Integrative Therapeutics, Seasonal IC 60 tablets

Ingredient	Benefit
Caper	Caper is a spiny perennial shrub that grows throughout the Mediterranean basin. The flower bud possesses a pungent, bitter flavor and is frequently used as a condiment in Italian cuisine. Its history of use extends back thousands of years; capers were mentioned by the Roman scholar, Pliny, and the Greek botanist Theophrastus. (3)(4) The caper flower bud contains a number of polyphenols and flavonoids, such as quercetin and kaempferol glycosides. Possessing powerful antioxidant abilities, extracts of caper flower bud have been shown to effectively protect against oxidative damage by scavenging peroxyl radicals.*(3-4) Caper has also been shown to enhance the body's natural anti-inflammatory response and support the body's ability to cope with seasonal challenges.* In one study, caper extract administration lead to an up to 65.5 percent improvement in healthy bronchiole function.* The study also examined caper's effect on skin health.* Following a challenge test, caper was shown to improve the body's natural anti-inflammatory response by 46 percent.* The researches concluded that key components in caper flower bud help support healthy mast cell and basophil (white blood cell) activity.*(5)
Olive Leaf	The olive tree has been extensively cultivated in nearly all of the southern European countries and throughout the entire Mediterranean. Like the caper, the olive tree has been used as both as a food source and a plant medicine since ancient times. (6) Olive leaves are a highly-concentrated source of antioxidant polyphenols, including luteolin and apigenen.* Research has shown these components enhance the body's response to external triggers by regulating the release of immune system cells, such as interleukins and interferons.*(7) Olive leaf extracts also improve host defenses supporting a balanced anti-inflammatory response .*(6)(8)
Black Currant	Black currant is a perennial shrub found in Europe and Asia, Canada, and Australia. The leaves, when harvested after the flowering season, provide potent flavonoids, including isoquercitrin, rutin, and oligomeric proanthocyanidins. (9) Scientific studies have shown that black currant leaf extracts have a significant impact on the body's natural anti-inflammatory response.* One animal model study found that proanthocyanidins, isolated from black currant leaves, led to an up to 63 percent improvement in the health of the lungs and the lining of the lung cavity following exposure to an environmental challenge.*(10) Extracts have been shown to impact anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the release of interleukin-1beta (IL-1â) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-á) and by regulating the expression of adhesion molecules, thereby modulating cell to cell communication.*(10)(11)
Panax Ginseng Root	A slow-growing perennial shrub found in parts of China, Korea, Japan, and Russia, Panax ginseng is best known for the health promoting benefits of its fleshy root.*(12) Both Panax ginseng extract and its key compound, the ginsenosides, have been studied for their ability to support the body's natural anti-inflammatory response.* By promoting healthy neutrophil stabilization, enhancing macrophage activity, and supporting healthy levels of cytokines, including prostaglandins and TNF-á, Panax ginseng can fortify the body's ability to cope with external stressors.*(13-16)

Seasonal ICTM Clinical Research
The protective benefits of Seasonal IC natural relief formula were recently examined in a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial.* Sixty volunteers, who were looking for natural anti-inflammatory support, were enrolled.* Participants received either 2 g of Seasonal IC or placebo daily for 10 days. Blood samples, taken at baseline, 2 hours after the first dose, at days 2, 3, and 10, were analyzed for immune markers.

Two hours after administration, a slight inhibition in basophil expression was noted in individuals in the Seasonal IC group when compared to placebo.* The effect, which is indicative of an improved response to environmental and seasonal triggers, increased over the course of the trial, with an inhibition of 64.8 percent at day 10.* The level of a specialized leukotriene, and a mediator of the body's natural anti-inflammatory response, was also recorded. At days 2 and 3, a decrease was noted. The trend continued, and after 10 days of supplementation, leukotriene production was reduced by 43.3 percent versus placebo.* The researchers conclude that Seasonal IC natural relief formula improves the body's response to immune challenges.*(1)

Another study was performed to replicate this ability. Volunteers were randomly assigned to receive either Seasonal IC or an alternative solution. The anti-inflammatory response was measured 2 hours after administration and exposure to a variety of seasonal and environmental triggers.* Seasonal IC was found to decrease the body's response to sensitivity triggers by up to 70 percent.*(2)

Conclusion
The clinically studied combination of caper, olive leaf, black currant, and Panax ginseng found in Seasonal IC can have a profound affect on the body's natural anti-inflammatory response.* By supporting healthy immune function, Seasonal IC resets the internal response to unavoidable seasonal and environmental sensitivities.*

• 71396; 60 tablets
  
  Storage Recommendations:
  Store at controlled room temperature, 59° to 86°F (15° – 30°C).
  
