Christian Drapeau – A novel Approach to Wellness
ust like many plants have been documented to support the immune system, there are a number of plants that have been documented to support the release of stem cells from the bone marrow, increasing the number of circulating stem cells.
STEMAFA™ APHANIZOMENON FLOS-AQUAE (AFA)
One such plant is the cyanophyta StemAFA™ Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA). People consuming StemAFA™ have been reporting a wide range of health benefits for decades. While benefits touching inflammation as well as the immune and nervous systems were easily explained by the presence of specific bioactives found in StemAFA™, many other benefits could not be explained on the basis of such bioactives. These benefits were touching various aspects of human health; cardiovascular health, brain function, liver function, pancreatic function, and lung health to name a few.
How could one single botanical product lead to so many benefits touching various aspects of human health?
This remained a mystery for many years… until the discovery that StemAFA™ contains a blocker of L-selectin. L-selectin is an adhesion molecule that plays a critical role in the maintenance of stem cells in the bone marrow. Blocking L-selectin supports the release of stem cell from the bone marrow. The consumption of an extract of StemAFA™ was shown to increase the number of circulating stem cells by 25%, adding approximately 2-4 million new stem cells to the bloodstream. These stem cells then become available to contribute to the process of tissue repair and renewal, helping the body regain and maintain optimal health.
In a double-blind crossover placebo-controlled study, consumption of 1 gram of StemAFA™ extract concentrating an L-selectin ligand led to an increase of an average of 25-30% in the number of circulating stem cells, providing for an increase of 2-4 million new stem cells in the bloodstream. This increase peaked around 60 minutes after consumption and lasted 3-4 hours.
“How could one single botanical product lead to so many benefits touching various aspects of human health?”
STEMALOE® ALOE MACROCLADA
The science about Aloe is just as remarkable. Before the recent understanding regarding the natural role of stem cells in the body, already in the 1990’s aloe had been reported to enhance hematopoiesis, the production of blood cells.
Acemannan, the main polysaccharide found in aloe, was reported to enhance the proliferation of fibroblasts, as well as the expression of Keratinocyte Growth Factor (KGF-1) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), two growth factors having a well-known stimulatory effect on stem cells. In one study, aloe gel was reported to stimulate the production of G-CSF and interleukins which are known to trigger the release of stem cells from the bone marrow, and also to mimic the effect of G-CSF on various blood and bone marrow parameters.
Recently a type of aloe called StemAloe® Aloe macroclada, traditionally used in Madagascar for various type of health problems, was reported to increase the number of circulating stem cells.More recently, a unique extract of aloe concentrating acemannans of specific molecular weights was documented to increase the number of circulating stem cells. A similar extract of aloe has been reported to improve the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
In a double-blind crossover placebo-controlled study, consumption of 250 milligrams of StemAloe® Aloe macroclada led to an increase of an average of 35% in the number of circulating CD34+ stem cells and 60% in the number of Endothelial Progenitor Cells (EPC), providing for an increase of more than 7-8 million new stem cells in the bloodstream. This increase was sustained and was still rising 3 hours after consumption.
SEASTEM™ HIPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES
The most recent plant to be documented to support the release of stem cells from the bone marrow is SeaStem™ Hippophae rhamnoides, sea buckthorn.
SEASTEM™ HIPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES Sea buckthorn (SB) is a thorny deciduous shrub that grows naturally at high altitudes (2500-4000m) at the base of the Himalayas in Northern India and on the Tibetan Plateau, as far north as Mongolia. Its remarkable healing properties were discovered by Alexander the Great during his conquest in Asia, who brought it back to Greece and from there it spread all across Europe.
The health benefits of SB berry (SBB) have been recognized for more than a thousand years in Tibetan, Mongolian and Chinese Medicine where it has been used to improve blood circulation and to treat a long list of ailments including lung conditions such as asthma, diabetes, stomach ulcers, cancer, wounds, metabolic disorders and inflammation.
Some of the benefits of SBB on cardiovascular and pancreatic health have been corroborated by western science, yet few mechanisms of action aside from SBB’s antioxidant properties have been proposed as explanations for its wide range of health benefits.
The actual chemical composition of the berries and leaves greatly depends upon climatic conditions, ripeness, as well as harvesting and methods used to process them into finished products. A proanthocyanidins (a class of polyphenols) concentrate of SBB harvested at high altitude on the Tibetan Plateau was tested and it was found that the consumption of 500mg triggered an increase of up to 40% in a wide range of stem cell types, 1 to 2 hours after consumption.
In a double-blind crossover placebo-controlled study, consumption of 500 milligrams of sea buckthorn berry extract led to an increase of up to 40% in the number of circulating CD34+ stem cells, and 33% in the number of Endothelial Progenitor Cells (EPC), providing for an increase of 4-6 million new stem cells in the bloodstream. This increase was sustained and was still rising 2 hours after consumption.
PANAX NOTOGINSENG
In the search for products that have been historically associated with a broad variety of health benefits, one of the first product coming to mind is ginseng, more specifically notoginseng. Notoginseng is the “original” ginseng known as the “miracle root for the preservation of life”.
Aside from its long history of use in China, Western science has documented the benefits of notoginseng, which includes antiaging, lipid-lowering, antioxidant, vascular remodeling, and a wide range of health-enhancing properties.
Some of these benefits have been attributed to an effect on stem cell function. Notoginseng extract was documented to stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells into brain cells. But more importantly, notoginseng extract was documented to stimulate stem cell mobilization through two different mechanisms of action: increasing the concentration of Stem Cell Factor (SCF), a known stem cell mobilizer, and shifting the concentration gradient for Stromal-Derived Factor 1 (SDF-1), which is known to attract stem cells.
Panax notoginseng saponins extract (PNS) increased the concentration of SCF, a well-known mobilizing agent, in both the bone marrow and the blood. This was accompanied by a decrease and an increase of SDF-1 in the bone marrow and blood, respectively, shifting the SDF-1 gradient toward the peripheral blood circulation. Both phenomena led to proliferation and mobilization of bone marrow stem cells.
Other plants that have been tested include goji berry, which is known to promote longevity, medicinal mushrooms such as reishi, lion’s mane and cordyceps known to provide a wide range of health benefits, as well as colostrum, and they were all found to support the migration of stem cells out of the blood into tissues. By supporting the release of stem cells from the bone marrow and their migration into tissues, these plants offer a safe daily support of the body’s natural ability to repair and renew.
Excerpted from the e-book The_Human_Repair_System-ebook-2025-v3 by Christian Drapeau.
