SIAM NATURAL™ brand

Rice Bran
Oryza sativa glutinosa

Siam Natural™ Organic Brown Rice Bran comes from a type of short-grained Asian rice from northern Thailand (also called sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, mochi rice, and pearl rice).Thai's have been using the brown outer layer of the rice kernel, known as the rice bran for generations. Rice bran is rich in oil, makes an effective exfoliant, and contains natural phytic acid, a B-complex* vitamin that can help improve blood circulation and stimulate cell turnover when used topically.

More recently, rice bran has been discovered to contain the highest known concentration of tocotrienols, a form of vitamin E that could stop the spread of cancer cells, adding to previous studies and drawing attention to this least studied form of vitamin E.

Bio-molecular research reveals rice bran contains 585 (T3) milligrams per 1000 grams* / ppm of the vitamin E Tocotrienols.
(vitamin E is the major lipid-soluble antioxidant in the cell antioxidant defense - Slover, H.T. 1971)

o Tocotrienols may protect against stroke damage
o Vitamin E tocotrienol shows brain protection promise
o Tocotrienols inhibit build-up of plaques, shows lab study
o Rice bran reduces cholesterol

The highly fibrous organic rice bran oryza sativa glutinosa contains 20 percent organic oil and a higher percentage of protein than long grain variety. Of the 7 percent proteins in rice, 0.14 is a globulin, 0.04 an albumin, and the remainder, a protein (oryzagenin) similar to the glutenin of wheat. Decoction and poultices of rice bran are emollient. Rice oil, usually called rice bran oil, has many healthful attributes. It has a good fatty-acid composition, but there are also some nonfat components in the rice bran oil receiving new attention. The phytochemicals of note include tocopherols and tocotrienols (vitamin E and its relatives), and certain triterpene alcohols, most notably a compound named gamma oryzanol. Gamma oryzanol is a mixture of substances derived from rice bran oil, including sterols and ferulic acid. It has been approved in Japan for several conditions, including menopausal symptoms, mild anxiety, stomach upset, and high cholesterol. In the U.S., it is widely used as a sports supplement as well as for reducing cholesterol. Rice bran oil is the principal source of gamma oryzanol, but it is also found in lesser amounts in the bran of wheat and other grains, as well as various fruits, vegetables, and herbs. However, to get enough gamma oryzanol to reach typical therapeutic dosages, it was previously recommended that you take B12 supplements. A typical dosage of gamma oryzanol is 500 mg daily. (massgeneral.org/)

"Tocotrienols may stop the spread of cancer cells" By Stephen Daniells (http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?id=66451)

[03/16/2006] - Tocotrienols, a form of vitamin E, could stop the spread of cancer cells, adding to previous studies and drawing attention to this least studied form of the vitamin. There are eight forms of vitamin E: four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta). Alpha-tocopherol (alpha-Toc) is the main source found in supplements and in the European diet, while gamma-tocopherol (gamma-Toc) is the most common form in the American diet. Tocotrienols are only minor components in plants, although several sources with relatively high levels include palm oil, cereal grains and rice bran. While the majority of research on vitamin E has focused on alpha-Toc (tocopherols) , studies into tocotrienols account for less than one per cent of all research into the vitamin.

In a new in vitro study, published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (Vol. 339, pp. 949-955), Japanese researchers
studied the effects of all eight forms of vitamin E on the inhibition of mammalian DNA polymerase, the enzyme that assists DNA replication. "The four tocopherols did not influence the activities of mammalian polymerases at all. On the other hand, the alpha- and delta-tocotrienols inhibited polymerase lambda activity," reported lead author Yoshiyuki Mizushina from the Kobe-Gakuin University.

The researchers reported that the inhibition of the polymerase enzyme was dose-dependent, with a dose of 18.4 micromoles needed to
achieve 50 per cent inhibition. The spread of cancer cells (cell proliferation) was also considered by the research team. Again, the alpha- and delta-tocotrienols inhibited the spread of cells, while the tocopherols had no effect.

The significance of these results, taken together, is the indication that angiogenesis (the growth of new blood vessels) is inhibited by this
form of vitamin E. Also by stopping cell proliferation, the spread of the cancer to other parts of the body is hindered, a process called
metastasis. "These results led us to hypothesise that the inhibition of tumour growth by vitamin E in part by its polymerase lambda
inhibitory activity and antioangiogenic activity," said Mizushina. "Since angiogenesis is essential for tumour growth, its strong inhibition by
tocotrienols but not tocopherols could very well provide us with a safe dietary means to prevent a cancer from becoming metastatic" , said Leong.

