and memory.
