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In South America, shamans use a natural drink to reduce spiritual pain and change people’s perception of reality. It’s a drink that’s been consumed for at least 5000 years, usually as part of a traditional ceremony, and consists primarily of the plant chacruna, the leaves of which contain an alkaloid with powerful psychedelic effects (dimethyltryptamine or DMT).
Normally, this alkaloid has absolutely no effect on the human body: it is dissolved by an enzyme in the digestive system called monoamine oxidase before it reaches the bloodstream. But this shamanic concoction is ingenious. When the chacruna leaves are combined with crushed ayahuasca vine and cooked for several hours, the DMT becomes active and has a direct effect on the brain. This is due to the presence of harmine and harmaline in the ayahuasca vine, two alkaloids which inhibit monoamine oxidase and thus enable the DMT to remain active in the body. Taken separately, ayahuasca vine and chacruna leaves have no effect on the body but when they’re combined, something extraordinary happens. It’s a typical example of nutritional synergy, a phenomenon in which the beneficial effects of compounds taken simultaneously are greater than the effects of those same compounds taken separately.
How did these ancient populations stumble upon this fantastic synergy when we know there are 80,000 species of higher plants growing in the Amazon rainforest (giving them a 1 in 6 billion probability of finding the winning combination)? It was probably just by chance that over the thousands of years they’ve inhabited this part of the world, they discovered this synergistic pairing … The secret would then have been passed on from one generation to the next, just as is happening with the many dietary synergies being rediscovered today.
The curcumin in turmeric is probably one of the most fascinating micronutrients in the plant kingdom. Numerous studies have demonstrated its role in preventing cancer (particularly of the digestive system) while its powerful anti-inflammatory properties have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for thousands of years.
There’s just one slight problem: curcumin does not easily cross the intestinal barrier. Therefore, in order to facilitate its passage and increase its bioavailability, synergistic combinations are used. ‘Partner’ substances include bromelain, an enzyme found in fresh pineapple, and in particular, piperine, an alkaloid found in black pepper. These two compounds increase the activity of a gut protein involved in the transport of curcumin and restrict its elimination in urine (1-2). In a human study, piperine was thus shown to increase curcumin’s bioavailability by more than 2000%, optimising the latter’s potential
Ready in 10 minutes:
Lycopene is a carotenoid pigment which gives certain vegetables such as peppers and tomatoes their red to orange colour. It’s the most abundant carotenoid in the human body and probably the one with the most powerful antioxidant activity. It is one of the rare micronutrients which is enhanced by heat: the lycopene in a tomato becomes more bioavailable when it’s cooked.
Another way of increasing its bioavailability is to consume it with some fat. By increasing the stimulation of bile acids and the ability to form micelles, the fat makes the lycopene more soluble. Researchers have thus shown lycopene absorption to be higher when consumed with 20g of fat rather than with 3 to 8g
Ready in 10 minutes: Finely chop a clove of garlic and an onion and fry together in a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, then slice some tomatoes. Boil them in 1 litre of water for 15 minutes, then add the garlic, onion and oil and mix together.
Isoflavones are incredible natural substances. Once ingested, they mimic the action of certain hormones (oestrogens) in those who are deficient, or conversely, combat their negative effects in those with excessively-high levels.
Soya mainly contains genistein, daidzein and glycitein. These three compounds are used for reducing hot flushes and for lowering the risk of breast and prostate cancer (at a dose of 20mg a day). However, these effects are greater still when the daidzein is converted in the body into equol, an even more active molecule. Researchers have discovered that this conversion takes place in the digestive tract and primarily depends on gut flora composition. When prebiotics (indigestible compounds such as fructo-oligosaccharides) are administered to a person consuming soya isoflavones, the conversion into equol increases and the effects are maximised.
Flavonoids are plant compounds with remarkable antioxidant properties. Found in wine, chocolate, citrus fruit and brightly-coloured berries such as blackcurrants and strawberries, they have the particular feature of being able to increase the bioavailability of vitamin C which plays a role in preventing cognitive problems (13) and which, in return, increases flavonoid stability. Flavonoids affect two cognitive processes, synaptic plasticity (which enables neuronal structures to be formed and maintained) and cerebral microcirculation (by strengthening the walls of the smallest blood vessels) (14).
This synergy is almost certainly the reason why the total antioxidant activity exerted by a mix of oranges, apples, grapes and blueberries is far greater than that of each of these fruits consumed individually. Similarly, powerful antioxidant synergy has been observed from a combination of chocolate and strawberries.
Ready in 5 minutes: Fry some peppers (a source of vitamin C) in a pan with a little oil and lovage, then add some capers (a rich source of quercetin) at the end of cooking.
Ready in 5 minutes: mix together chopped apple, strawberries, blueberries and oranges with pieces of chocolate containing a minimum 80% cocoa (flavonols).
For a more powerful effect: take Triple C (3 synergistic forms of vitamins and flavonoids) + Ginkgo Biloba (kaempferol, quercetol, luteolin).
A study published in 2018 (5) has shown that the body needs a certain amount of magnesium in order to properly metabolise vitamin D. Activating the vitamin D molecules produced by the effects of the sun, or those provided by the diet, requires the presence of magnesium. Without it, the vitamin D circulating in the body remains largely under-used. Yet, for over half the population in the West with a magnesium intake well below the recommended daily amounts of 420mg for men and 320mg for women, this is precisely what happens.
The synergy between magnesium and vitamin D affects many of the body’s processes such as the regulation of calcium, the maintenance of healthy bones, the mineralisation of bones, and the prevention of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease … Magnesium activates more than 600 different enzymes and has a significant effect on levels of circulating calcium.
Ready in 20 minutes: prepare a meal based on oven-baked halibut (vitamin D), with steamed spinach and a nut sauce (magnesium).
For a more powerful effect: take Vitamin D + Magnesium Orotate
The Mediterranean diet provided evidence of the synergy that exists between omega-3 fatty acids (recognised for preventing cardiovascular problems) and polyphenols (a type of antioxidant). The two compounds acts as a shield against free radicals, as well as modulating the transcription of numerous genes. Adding polyphenols during digestion of omega-3 also protects them from oxidation and encourages intact molecules that are more functional to pass into the bloodstream (16).
