Well, another Saturday, another Weekend Read and after the thousands of words I have written about the efficacy of Ergothioneine, I am going to add some more. The story of Ergothioneine began several years ago when we launched Essential Youth L-Ergothioneine. We knew then that Ergothioneine was a pioneering and cutting-edge compound, and that still stands because ongoing research has determined that this exceptional ingredient plays an important and intrinsic role in healthy ageing.

Ergothioneine is an amino acid and although it can be found in most tissues of the body, it cannot be manufactured by the body and it must be obtained from our diet, which can be problematic, or from supplementation. Rich sources can be found in foods such as chicken livers, tempeh and mushrooms, but they are not generally consumed in meaningful quantities and the same is true of kidney beans and oat bran, both of which also contain this amino acid.

The highest concentration of Ergothioneine is found in cells which are prone to oxidative damage and inflammation and the benefits of Ergothioneine include providing protection to the blood, bone marrow, eye lens, brain, liver and skin. There are many interesting facts about Ergothioneine, and research has shown that our bodies produce a specific protein which takes up this amino acid and distributes it to our cells. Although this protein can carry many different compounds, it transports Ergothioneine up to one hundred times more efficiently than other nutrients, indicating the importance of this powerful antioxidant.

Taking a further look, L-Ergothioneine is a sulphur-containing compound and being a powerful antioxidant it has the capability of mopping up free radicals and the damaging molecules which have an impact on our DNA and other cell structures. Free radicals cause damage in our bodies, leading to inflammation which is one of the major causes of ageing and it is well established that inflammation makes our cells age faster which makes us more prone to age-related concerns.

With that said, the shortening of telomeres also contributes to the ageing process. Telomeres are basically like caps which protect our chromosomes and as long as they remain intact, our genetic material in chromosomes remains intact too. A study published in 2020 showed that Ergothioneine significantly reduced telomere shortening and that’s important, but the other thing which is really important is that high levels of Ergothioneine have been shown to be associated with lower levels of cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline.

There can be no doubt that nutrients have a major role to play in healthy ageing if they are taken in the correct therapeutic dose and Essential Youth L-Ergothioneine is formulated with 5 mg of this powerful antioxidant, which is the strength used in clinical studies. It should also be noted that antioxidants vary in their role of protecting our cells from oxidative damage and Essential Youth L-Ergothioneine certainly lives up to its name as being an ‘essential’ antioxidant and it can be safely taken alongside Hyaluronic Acid, NAD+ Generator and Collagen Tripeptide Complex, three of the most potent anti-ageing nutrients.

Given the importance of Ergothioneine, it was somewhat inevitable that we would formulate a topical serum to sit alongside Essential Youth L-Ergothioneine and we led the launch of DoSe skincare with Ergothioneine Serum. Noting that Ergothioneine has one of the widest range of benefits of any single skincare ingredient or technology, I had been testing Ergothioneine for over two years before launch and there was no doubt in my mind that the efficacy of Ergothioneine far exceeded most other compounds in its genre, supported by studies showing that its antioxidant activity helps to protect against inflammation, a major factor in the ageing of skin.

It remains implausible that there is far more respect and recognition given to marketing achievements than to the scientists and researchers who really do make a difference to our health and wellbeing, so as we uphold that scientific respect, a moment. And as Essential Youth L-Ergothioneine joins Ergothioneine Serum, I invite you to join me in the acknowledgement of two hero formulations as I drop the price from £48 for both products to £40 for Essential Youth L-Ergothioneine and Ergothioneine Serum, but of course you can buy either as a stand-alone, which I will link separately below for ease.
Essential Youth L-Ergothioneine by Life Extension (30 Capsules) + DoSe Ergothioneine Serum (30 ml) £40 (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 20 July)

And here are the links for each of the products, together with two relevant articles, one about Ergothioneine as a supplement and one about Ergothioneine as a topical formulation. And nine paragraphs in, we move onto the tenth paragraph, where we take a look at Coconut Balm Wipes, a fabulous new product from Peep Club.
VH Editorials: Ergothioneine Supplements: Benefits & Side Effects; Ergothioneine Serum & Its Benefits For Skin; Essential Youth L-Ergothioneine by Life Extension £22 for 30 Capsules; DoSe Ergothioneine Serum £26 for 30 ml

I think it is more than obvious that I love launching new products from the independent brands I truly respect, and I respect Peep Club rather a lot, so please allow me to introduce you to their Coconut Balm Wipes, which are infused with their award-winning Soothing Coconut Eye Balm to effectively cleanse eyelids and lashes, effortlessly removing eye make-up.

