Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• Filtered water
• 1 whole bulb garlic and 2-3 raw garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 Tbsp. flax oil
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 1 pinch sea salt
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre-soak cashews and pine nuts in hot water to cover for 1 hour, to soften.  Roast garlic bulb for 45 minutes in 325  F oven so that the cloves become creamy.

Separate roasted garlic cloves, keep skin on.

Add to blender with other ingredients.  Blend to smooth, thick sauce.

Anxiety is helped by Pine Nuts:

For ANXIETY, pine nuts may be tiny but they’re packed with 20 amino acids, vitamins, and minerals essential to the human body that actually help with mood disorders. Great Basin Native Americans have been harvesting “pinyon nuts” from the pine tree for more than 10,000 years and there’s evidence of use in the Mesolithic period and that the Roman legions carried pine nuts into battle.

Just one ounce of pine nuts provides 71mg of magnesium and studies have shown this to be of great value across age populations suffering from depression, anxiety, and ADHD. A 2015 study of adolescents found that higher dietary intake of magnesium was associated with less externalizing behavior, such as angry outbursts and other outward behaviors associated with these mood disorders.¹

A mouse study showed a causative link between magnesium deficiency inducing anxiety and a possible association with hypothalamic-pituitary adrenocortical (HPA) axis dysregulation.² It points to the fact that magnesium has an integral function as one of the essential ions in the brain affecting many intracellular and interneuronal processes, especially controlling the HPA axis which is considered to be the main stress response system.

Pine nuts may be small but they can exert a powerful effect on anxiety.

Recommendations: 1 serving or approximately 28 grams of pine nuts 2 to 3 times per week

References:

1. Black, Lucinda J., et al. “Low dietary intake of magnesium is associated with increased externalising behaviours in adolescents.” Public health nutrition 18.10 (2015): 1824-1830.
2. Sartori, S. B., et al. “Magnesium deficiency induces anxiety and HPA axis dysregulation: modulation by therapeutic drug treatment.” Neuropharmacology 62.1 (2012): 304-312.

Eczema is helped by Flaxseed Oil:

For ECZEMA, flaxseed oil is the richest food source of alpha linolenic acid (ALA) providing more than 50% of this essential omega-3 dietary fat and addressing imbalances that can cause inflammatory outbreaks. Since a high percentage of eczema sufferers also have asthma, it would appear that there’s a common inflammatory root cause.

Unfortunately, the modern diet has us consuming omega-6 fatty acids in vegetable oils like corn, sunflower, cottonseed, and soybean oil in processed foods. Although omega-6 fats are essential in our diet an important mediator of many biological functions, such as regulation of immune responses, blood pressure, gastrointestinal integrity, and fertility, too much of a good thing creates inflammatory series 2 prostaglandins.¹ These lead to the classic signs of inflammation: redness, swelling, and pain. Recent studies have shown that omega-6 fats from processed vegetable oils can react with the 5-LOX enzyme in the skin creating inflammatory compounds called leukotrienes, and leukotrienes are elevated in the skin of eczema sufferers.²

Flaxseed oil creates series 3 prostaglandins, which can have an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin whether taken internally or applied topically. In the diet, ALA is converted to both EPA and DHA. While ALA is an amazing internal and external moisturizer, it is EPA and DHA that are essential for the creation of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.

Recommendations: at least 1-2 tablespoons daily, which is 2 grams per day of flaxseed oil working up to 8 to 10 grams

References:

1. Legler DF, Bruckne M, Uetz-von Allmen E, Krause P. Prostaglandin E2 at new glance: novel insights in functional diversity offer therapeutic chances. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2010;42:198–201.
2. Hua, Zhong, Hao Fei, and Xiang Mingming. “Evaluation and interference of serum and skin lesion levels of leukotrienes in patients with eczema.” Prostaglandins, leukotrienes and essential fatty acids 75.1 (2006): 51-55.

Low Sperm Count is helped by Garlic:

For LOW SPERM COUNT, garlic contains several essential elements to help support sperm: allicin, which improves blood flow and protects sperm from damage, selenium, an antioxidant that improves sperm motility, and Vitamins C and B6 to give fertility a boost and prevent chromosome defects and damage. Although there are many environmental and physical issues that can affect sperm production, low sperm count has been linked with a zinc deficiency or lack of vitamins; so nutritional support is an excellent approach. Reducing sugar, eliminating gluten and inflammatory grains, and increasing fruit, vegetable, and healthy fat intake is a great start.

