Information on Technology: June 2010

In this age of carcinogens and accelerated aging due to pollution, antioxidants have become very popular. These substances, mostly from plants, have proven to be effective in counteracting free radical damage. Free radicals are reactive atoms that bind to cells, resulting in damage at the molecular level. The body naturally deals with free radicals, but when these destructive atoms are too much, oxidative stress happens. This is what causes premature aging in people. An antioxidant can serve as an anti aging agent in the body by protecting key molecules of the body’s cells.

A lot of antioxidant products are available now. Two of the most popular are resveratrol and glutathione. In tests, these have proven to be potent in curbing the aging process. But few people know about a powerful antioxidant called L-Ergothioneine or ERGO, for short. This is likely the next antioxidant to take on the wellness industry by storm. It’s taken a while to be commercially available because of its scarcity; it requires meticulous extraction and processing from sources that are natural, but limited.

ERGO is found in small amounts in microorganisms like ergot (left; here attached to grain), and in meat, milk, mushrooms, and grapes. The food that people normally eat do not provide enough ERGO to effectively promote anti aging and there is normally too little in the body. Commercial production of ERGO proved to be impractical in the past. Technology has since advanced and one company, OXIS International, Inc., has taken its penny stocks and took stakes into being a pioneer in synthesizing ERGO.

OXIS now has a patented manufacturing process for ERGO, which solves the usual problems of extraction and synthesis into viable products. This new technology now allows L-Ergothioneine to be easily available to the consumer. The benefits of ERGO can now be had through OXIS in its quality nutraceutical products designed to encourage anti aging.

OXIS already has patents and pending applications for its antioxidant products which are therapeutic, cosmetic, proprietary, and clinical in nature. The company started off with two primary products based on ERGO called Ergo-Pur™ and Ergo-Plex™. The first is pure L-Ergothioneine and the other combines this with other antioxidants. It’s been proven that ERGO works with and maintains the level of other antioxidants—giving a boosting effect in the body. ERGO provides antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties for overall health. OXIS is partnering with industry leaders to produce the best nutraceutical products to give people all over the world the chance for better health with ERGO.