Epicor is a brand name for a concentracted extract of fermented Brewer's yeast. The ORAC value given to this seems to be on a different type of measuring scale than for the flax hull lignans. At any rate, I take this too. (but don't market supplements). Probably superior to any single combination of Ayurvedic supplements.
EpiCor is a new dietary supplement with remarkable potential for health protection and maintenance of the immune system. Not an herb or an isolated nutrient, EpiCor is the product of a sophisticated fermentation process that creates a whole food concentrate with high levels of nutritional metabolites and exceptionally powerful antioxidant and immune modulating activity. Scientifically documented research demonstrates that EpiCor acts multi-modally to confer the following properties: Antimicrobial activity: EpiCor significantly inhibits the growth of E. coli and Candida tropicalis, even at concentrations as low as 1 part per trillion. Not only does EpiCor inhibit the growth of undesirable, pathogenic bacteria & fungus, but given the proper growth environment (such as in the human body), this could encourage the growth of favorable bacterial organisms in the gut whose secondary metabolites contribute to human health. Improves CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio: CD4 (helper) cells facilitate and coordinate immune response, while CD8 (suppressor) cells, in part, down-regulate this response. So a higher ratio of CD4 to CD8 cells is desirable for mounting an effective immune response. EpiCor produces a significant reduction in the levels of CD8 cells and produces a more favorable CD4/CD8 ratio. This results in increased antibody production and pathogen-killing activity in vitro. As it turns out, blood samples taken from persons ingesting EpiCor daily found they had significantly better helper to suppressor (CD4:CD8) cell ratios than their age- and gender- matched counterparts. Activates natural killer (NK) cells: EpiCor increases NK cell activity by fourfold in vitro. NK cells are the most aggressive of your body's immune cells and are among the most important in controlling viral proliferation. NK cells' sole mission is to destroy abnormal cells and those infected with viruses such as SARS, West Nile and Avian Flu. One reason that NK cells are so crucial to viral protection is that, when they identify an infected cell, they destroy it by inducing apoptosis (cell death) rather that by merely dismantling the cell membrane. This is a crucial distinction because apoptosis also destroys the viral particles inside the infected cell, whereas lysing the cell membrane would only release parasitic viral fragments to spread further. Blood samples taken from persons ingesting EpiCor daily found they had significantly more efficient NK cells than their age- and gender- matched counterparts. Increases levels of salivary Secretory IgA (sIgA): Immnoglobulins (Ig) are a family of antibodies found throughout the body. Secretory IgA (sIgA) is found on the mucosal surfaces of the body like the gastrointestinal tract, nasal passages, and eyes, where it forms the first line of defense against bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. Since deactivation at the point of entry is an exceptionally efficient anti-viral and anti-bacterial strategy, keeping sIgA levels at optimal levels is a good idea. Supplementation with EpiCor produced very high sIgA levels (over 300 mg per ml) in persons consuming EpiCor. This is the equivalent of an immunological "envelope" protecting those membranes in the body where pathogenic organisms might enter into the system. Reduces interferon-gamma levels: Interferon-gamma is a marker of inflammation, which plays an adverse contributory role to the severity of respiratory diseases including influenza A and bird flu. The EpiCor Story EpiCor was first discovered over sixty years ago. In the plant in which it is manufactured, production workers appeared to gain immunity by merely inhaling small amounts of EpiCor each day, part of which was ingested and digested in the gut. An initial oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay (a measure of antioxidant activity) revealed that EpiCor possessed the second highest peroxyl radical scavenging activity (610 µmoleTE/g) of any food ever tested. Additional antioxidant assays discovered that EpiCor had even broader free radical scavenging activity in vitro against not only the peroxyl radical but also for both the hydroxyl and peroxynitrite radicals, which is unusual for an antioxidant found in the diet. In addition, the workers at the plant who were "exposed" to EpiCor daily were able to fight off infectious agents circulating at their place of employment or in the community at large. So even when a flu epidemic occurred in the community, their immune system responded so effectively, that it kept them out of bed, and thereby avoiding the need to call in sick.* Side Effects: The results of all the studies completed to date indicate that EpiCor is safe, non-toxic, non-mutagenic, non-mitogenic, non-cytotoxic
