The biological and natural process of growing old is called aging, and it is an inevitable part of life.All metabolic or other chemical processes taking place within the human body are affected in different ways: one of the easiest way’s to notice aging is that the hair cover on the body gets thinner and there is a very gradual but noticeable graying or silvering of the hair on the head. As we age another change is in the quality of the skin, it loses its elasticity, becoming coarser and can no longer maintain its tautness, the skin tone changes and becomes duller.
Alongside the changes occurring in the general skin texture, the most obvious sign of aging is the appearance of wrinkles, and the formation of crow’s feet around the eyes. The process of aging also affects bone density and calcium uptake internally and it accelerates the loss of mineral ions at the same time. Bone density loss due to reduction in ions like calcium leads to painful joints and in cases is the warning flag signaling the possible and painful onset of arthritis, another aging related symptom besides painful joints is that muscle mass is lost and muscles lose their flexibility, becoming flabby and weak, the bones themselves lose their strength, senility often sets in and in a majority of cases, besides our normal mental acuities our general memory declines.
With the coming of old age, this process slows down appreciably almost to a crawl and becomes less effective, there is a decrease in cellular growth in an older person and hence a slow but certain break down of all biological functions within the body sets in.
Antioxidants are the primary weapons in our fight against free radicals, these compounds are manufactured quite normally by the body’s own cells and are obtained through a normal human diet, antioxidants are the first line of defense that can absorb free radicals, and through a process of chemically combining with them in the body, they annihilate so to speak the free radicals inside the body before these have had the chance to interfere with very important biological processes-most of which may have a direct bearing on aging. Green and leafy vegetables, including all herbs and fruits are the greatest sources of antioxidants and are naturally occurring sources for these compounds.
Herbal and herb based supplements are excellent sources for antioxidants. Water soluble and fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (tocopherol) are known to be naturally occurring antioxidants that can effectively handle free radical production within the body. The water soluble vitamin vitamin C and flavonoids are active inside the cellular structure and are useful in water retention and maintenance of the osmotic potential within cells, this is important as cellular water content and retention is very important for a healthy body, and a good water reserve is important for cellular activity, since the human body is 70% water. A lot of water should therefore be ingested daily, recommended quantities are at least 7 glasses a day.
The important fat based vitamin-vitamin E helps in the formation and the maintenance of the lipoid membranes that make up a large part of the cellular architecture, and is essential for fatty tissue formation and function within the cellular environment.
The B complex vitamins, especially the folates such as folic acid, a B vitamin, helps maintain the production and normal functioning of red blood cells (RBC’s) especially their oxygen binding properties, and their proper structural. And these vitamins in addition also play a very important part in the correct and seamless functioning of nervous tissue and in their ability to conduct nervous impulses in a proper way.
Additionally, some supplements address very particular and specific areas of the body and have peculiar importance. Glucosamine is a compound that is prevalent in cartilage and cartilaginous tissue, and may aid in the maintenance of cartilaginous tissues around the joints and in easing the major chronic pain arising due to the onset of arthritis in and around the joints.
Commonly used essential oils for aging:Lavender,Myrrh,Neroli。Rose,Rosemary,Black Chokeberry,Wild Yam,Schisandra,Tibetan Rhodiola.