Using a blend of Raw Virgin Coconut Oil to soften skin and strengthen eyelashes while naturally protecting against bacteria, Chamomile extract is also included to calm redness together with the hero ingredient, Cureberry extract, a powerful antioxidant that works on a cellular level to help protect skin against damage from environmental stressors, such as pollution and digital stress. Cureberry also contains an optimal balance of omega fatty acids which enables it to rebuild the lipid barrier of the skin, making it especially beneficial for dry, sensitive under-eyes that need a little extra protection.

Coconut Balm Wipes are biodegradable and they arrive in a pack of thirty single-use wipes, making them a travel-friendly version of the Soothing Coconut Balm, and here it should be noted that unlike traditional balms, both formulations are made without wax, which can clog the tiny glands around the eyes. A few more things to say here, the first being that rather a lot of eye make-up removers contain alcohol, fragrance and other known eye irritants and the second thing to make you aware of is that the optical community is pushing back on tea-tree based products, especially in leave-on products, because tea-tree can irritate the eye area.

In aligning with our own stance, Peep Club remain incredibly responsive to scientific research, evolving their range of products based on the best possible information and with safety being key, I cannot stress enough how important this is. On from that, the Coconut Eye Balm Wipes can be alternated with the Soothing Coconut Eye Balm, which seems a good solution if you are not travelling and you may wish to follow through with the Eye Rescue Lidstick, which many of you already use. A note of caution, if you wear contact lenses, please remove lenses before using the wipes.
Coconut Balm Wipes by Peep Club £25 for 30 Biodegradable Wipes; Soothing Coconut Eye Balm by Peep Club £20 for 40 ml; Eye Rescue Lidstick by Peep Club £15 for 2.2 grams

As ever, I am going to balance the use of topical products with supplementation, specifically referencing Dry Eyes Syndrome, also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, which is the inflammation of the particular part of the eye called the conjunctiva or the tear gland. This condition affects nearly 30% of the adult population and the typical sufferer is female because the biggest causal factor for Dry Eyes Syndrome are hormonal changes as women approach the perimenopause and menopause.

There are oestrogen and testosterone receptors on the cornea of the eye and on the Meibomian Gland, which produces oils and fat to help prevent the evaporation of water from the eye. Whilst this health concern is still not fully understood, research has shown that there is a definite connection between tears and hormonal imbalances and symptoms include dry, gritty or scratchy sensations in the eyes, as well as burning sensations, constant itching, redness and light sensitivity, which can worsen with prolonged use of the eyes, including excessive computer and mobile phone use.

In his article, linked below, Shabir does the lowdown on Dry Eyes Syndrome where he recommends two supplements to help treat this health concern. The first supplement is Omega 7 Sea Buckthorn Oil and in a specific double-blind trial involving over 100 participants, various measurements were made for the stability of the tear film and tear secretion, with those measurements carried out at the beginning of the trial, after one month and at the end of the three month study, where scientists concluded that Sea Buckthorn supplementation positively helped to counter the multiple symptoms of dry eyes.

I don’t think it will surprise any of you that the second supplement is Hyaluronic Acid (HA) because this crucial compound is present in the gap between the cells of our body where it is involved in transporting nutrients to the cells, as well as removing cell waste material. HA is also present in our bones, synovial fluid and cartilage where it functions as a shock absorber, lubricant and filter, helping to alleviate arthritis, fibromyalgia, joint pain and keeping skin hydrated.

Our levels of HA decline with age, so it is important to supplement those declining levels, and specifically referencing dry eyes syndrome, HA is present in the vitreous humour, a jelly-like compound in the eye which helps give shape and volume to the eyes, but it also encourages lubrication. Additionally, HA helps to remove inflammatory compounds and since Dry Eyes Syndrome is considered to be an inflammation associated concern, it would seem appropriate to take HA to support eye health. It should actually be mandatory, but I believe that HA should be mandatory and that is a long-held belief spanning the decades.

