Rio Health Samento

Samento

Studies suggest Samento to be beneficial in the treatment of a wide range of immune system related conditions. These include but are not limited to:

allergies
arthritis
bursitis
cancer
chronic fatigue syndrome
diabetes
herpes
HIV infection
intestinal disorders
lupus
neuralgia
rheumatism
systemic candidiasis (yeast overgrowth)
ulcers

From the Desk of Graeme Lewis, Rio Health:

"Dear Colleague

You probably know about Cat's Claw, and perhaps are using it. Well, here is an important piece of news. In a hidden valley in the Peruvian Amazon there grows a unique variant of Uncaria tomentosa. The actives that make Cat's Claw the leading herb for arthritis, the immune system and detoxification are present in the newly discovered SAMENTO; but one group of alkaloids is missing. Far from inhibiting the healing action, the absence of the group known as TOA's (tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids) gives Samento far greater extra power and efficacy.

Researchers in Austria have been evaluating this TOA-free Samento. They have carried out a trial on 40 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. Against a placebo, the TOA-free Samento brought significant relief from painful and swollen joints. This improvement in condition continued to the full 52 week period of the trial, and brought also improvements in the Ritchie Index, and morning stiffness. Side effects were minimal. Samento, Nature's own improved TOA-free version of Cat's Claw, was proven more effective.

A similar trial has been carried out in the UK, and is reported in the British Naturopathic Journal. Again the TOA-free form known as Samento had a wide range of therapeutic efficiency, effectively treating 98% of patients whose diverse lists of symptoms included rheumatoid arthritis. . . .

TRADITIONAL USE: It is considered one of the most important botanicals in the rainforest. By supporting and enhancing immune system function, Samento is indicated in a broad spectrum of conditions including all types of infections. Urarina tribesman of Peru tell stories of Samento curing tumors. Samento was one of the plants researched by the National Institute for Health as an anticancer agent. Studies from various laboratories indicate it normalizes the immunoglobulins by activating T-lymphocytes and macrophages.

Several reports on the constituents of Uncaria Tomentosa (the plant Samento is made from) have focused on the oxidole alkaloids, one of the many groups of phyto-nutrients found in the plant. Studies confirm that 2 chemotypes of Uncaria Tomentosa with different alkaloid patterns occur in nature. One type contains pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids (POAs) and the other contains both POAs and tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids (TOAs). POAs act on the cellular immune system and TOAs act on the central nervous system. Recent studies confirm that the TOAs exert antagonistic effects on the action of the POAs. Uncaria tomentosa plants may contain as much as 80% TOAs. According to studies in Austria, as little as 1% TOAs can cause a 30% reduction in the acquired immune benefits that POAs provide. This may explain why large dosages, at times far exceeding 10,000 mg per day, of Cat’s Claw containing TOAs are required to obtain some results in treating immune system related conditions.

QUOTED REFERENCES:

"Samento is considered one of the most important botanicals in the rainforest. In Peru, Samento tea is used as a medicinal herb with almost unlimited curative properties. This herb is a powerful cellular rejuvenator. It has been used for the treatment of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach), ulcers, cancer, arthritis, rheumatism, irregularities of the female cycle, and acne. It is also used to treat organic depression. External applications of Samento include the treatment of wounds, fungus, fistulas and hemorrhoids. European research shows that Samento activates the immune system by increasing lymphocytic (white blood cell) activity. Other sources commend the effectiveness of leaf compresses against venereal diseases like syphilis. It has a positive treatment effect in cases of rheumatic disorders, neuralgias, chronic inflammation (vaginal or intestinal), and viral diseases like herpes zoster (shingles). It can also help restore proper intestinal flora and has diuretic properties."
"Samento from the Peruvian rainforest is a favorite for stimulating the immune system. Worldwide research done on this powerful herb has led scientists to patent many of the single chemicals found in it for use in healing cancer, arthritis, AIDS and other diseases. However, traditional wisdom shows that using the whole plant can be far more powerful than any one isolated ingredient. Dr. Brent W. Davis referred to Samento as "the opener of the way" because of its remarkable ability to cleanse the entire intestinal tract. Because of this ability, Samento can be used for Crohn's disease, haemorrhoids, parasites, leaky bowel syndrome, ulcers, gastritis, allergic disorders, diverticulitis, stabilizing intestinal flora and other gastrointestinal issues.
Samento is also a powerful anti-inflammatory which makes it very useful for arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. It also helps to increase T-lymphocyte and microphage production, tonify the blood, and can be used as a broad spectrum infection fighter. Samento also helps repair the lipid matrix in the cell walls and is particularity good for stopping the expansion of virus laden cells. At the University of Milan, Renato Rizzi led an experiment with Samento as it relates to cancer causing (mutagenic) substances in smokers. It is well known that the urine of smokers contains mutagenic substances. When given Samento for two weeks, the smoker's urine returned to normal. This is important because it shows Samento too can help lesson the risk of developing cancers and other degenerative diseases."

The herbal preparations in the Rio Range have been sourced and prepared to the highest standards, and are manufactured in facilities licensed for pharmaceutical use. They contain the finest quality ingredients, tested at source for purity and active levels.

Rio Health has specialized in the herbs of the Amazon Rainforest for over fifteen years. By far the greatest concentration of plant species on the planet is to be found in the Amazon basin.

It is estimated that over 80% of the earth's bio-diversity is located in this amazing profusion. Amongst this huge biomass there are thought to be many plant species with therapeutic possibilities.

Although from the air the jungle canopy may look like a wild diverse confusion, there are signs that hand the hand of man may once, thousands of years ago, have been involved in the selection and planting of species. Some food plants, for instance, not native to the Amazon basin, appear along clearly defined routes stretching hundreds of miles, as if they had been sketched to support travellers. So do some of the known medicinal plants. In the intervening centuries the pathways of this vast herb garden have become overgrown and unclear, but head westward from Manaus, along an ancient route may bring to light some very special new plant by the wayside.

Herbs
For thousands of years, herbs have been used to help maintain many aspects of health and wellness. Today, research and technology are bringing herbalism into the modern age – with improved extraction, standardization, and farming methods. Clinical studies are beginning to validate herbal therapies, so even some in the medical community are starting to accept them.

Many of today’s medicines were originally derived from botanicals. Aspirin once came from the white willow tree, quinine from the bark of the cinchona tree, and digitalis from foxglove. Herbs are still the basis for Chinese medicine and are important constituents of many European natural remedies. As Hippocrates said, “Let they food by thy medicine, thy medicine be thy food”.

Some of the herbs available on this site are wild-crafted – grown in the wild – while others are meticulously cultivated on herb farms.