Chinese medicinal herbs
Chinese medicinal herbs were first classified by the Emperor Shen Nong according to their therapeutic properties and relative safety.

1. Tonic Herbs (also known as Royal or Ruler Herbs) are the highest class of herbs. Tonic herbs are not considered as medicine, rather they are treated as highly nutritious foods. They are completely safe if properly used and can be consumed as often as desired.

2. Minister Herbs are used to correct minor unbalances in the body. These herbs have both medicinal and preventive properties. Though relatively safe, the choice of which herbs to use must be chosen carefully.

3. Assistant Herbs are powerful herbs capable of correcting major unbalances. Most assistant herbs are highly toxic and should not be used unless prescribed by a TCM practitioner. This is the lowest class of herbs and are used only as a last resort.

Only a few herbs are used singularly. Most herbal treatments require additional herbs to increase the potency of the primary herbs, to neutralize side effects and to direct the action towards specific organs. Top

Tonic Herbs

Only a select group of less than a hundred herbs are regarded as tonic herbs. Tonic herbs are "super-foods" which benefit our well-being in ways which the common foods cannot. They have a protective, balancing and vitalizing quality beyond that of ordinary herbs or foods. For centuries, they supply rare and unique nutrients to complement a well-balanced diet.

While most tonic herbs are rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids, they are especially valued for their bionutrients. Rarely found in foods, these substances benefit the body in special ways. Researchers have found bionutrients in tonic herbs that exhibits anti-aging, memory- enhancing and cholesterol-lowering properties. Some bionutrients are extremely potent antioxidants, others aid in the absorption and utilization of nutrients from foods.

Many tonic herbs are adaptogens, substances that help bring the body into a state of balance. This is usually achieved through the stimulation of the body's immune and healing functions. Tonic herbs have the unique ability to adjust its actions to the body's needs. They could act as a stimulant or induce a restful sleep. Herbs that exhibit such properties are rare and are highly prized.

The very best tonic herbs provide a broad range of health benefits, but they are definitely not a "cure-all" solution. However, TCM believes that for a type of unbalance, ill health can be manifested in many ways. This means that several seemingly different problems can have the same root cause. Thus, a tonic herb that can help the body overcome this type of unbalance should be of benefit to a number of problems.

Today, many important tonic herbs are becoming more readily available to consumers. Ginseng, ganoderma, cordyceps, astragalus, polygonum and dang gui are no longer regarded as exotic remedies. While these herbs have always been available as whole dried herbs, modern consumers prefer to take them as capsules and tablets, tinctures and even as beverages and candies. Quality and quantity of the tonic herbs contained in such products vary widely and the consumer must choose carefully.

The reason why refined fructose is used so commonly as a sweetener is simple: it's extremely

cheap in cost.

Agave nectar, as a final product, is mostly chemically refined fructose, anywhere from 70% and

higher according to the agave nectar chemical profiles posted on agave nectar websites. The

refined fructose in agave nectar is much more concentrated than the fructose in high fructose

corn syrup. For comparison, the high fructose corn syrup used in sodas is 55% refined fructose.

High fructose corn syrup is made with genetically modified enzymes. Is agave syrup (refined

fructose) made the same way?

"They are indeed made the same way, using a highly chemical process with genetically modified

enzymes. They are also using caustic acids, clarifiers, filtration chemicals and so forth in

the conversion of agave starches into highly refined fructose inulin that is even higher in

fructose content than high fructose corn syrup", says Mr. Bianchi. Inulin is a chain of

chemically refined fibers and sugars linked together, and, this bears repeating, high fructose

inulin has more concentrated sugar than high fructose corn syrup!

In a confidential FDA letter, Dr. Martin Stutsman (from the Food and Drug Administration's

Office of Labeling Enforcement) explains the FDA's food labeling laws related to Agave Nectar:

"Corn syrup treated with enzymes to enhance the fructose levels is to be labeled 'High Fructose

Corn Syrup.'" According to Mr. Stutsman, agave, whose main carbohydrate is starch, requires the

label "hydrolyzed inulin syrup." Even though, like corn, agave is a starch processed with

enzymes, it does not require the label high fructose agave syrup because the resulting refined

fructose sweetener is so sweet that it is chemically closer to inulin.

From this point forward, agave nectar will be referred to by a more accurate name: agave syrup.

This name is also legally uncomplicated and non-deceptive, per US Federal labeling laws, even

though the true name would be hydrolyzed high fructose inulin syrup. "The product called 'agave

nectar' is really chemically refined hydrolyzed high fructose, which is intentionally

mislabeled to deceive consumers," states Mr. Bianchi.

In a stunning report released in October 2008, the U.S. government's own accountability office

reported that of the thousands of food products imported into the US each year from 150

countries, just 96 total food items were inspected by the FDA to insure label accuracy and food

safety. (7) The FDA doesn't usually protect consumers regarding food safety or food labeling,

nor does it usually take action against many misleading labels. This was seen with the

processed infant formula scandal from China, where infant milk powder was tainted with toxic

melamine.

