Acerola cherry (with naturally occurring vitamin C):
These cherries contain naturally high levels of vitamin C (30 times the amount found in oranges of the same weight), as well as approximately 150 other nutritive constituents, including bioflavonoids, proteins, mineral salts, iron, calcium and phosphorus.
Baobab fruit:
This versatile fruit has long been used by Africans across the continent. An excellent source of many vitamins and minerals, it has:
5 times the magnesium of avocados
4 times the potassium of bananas
2 times the calcium of milk
2 times the antioxidants of acai berries
10 times the vitamin C of oranges
and 10 times the fibre of apples.
In other words, baobab is highly nutritious and different parts of the plant supply varying amounts of protein, vitamin C, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, calcium and B vitamins.
Astragalus root:
Astragalus propinquus, commonly known as Mongolian milkvetch in English and as huáng qí, běi qí or huáng huā huáng qí in Chinese, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. Chemical constituents of the roots include polysaccharides and triterpenoids, as well as isoflavones and their glycosides and malonates.
Black pepper:
Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. When dried, the fruit is known as a peppercorn. When fresh and fully mature, it is approximately 5 millimetres (0.20 in) in diameter, dark red, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed. Peppercorns, and the ground pepper derived from them, may be described simply as pepper, or more precisely as black pepper (cooked and dried unripe fruit), green pepper (dried unripe fruit) and white pepper (ripe fruit seeds). Piperine is the alkaloid responsible for the pungency of black pepper.
Black aged garlic:
Garlic (Allium sativum) is a bulbous plant, widely used around the world for its pungent flavour, as a seasoning or condiment and as an ingredient in food supplements. It contains sulphur compounds. Black garlic originated in Korea and is raw garlic that has been fermented. Raw garlic is placed in humidity and a temperature controlled room for 30 days then moved to another room for 45 days to ‘oxidise’. This process creates garlic that is black in colour, softer in texture and has a more mild taste. Black garlic contains more sulphur compounds than regular garlic.
Olive leaf:
The olive tree has long been held in great esteem, not least for producing both the fruit and the oil. In fact, it is one of the oldest cultivated trees. But the leaf is also noteworthy, not least because it contains oleuropein (a type of phenolic compound) and elenolic acid.
Rosehip:
Rosehip is the fruit of the rose plant.
Turmeric:
Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant (Curcuma longa) of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to southern Asia. When not used fresh, the rhizomes (roots) are boiled for 30 - 45 minutes and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a deep orange/yellow powder that is commonly used as a natural colouring and delicious spice in Bangladeshi, Indian, Iranian and Pakistani cuisine, as well as for dyeing. Turmeric root powder has been long used by Ayurvedic practitioners, largely due to its main constituent, curcumin. More recently, it has become increasingly popular in the Western world for use in both food and food supplements, after much TV, magazine and radio coverage.
Cayenne:
Fiercely hot and pungent, cayenne, also known as cayenne pepper, is one of the most widely used spice ingredients for culinary purposes. Cayenne fruits are slender, elongated pods derived from the capsicum family plant (a cultivar of Capsicum annuum related to bell peppers, jalapeños, paprika, and others). Cayenne is a source of capsaicin.
Black elderberry:
Elderberries are rich in vitamins A and B, flavonoids and potassium, but they are most notable because they contain more vitamin C than any other traditional fruits (except for blackcurrants and rosehips).
Grapefruit seed:
Grapefruit seed extract, not to be confused with grapeseed extract, contains bioflavonoids including hesperidin.
Ginger root:
Ginger (Zingiber officinale), is a rhizome - a thick underground stem that sprouts roots and shoots. This "hot" spice is native to warmer parts of Asia, such as China, Japan, and India, but is now also grown in parts of South American and Africa.