The results of this study fit in with other claims for the benefits of tocotrienols, reviewed in an on-line article in Life Sciences
(doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2005.12.001) by Chandon Sen, Savita Khanna and Sashwati Roy from Ohio State University Medical Center which stated
in nature, eight substances have been found to have vitamin E activity: a-, ß-, g-, and d-tocopherol; and a-, ß-, g-- and d-tocotrienol.

Yet, of all papers on vitamin E listed in PubMed less than 1% relate to tocotrienols. The abundance of a-tocopherol in the human body
and the comparable efficiency of all vitamin E molecules as antioxidants, led biologists to (previously) neglect the non-tocopherol vitamin
E molecules as topics for basic and clinical research. Recent developments warrant a serious reconsideration of this conventional wisdom.

Tocotrienols possess powerful neuroprotective, anti-cancer and cholesterol lowering properties that are often not exhibited by tocopherols.
Current developments in vitamin E research clearly indicate that members of the vitamin E family are not redundant with respect to their
biological functions. a-Tocotrienol and d-tocotrienol have emerged as vitamin E molecules with functions in health and disease that are clearly distinct from that of a-tocopherol.

At nanomolar concentration, a-tocotrienol, not a-tocopherol, prevents neurodegeneration. On a concentration basis, this finding represents the most potent of all biological functions exhibited by any natural vitamin E molecule. An expanding body of evidence support that members of the vitamin E family are functionally unique.

* More and more research points to the B vitamin folic acid as being equally or perhaps even more important in ensuring proper DNA replication. It is not surprising that a folic acid deficiency has been implicated in a wide variety of disorders from Alzheimer's disease to atherosclerosis, heart attack, stroke, osteoporosis, cervical and colon cancer, depression, dementia, cleft lip and palate, hearing loss, and of course, neural tube defects.

Folic acid (folinic acid, folacin, pteroylglutamic acid) is essential for the synthesis of adenine and thymine, two of the four nucleic acids that make up our genes, DNA and chromosomes. It is also required for the proper metabolism of the essential amino acid methionine that is found primarily in animal proteins. A folic acid deficiency has been clearly linked to an elevated level of homocysteine, a sulfur-containing amino acid. High homocysteine levels, in turn, have been linked to cardiovascular disease and a host of other undesirable conditions.

It is unfortunately estimated that 88 per cent of all North Americans suffer from a folic acid deficiency. Obviously, the standard diet does not supply what we need. This has led to the fortification of cereals and other foodstuffs to try to ensure a minimum daily intake of 0.4 mg/day. Although beans and green vegetables like spinach and kale are good sources of folic acid, relatively few people eat lots of vegetables and cooking destroys most of the folate anyway. Realizing the poor availability from the diet, many medical researchers now advocate daily supplementation with folic acid. Because folic acid needs the catalysts vitamins B12 and B6 to carry out its functions effectively it is usual to supplement with a combination of the three.

A study in the January 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared the cholesterol-lowering abilities of rice bran oil
versus rice bran without the oil. The study used a diet in which a third of the fats were from rice bran oil. The control group used other
fats with a similar fatty acid composition. After 10 weeks, the rice bran oil group experienced a 7 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol
(the one you want to lower).

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Formulators of cosmetic products have long known that unsaturated oils provide a silky emolliency which quickly rubs into the skin leaving a non-greasy after feel. Brown Rice Bran oil elegantly demonstrates this attribute. Unsaturated fatty acids are very important for the respiration of cells. Current research suggests that a lack of unsaturated fatty acids may increase the risk of chronic diseases. Essential fatty acids such as Linoleic and Linolenic acids are precursors of prostagladins, which are essential substances in the body as they are vital internal regulators for the body. Other important compounds found in Rice Bran are campesterol, sitosterol, stigmasterol, and oryzanol, which are necessary for blood circulation to maintain optimum health. As with all organic grains store in a cool dark place in a sealed container or refrigerate to extend freshness and prevent rice weevil, (sitophilus oryzae). Siam Natural organic products are not fumigated or sprayed with pesticides or chemical compounds, rather heat treated @120° for seven days.

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Tocotrienol Rich Fraction Rice Bran Oil A New Natural Cholesterol Fighter