High Fructose Agave's Dubious History

In the year 2000, with warrants in hand, federal agents from the Office of Criminal

Investigations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) came banging on the door of North

America's largest agave nectar distributor, Western Commerce Corporation in California. In an

extremely rare case of the FDA protecting consumer interests (rather than supporting big

business, while shutting down legitimate and health consciousness competition), they discovered

that Western Commerce Corporation was adulterating their agave syrup with high fructose corn

syrup (to lower the cost even more and increase profit margins). While the federal agents

confiscated the material in the warehouse, the owners of Western Commerce Corporation were

nowhere to be found. Those who ran the company fled the country with millions of dollars in

assets to avoid criminal prosecution.

This adulterated agave syrup (refined fructose) was also labeled as certified organic (8) to

fool consumers into thinking they were getting a pure product. This shows you how unverified

organic labels were used in the USA, and continue being used even now.

Today, high fructose agave syrup is made primarily by two companies, Nekulti, and IIDEA. Yet a

third agave marketer, by the name of 'Volcanic,' has a suspicious claim on their website. "If

your agave comes from one of the other two companies in Mexico, something has been added." (9)

They are referring to Nekulti and IIDEA. Their claim is based upon an analysis, which claims

that their agave nectar has a lower refined fructose level.

Blue Agave Nectar is Not a Safe Sweetener

When the Spaniards came to the New World, around 1535, they brought with them a
desire for brandy. When their supplies ran out they had to find a new alcoholic beverage to

replace their lost brandy. The Spaniards found that by distilling the juice of the plant now

known as the blue agave plant they could produce a potent alcoholic beverage, which over time

has evolved into what we now call tequila. In order to produce a sweetener from the blue agave

plant, the entire pineapple -like, giant root bulb of the plant is removed from the earth. It

is then dried and juiced, making an agave starch juice. This in no way resembles any form of

traditional use of the blue agave plant. While great for distilling tequila, the blue agave

plant, when transformed through a chemical process into refined fructose, may contain many

properties that make them dangerous and toxic for regular human consumption.

"Yucca species, together with other agaves, are known to contain large quantities of saponins,"

according to Tyler's Honest Herbal. Saponins in many varieties of agave plants are toxic

steroid derivatives, as well as purgatives, and are to be avoided during pregnancy or

breastfeeding because they might cause or contribute to miscarriage. These toxins have adverse

effects on non-pregnant people and many health compromised consumer categories as well. They

are known to contribute to internal hemorrhaging by destroying red blood cells, and they may

gravely negatively harm people taking statin and high blood pressure drugs. Agave may also

stimulate blood flow in the uterus.(10) Other first hand reports indicate agave may promote

sterility in women. Since the agaves used for agave syrup are not being used in their

traditional way, there should be a warning label on the sweetener packages that it may promote

miscarriage during pregnancy, through weakening the uterine lining.

What's Wrong With Fructose?

Once eaten, refined fructose appears as triglycerides in the blood stream, or as stored body

fat. Elevated triglyceride levels, caused by consumption of refined fructose, are building

blocks for hardening human arteries. Metabolic studies have proven the relationship between

refined fructose and obesity.(11) Because fructose is not converted to blood glucose, refined

fructose doesn't raise nor crash human blood glucose levels -- hence the claim that it is safe

for diabetics. Supposedly, refined fructose has a low glycemic index, and won't affect your

blood sugar negatively. But the food labels are deceptive. Refined fructose is not really safe

for diabetics. "High fructose from agave or corn will kill a diabetic or hypoglycemic much

faster than refined white sugar," says Mr. Bianchi. "By eating high fructose syrups, you are

clogging the veins, creating inflammation, and increasing body fat, while stressing your heart.

This is in part because refined fructose is foreign to the body, and is not recognized by it."

The average person consumes about 98 pounds of highly refined corn fructose per year in the

USA, that roughly translates into half a cup of refined fructose per day. In an average

supermarket, at least 2/3 of all items contain some form of highly refined fructose, because it

is one of the cheapest ingredients and fillers for foods, next to water, air, and salt. In

health food stores, some foods contain a sweetener called crystalline fructose or other

sweeteners labeled as fructose. Essentially, these are all refined corn fructose, labeled in a

way to trick people that it is something more natural. Mr. Bianchi concludes:

"The simple answer tends to be the correct one. There is no land of milk and agave. Milk comes

from goats, cows, humans, etc., and honey comes from bees. What I want people to understand is

that mislabeling a sweetener like agave syrup is about money and profit, to the real determent

of your health. The unethical factor is that the natural health food business has gone to great

lengths in the case of agave to defraud consumers, by deceiving and lying to those who are

trying to seek better health. There is something ethically worse about a company pretending to

sell something all natural to people seeking health, than a mainstream company not pretending

that their food is healthier. For example, nobody selling fast and junk foods is advocating it

is health food. When you are in a natural health food store, you expect to pay extra money for

something that is good for you. We have con artists here, pretending to deliver better health

at a higher cost, when in reality it is equal to, or much worse than the many other sweeteners

or harmful junk food. People are expecting to receive health, and are intentionally being

defrauded for profit."