  References:
  
  1. Bonina F, Frasca G, Caruso M, Di Giuseppe PL, Pennisi A, Tringali G. Effects of a new nutraceutical ingredient on allergen-induces sulphidoleukotrienes production and CD63 expression in allergic subjects. Unpublished data.
  2. Proprietary information from Bioactive Natural Products. Received 2007.
  3. Tesoriere L, Butera D, Gentile C, Livrea MA. Biotactive components of caper (Acpparis spinosa L.) from Sicily and antioxidant effects in a red meat simulated gastric digestion. J Agric Food Chem. 2007;55:8465-71.
  4. Bonina F, Puglia C, Ventura D, Aquino R, Tortora S, Sacchi A, Saija A, Tomaino A, Pellegrino MS, de Caprariis P. In vitro antioxidant and in vivo photoprotective effects of a lyophilized extract of Capparis spinosa L. buds. J Cosmet Sci. 2002 Nov-Dec;53(6):321-35.
  5. Trombetta D, Occhiuto F, Perri D, Puglia C, Santagati NA, De Pasuale A, Saija A, Bonina F. Antiallergic and antihistaminic effect of two extracts of Capparis spinosa L. flowering buds. Phytother Res. 2005;19:29-33.
  6. LaGow B, ed. Olive. In: PDR® for Herbal Medicines, 3rd edition. Montvale, NJ: Thomson PDR; 2004: 604-6.
  7. Kim EK, Kwon KB, Song MY, Han MJ, Lee JH, Lee YR, Lee JH, Ryu DG, Park BH, Park JW. Flavonoids protect against cytokine-induced pancreatic beta-cell damage through suppression of nuclear factor kappaB activation. Pancreas. 2007 Nov;35(4):e1-9.
  8. Pieroni A, Heimler D, Pieters L, van Poel B, Vlietinck AJ. In vitro anti-complementary activity of flavonoids from olive (Olea europaea L.) leaves. Pharmazie. 1996 Oct;51(10):765-8.
  9. LaGow B, ed. Black Currant. In: PDR® for Herbal Medicines, 3rd edition. Montvale, NJ: Thomson PDR; 2004: 97-9.
  10. Garbacki N, Tits M, Angenot L, Damas J. Inhibitory effect of proanthocyanidins from Ribes nigrum leaves on carrageenin acute inflammatory reactions induced in rats. BMC Pharmacol. 2004 Oct 21;4(1):25.
  11. Garbacki N, Kinet M, Nusgens B, Desmecht D, Damas J. Proanthocyanidins, from Ribes nigrum leaves, reduce endothelial adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. J Inflamm (Lond). 2005 Aug 9;2:9.
  12. LaGow B, ed. Ginseng. In: PDR® for Herbal Medicines, 3rd edition. Montvale, NJ: Thomson PDR; 2004: 379-87.
  13. Jin UH, Park SG, Suh SJ, Kim JK, Kim DS, Moon SK, Lee YC, Park WH, Kim CH. Inhibitory effect of Panax notoginseng on nitric oxide synthase, cyclo-oxygenase-2 and neutrophil functions. Phytother Res. 2007 Feb;21(2):142-8
  14. Choi K, Kim M, Ryu J, Choi C. Ginsenosides compound K and Rh(2) inhibit tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced activation of the NF-kappaB and JNK pathways in human astroglial cells. Neurosci Lett. 2007 Jun 21;421(1):37-41.
  15. Ahn JY, Choi IS, Shim JY, Yun EK, Yun YS, Jeong G, Song JY. The immunomodulator ginsan induces resistance to experimental sepsis by inhibiting Toll-like receptor-mediated inflammatory signals. Eur J Immunol. 2006 Jan;36(1):37-45.
  16. Park EK, Choo MK, Han MJ, Kim DH. Ginsenoside Rh1 possesses antiallergic and anti-inflammatory activities. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2004 Feb;133(2):113-20.