Acerola, also known as Barbados cherry, can grow to 5 meters high. It is a deciduous tree, which produces large amounts of 1-2 cm diameter red fruit. The fruits are soft, juicy and have sweet flavor. Acerola is self-sown, but it is grown in Central America, in the Northern Region of South America, in Brazil and Jamaica. This fruit's biggest value is that it contains a significant amount of vitamin C. Its vitamin C content decreases as it ripens and as such it is harvested while it is green.

Cranberry is a plant native in North America. It has dark red berries in winter time. It belongs to the same plant family as red cranberry and blueberry.

Cranberry was consumed for its distinctive scent and refreshing taste rather than for its beneficial effect. In 1621 the Pilgrims consumed it for Thanksgiving. Cranberry sauce became a traditional food only after the Civil War. General Ulysses S. Grant thought cranberry sauce was an important part of Thanksgiving. In 1864, during the Battle of Petersburg, he ordered cranberries for the Union troops. The soldiers liked the previously unknown fruit and its consumption became a habit for them. The settlers didn't known about the high C-vitamin content of cranberries. It became popular among British sailors though because those who consumed it did not develop scurvy. From the beginning of the 21st century, the use of cranberries is increasingly common and has become very popular in recent years. Cranberries are consumed raw, dried, as jams, flour and as sauce.

Grapefruit is the youngest member of the citrus fruit family. Its flesh can be pink or red. It has a high vitamin C level and it contains many other vitamins and bioflavonoids as well. It tastes a little sour and tart. The extract is from the fruit's seed and flesh.

Vitamin C is probably the best known vitamin and belongs to the group of water-soluble vitamins. While most animals can synthesize their own vitamin needs, humans must resort to dietary sources. Nutrients of animal sources contain very little Vitamin C, while green plants and fruit provide most of our vitamin C supply. Some plants contain particularly large quantities, for example 1-2 % of the dry weght of rosehip is vitamin C. In its pure form, Vitamin C was first isolated by Albert Szent-Györgyi who found it in adrenal glands in 1928. In 1931, he identified them in lemon juice and bonnet pepper. Szent-Györgyi was awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for this discovery in 1937.

Main natural sources

Citrus fruit, berries, green and leafy vegetables, tomato and pepper.

Vitamin C contributes to our energy-producing metabolic processes, to the maintenance of normal psychological function, to the operation of the nervous and the immune systems. It also helps the formation of collagen and because of this, it maintains healthy skin, blood vessels, cartilage, bones, teeth and gums. It helps reduce fatigue, contributes to regenerating the reduced form of vitamin E and increases the absorption of iron. It contributes to the protection of cells against oxidative stress, and to the normal function of our immune system during or after intense exercise.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin which is stored in the liver, adipose tissues, heart, muscles, blood, adrenal glands and hypophysis. It was discovered during the study of vegetable oils in the 1920s and 1930s, but it was only in the 1970s when vitamin E was recognized as vital for humans. Unlike other fat-soluble vitamins, vitamin E - just like vitamin B and C - can only remain in our body for a relatively short period of time.

The main natural sources of vitamin E are

Wheat germ, soybeans, vegetable oils, broccoli, brussels sprouts, spinach, whole grains and egg.

It protects our cells against oxidative stress.

It is a fat-soluble vitamin. In its natural from, Vitamin K2 can be found in food produced by bacterial fermentation, for instance in aged cheese. It can also be found in food of animal origin, for example goose liver, goose thigh and chicken liver. Vitamin K has a role in normal blood clotting and healthy bones.

Vitamin D belongs to the group of fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin D3 is produced from the dehydrocholesterol produced by the liver by the action of sunlight on the skin. Vitamin D is formed when sunlight hits skin. Ultraviolet rays convert the steroids within the skin to vitamin D. The kidneys and the liver complete the positive effect of the ultraviolet rays and give the opportunity for vitamin D to exert its activity and to transform into its active form. Some prefer to consider vitamin D as a hormone - one of those substances which is produced by the endocrine glands.

Main natural sources

Fish oil, sardines, herring, tuna, salmon, milk and diary products.

Vitamin D helps maintain normal calcium level in blood and the normal absorption and utilization of calcium and phosphor. Phosphor is involved in the maintenance of healthy bone structure. Vitamin D plays a role in cell division, helps the maintenance of healthy muscles, bones and teeth. It also helps the normal function of the immune system.

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. It means that fats and minerals are needed for the absorption of it from the digestive tract. There are two types of vitamin A: preformed vitamin A and provitamin A or carotin.

The main natural sources of vitamin A

Milk, egg, carrot, honeydew melon, apricot, pumpkin, spinach and offal (heart, kidney, liver).

Vitamin A helps maintain normal mucous membranes and healthy skin. It pays an important role in the metabolism of iron and cell differentiation. It contributes to the maintenance of normal vision and the normal function of the immune system.

Vitamin B2 plays a role in energy-producing metabolic processes. It contributes to healthy vision, normal red blood cells, skin and mucous membranes. It helps reduce fatigue, maintains normal iron metabolism and contributes to the protection of cells against oxidative stress.

Vitamin B6 - also known as pyridoxine - is a group of compounds that are structurally related and work together. It was isolated in five independent laboratories in the late 1930s. It is a water-soluble vitamin. It is not stored in our body during metabolism and dissappear from our body in eight hours.

The main natural sources of Vitamin B6

Wheat bran, wheat germ, brewer's yeast, poppy seed, cabbage, milk, egg and beef.

Interesting fact

A lot of anti-nausea medications (occurring during pregnancy) contain vitamin B6.

Vitamin B6 helps maintain normal psychological and nervous system function and reduces fatigue. It plays a role in the energy-producing metabolic processes, in protein, glycogen and cysteine metabolism. Vitamin B6 assists with the normal function of the immune system, the regulation of hormonal activity, the formation of red blood cells and normal homocysteine metabolism.

Vitamin B12 assists with the normal function of the nervous system and helps maintain normal psychological function. It also reduces fatigue. It plays a role in the energy-producing metabolic processes and in cell division. Vitamin B12 contributes to the normal function of the immune system, the normal formation of red blood cells and normal homocysteine metabolism.

Vitamin B9 also known as folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin. It is made up of similarly-built pterindine compounds. Lucy Wills discovered folic acid in the 1930s when she was experimenting with giving yeast to people suffering from anemia.

The main natural sources of Vitamin B9

Leafy vegetables (brussels sprouts, broccoli, lettuce, spinach), bean, liver, yeast, peanut and walnut.

Vitamin B7 assists with the proper function of the nervous system, the maintenance of normal psychological function and healthy mucous membranes, skin and hair. It plays a role in the energy-producing metabolic processes and in the metabolism of the macronutrients.

This One Year Product contains six different types of microflora in an increased number of germs, as well as Inulin improving efficiency.

Inulin and microflora