ASSISTANCE - HEALTH AND ENERGY
M13 Assistance®, the original Functional Juice, is the spark plug of the Functional Juice family, with a potent formula designed to provide healthy, effective assistance for busy lives. Featuring abundant vitalizing herbs and essential amino acids, along with 88 milligrams of natural caffeine (derived from yerba maté leaf), Assistance delivers a powerful energy boost alongside several other vital health benefits, including mental alertness, immune support and anti-aging.
KEY ELEMENTS OF THE FUNCTIONAL FORMULA
Black Currant
Highly aromatic, with a luscious sweet-tart flavor, black currants have the highest
concentration of vitamin C and GLA (gamma-linolenic acid, an essential omega-3 fatty
acid) of any fruit or vegetable. Their history as human food is long and rich – a
Florentine recipe book dating from 1550 refers to the black currant as the “grape of the
monks”.
Black currants make a beautiful sight in the summer, hanging in glowing purple bunches in the bush. Native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia, these hardy little antioxidant superfruits are now cultivated locally in fertile soils of the Pacific Northwest.
Blueberry
Rich in antioxidants, these native North American superfruits promote healthy aging and
help fend off illness. For centuries, blueberries were gathered from forests and bogs by
Natives in northeastern US and eastern Canada, who used them for food and medicine.
Today, plump and juicy “highbush” blueberries are cultivated extensively in many parts
of North America. Assistance contains richly flavored juice from succulent highbush
blueberries grown locally here in the Pacific Northwest.
Dr. Sunny Lee included blueberries in his formula for their potent antioxidant ability (the most powerful of 40 fruits tested by the USDA) as well as for their concentrations of iron, potassium, magnesium and vitamins A and C.
Red Grape
Grown in pendulous bunches on woody vines, grapes thrive in temperate climates with
wet, mild winters and hot, dry summers. With a long, storied history that predates the
coming of man, grapes are truly an ancient fruit. They are also considered to be among
the oldest cultivated foods – ancient Greeks and Egyptians were both grape-growing
societies. Today, there is a small but growing viticulture scene in the inland Pacific
Northwest, where the grapes used in M13 Assistance are farmed.
We like red grapes juice not only because their lightly sweet flavor balances the tartness of the blueberry and black currant juices, but also because of their impressive free radical-scavenging abilities. Also, as Dr. Lee likes to tell us, grapes have a very low glycemic index, meaning they release glucose into the body at a slow, even rate, without causing the spike in blood sugar levels that refined sugars do.
Astragalus Root
Astragalus is a woody plant that grows in cold, arid expanses of northern China,
Mongolia and Siberia. The root of the plant has been used extensively in Chinese
medicine for well over 2,000 years. In Chinese it is called huáng qí ("yellow leader") or
bei qí ("northern leader"). Also known as milk-vetch, astragalus is considered one of the
fifty fundamental herbs of Chinese herbalism.
We like this warm and sweet tonic herb for its ability to stimulate the immune system, an especially welcome property where colds and flus thrive. Dr. Lee also says astragalus lowers blood pressure and blood sugar levels. He prescribes this versatile herb to protect the body against general weakness and illness and to increase overall vitality.
Ginger Root
An exotic herb with a long, fascinating history, ginger has been used medicinally in
many cultures for several thousand years. The story of its journey West from India and
China is a tantalizing saga that involves legendary Chinese emperors, Cleopatra, Arab
merchants, Marco Polo and the Crusaders.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine ginger is included in over half of all prescriptions. In his busy TCM practice, Dr. Lee uses ginger to help prevent nausea, relieve indigestion, improve blood flow and relieve cold and flu symptoms.
Cinnamon Bark
One of the fifty fundamental herbs of Chinese herbology, Chinese cinnamon bark is a
vital tonic that promotes proper circulation of the blood. Originating in the
mountainous, densely forested expanses of northern Burma, Chinese cinnamon is an
evergreen tree with thick, leathery leaves and summer blooms of yellow flowers.
Chinese cinnamon bark is also used in herbal preparations to lower blood pressure, control infection and relieve indigestion. Dr. Lee tells us that cinnamon bark is an effective warming agent that supplements the body fire and reinforces the Yang. Who are we to disagree?
Yerba Maté
Yerba maté is a species of holly plant native to the subtropical highlands of central
South America. Highly valued for its stimulant properties, the plant has a long history of
human use, beginning with the indigenous Guaraní people many centuries ago. Today,
tea brewed from dried yerba maté leaves and twigs is a popular drink throughout much
of South America, where it is typically consumed through a metal straw from a hollow
metal gourd (called a bombilla in Spanish and a bomba in Portuguese).
Yerba maté’s unique blend of xanthines (caffeine, theophylline and theobromine) provides a smooth, balanced and lasting stimulant effect without the jitteriness sometimes associated with other sources of caffeine.
Western Nutritional Science
Scientific understanding of human nutrition is a relatively new phenomenon. Since the early 20th century, we have made major leaps in figuring out how and why vitamins and other nutrients work. Where the other elements in our formulas represent ancient knowledge passed down through the centuries, this group (which includes B and C vitamins as well as essential amino acids) owes its existence to modern nutritional science. This is where old meets new.
WESTERN NUTRITIONAL SCIENCE ELEMENTS IN ASSISTANCE
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B6
- Leucine
- Valine