A 2013 study on lab rats explored the protective, antioxidant effects of allicin on sperm count, motility, and viability after lead exposure.¹ Viability and volume density was significantly increased with garlic, and its antioxidant effect mediated oxidative stress from the toxicity.

A Scottish study of selenium supplementation induced a statistically significantly rise in sperm motility and several pregnancies.² Low sperm production and poor sperm quality are consistent features of selenium-deficient animals. The trace element selenium exerts multiple actions on the endocrine systems by modifying the expression of at least 30 selenoproteins which have clearly defined functions. Selenoenzymes modify cell function by acting as antioxidants and modifying hormone metabolism. The pivotal link between selenium, sperm quality, and male fertility is an enzyme that is essential to produce the correct architecture of the spermatozoa.³

A study in paternal nutrition determined an association between men with aneuploidy or abnormal sperm chromosomes and a diet low in folate, zinc, and antioxidant vitamins C, E, and beta carotene.⁴ The evidence strongly supports eating a diet rich in the essentials provided by garlic can significantly affect the quantity and quality of sperm.

Recommendations:  2 to 4 cloves daily

References:

1. Asadpour, R., et al. “Comparison of the protective effects of garlic (Allium sativum L) extract, vitamin E and N acetyl cystein on testis structure and sperm quality in rats treated with lead acetate.” Revue Med Vet 164.1 (2013): 27-41.
2. Scott, R., et al. “The effect of oral selenium supplementation on human sperm motility.” British journal of urology 82.1 (1998): 76-80.
3. Beckett, Geoffrey J., and John R. Arthur. “Selenium and endocrine systems.” Journal of endocrinology 184.3 (2005): 455-465.
4. Young, S. S., et al. “The association of folate, zinc and antioxidant intake with sperm aneuploidy in healthy non-smoking men.” Human reproduction 23.5 (2008): 1014-1022.  

Psoriasis is helped by Flaxseed Oil:

For PSORIASIS, flaxseed oil appears to lessen the symptoms. The type of fats we consume in our diet are suspected of either contributing to or lessening psoriasis symptoms although the causes of this multifaceted disease are characterized by altered immune reactivity. With more than 6 million people in the U.S. alone who have psoriasis, there have been enough positive reports in symptom improvement from those who have increased their intake of omega-3 fatty acids compared to the far more common omega-6. Flaxseed oil is the richest food source of alpha linolenic acid (ALA) providing more than 50% of this essential omega-3 dietary fat and addressing imbalances that can cause inflammatory outbreaks.

Unfortunately, the modern diet has us consuming omega-6 fatty acids in vegetable oils like corn, sunflower, cottonseed, and soybean oil in processed foods. Although omega-6 fats are essential in our diet an important mediator of many biological functions, such as regulation of immune responses, blood pressure, gastrointestinal integrity, and fertility, too much of a good thing creates inflammatory series 2 prostaglandins.¹ These lead to the classic signs of inflammation: redness, swelling, and pain. Flaxseed oil creates series 3 prostaglandins, which can have an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin whether taken internally or applied topically. In the diet, ALA is converted to both EPA and DHA. While ALA is an amazing internal and external moisturizer, it is EPA and DHA that are essential for the creation of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.

Supplementing the diet with ALA from flaxseed oil has been hypothesized to prevent inflammation because of the ability of this oil to shift the eicosanoid balance (the compounds involved in cellular activity) to cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase products with different, opposite, or weaker effects. It appears that people with atopic dermatitis cannot form adequate amounts of ALA. The study concluded that daily supplementation with ALA plant oils induces an increase in anti-inflammatory mediators.²

Another study supported these findings with the conclusion that flaxseed increased EPA but not DHA levels in monocytes. Humans given 3-rich flax seed oil have sharply reduced production of IL-1, IL-2 and TNF inflammatory cell signaling proteins.³

Recommendations: at least 2 grams per day working up to 8 to 10 grams

References:

1. Legler DF, Bruckne M, Uetz-von Allmen E, Krause P. Prostaglandin E2 at new glance: novel insights in functional diversity offer therapeutic chances. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2010;42:198–201.
2. Schäfer, Liselotte, and Knud Kragballe. “Supplementation with evening primrose oil in atopic dermatitis: effect on fatty acids in neutrophils and epidermis.” Lipids 26.7 (1991): 557-560.
3. Simopoulos, Artemis P. “Omega-3 fatty acids in inflammation and autoimmune diseases.” Journal of the American College of Nutrition 21.6 (2002): 495-505.