So, first things first and I am dropping the price of Omega 7 Sea Buckthorn Oil from £22.95 to £20, but I’m not dropping the price of HA because I have done that across the last two weekends, so we’ll do this instead. With every bottle of Hyaluronic Acid Capsules High Strength ordered, we will automatically send you the travel-size Hyaluronic Acid Capsules (15 capsules), which is worth £17.50 and on the subject of HA, and having written about Ergothioneine Serum above, I don’t want to leave Hyaluronic Acid Serum out of the equation, so I’m dropping the price from £15 to £12, because my sharing gene is ramped up and appears to be on overdrive.
VH Editorial: Tackling Dry Eyes Syndrome; Omega 7 Sea Buckthorn Oil £20 for 60 Softgels; DoSe Hyaluronic Acid Capsules High Strength (30 Capsules) + Hyaluronic Acid Capsules High Strength (15 Capsules Free) £35; DoSe Hyaluronic Acid Serum £12 for 30 ml (offers end at midnight BST, Sunday 20 July)

I want to stay with Omega 7 Sea Buckthorn Oil, because we always recommend Omega 7, alongside Sage Complex, to help alleviate vaginal dryness, which is another common concern associated with declining female sex hormones. It is estimated that one in four women experience vaginal dryness during menopause, but it is not just confined to the menopausal years, as vaginal dryness can occur several years before the onset of menopause and well beyond menopause. With Shabir’s article on vaginal dryness linked below, Sage Complex drops in price too, from £30 to £27, Sage Complex being a natural alternative to HRT, focusing on the balancing of hormones.
VH Editorial: Menopause and Vaginal Dryness; DoSe Sage Complex £27 for 90 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 20 July)

On subject, I recently wrote about Sylk^® Bliss Natural Water-Based Lubricant which I thought had gone to product heaven, but it hadn’t, it had just taken an extended leave of absence, rather a long extended leave of absence, but I was so pleased it had returned because it was our bestselling product in its genre. And now more news, but this time it is about the YES^® OB Oil Based Lubricants which aren’t exactly going to product heaven, but they too will be taking an extended leave of absence and I am being told it could be up to twelve months before they will become available again.

There is an alternative product from YES^®, who are recommending their Coco Oil-Based Lubricant, a nourishing, coconut oil-based formulation, which I will link below. I will drop the price from £17.99 to £15.99 for the interim, but having mentioned Sylk^® Bliss Natural Water-Based Lubricant, that will drop in price too, from £12.99 to £11, also for the interim, and with all of that explained, this subject matter is closed. For now.
YES^® Coco Oil Based Lubricant £15.99 (6 x 5 ml); Sylk^® Bliss Natural Water Based Lubricant £11 for 100 ml

Right, heading towards the Saturday only treat, but before we get there this is to say that Trufflelixir Serum from TEMPLESPA drops in price from £90 to £50, so that’s a saving of £40 which will run through until midnight BST, Thursday 31 July. Melting into the skin, Trufflelixir Super Luxe Luminosity Serum is formulated with encapsulated Retinol, HA and Truffles, helping to brighten and smooth skin. The formulation also includes Champagne extract containing fruit acids for gentle exfoliation together with marine extracts to help boost collagen and elastin.
Trufflelixir Serum by TEMPLESPA £50 for 30 ml

And one more thing, because I am obviously in mode. I often write about Neom Wellbeing so in a final fling, if you spend £25 or above on any of the Neom Wellbeing products, we will automatically send you their Happiness Scented Candle (Travel Size) which is worth £20.  This is a limited edition offer and if the product fails to go into your basket, that will mean that the offer is over.
Neom Wellbeing Products

Finally we arrive at the Saturday only treat and with every order placed for £35 or above, excluding p&p, we will automatically include Fulvic Mist (60 ml)*, which is worth £12.50, with your order. Rather like HA, I wrote many years ago that Fulvic, in all its forms, should be mandatory and I stand by those words as I link the product details below.
Fulvic Acid Mist

As we come to the end of another Weekend Read, I will often use the title of a song to express the thoughts and emotions of words written, so once again, this fits.
A Little Respect by Erasure; The VH Playlist

With love

Gill x