Aging Gracefully P3: Vegan Collagen Support

Welcome Aging Community!!  This is part 3 of this mini aging series on ways to naturally glow as we age, while keeping healthy collagen support within. Find out what's the latest & greatest nutrients, superfoods & highest quality products to consume for aging most gracefully in 2025 & beyond..

~THIS PODCAST DOES NOT CONSCIOUSLY USE & SUPPORT AI 

Blog post: https://consciouschoicesforwellness.substack.com/publish/post/156812018

Other references:
https://wildelements.com/blogs/stories/tremella-mushroom-vegan-skincare-collagen

https://poisonousplants.ansci.cornell.edu/toxicagents/thiaminase.html

https://hyalogic.com/product/pure-ha-serum/

https://cosmedica-skincare.com/

https://sunwarrior.com/products/vegan-collagen-building-protein-peptides

https://organixx.com/silica-and-collagen/

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Transcript

1:12

Hello and welcome everybody listening today. This is part three of our aging gracefully. I'm saying our because I just include everyone as a collective, whoever's listening, whoever you share this with, we seem to, in our culture, have quite an interest & many cultures, I'm sure in how we can age more gracefully because it really is up to us and there's natural processes that happen as we get older, even starting in our thirties into our forties and every decade, it just seems to get more noticeable whether we're feeling it internally or what we see on the outside. So this is part three. If you haven't heard part one and part two, please check those out, creating this through my Substack account, and I will link that in the show notes. It'll be the first link that you see highlighted if you want to actually read it. Sometimes I say things a little differently than what I've written and I also add some nice pictures of the things that I'm talking about, and it just makes it more like a newsletter if you see visuals. So as we age naturally what happens, our bones tend to shrink, making them more susceptible to fractures simultaneously. On the other hand, what's also happening is a natural decline in our collagen levels throughout the body, which affects not only the muscles which supports our bones, but also our skin. So we have muscles throughout our body that are found everywhere. They help hold up our skin, they help support our bones, and collagen is a crucial protein that maintains the structure of our connective tissues contributing to scan elasticity and a youthful complexion. So I'm going to go over some nutrients that I haven't quite gone over yet in the last two episodes that I found that would definitely be helpful in supporting collagen and hydration to our skin. And a lot of these, probably most of them actually that I'm discussing here today, will not only help the skin but will also help our connective tissues. And these are all plant sources. I'm not talking about any animal sources here today. So trella mushrooms are the one mushroom that is really prevalent out there for anti-aging. I'm sure there's other mushrooms that also help. Mushrooms are absolutely miraculous and I love to study them. The Ella Mushroom, AKA jelly shrooms and otherwise known as snow mushrooms or the white effervescent fungi. These mushrooms have huge benefits for our skin, our body, and the planet. I love that they have a unique organic properties that fight aging and inflammation while boosting immunity and collagen. They are translucent having a bouncy appearance and feel a bit sticky. They're most commonly found on the branches and trunks of trees and are usually bright white or a buttery cream color. I have found these, I looked it up to be sure. I was like, this looks exactly what I found when I looked up the pictures. And I remember when I found them, it was probably a couple of years ago now. They were, when I identified it, they were called jelly shrooms. So these are the same thing, and I'm trying to remember what I did. I should have just soaked them and just put that on my skin the entire week, but maybe I dried them and saved them. I'd have to look, but I harvested a little bit. I found them. I found them a few times actually, and they were the more kind of golden color, which I posted the picture in my blog here. These funky little creatures are a must incorporate. I put incorporate superfood indeed since they help renew and protect us from the inside and out. Nutritionally trella mushrooms are a gold mine of vitamins and minerals packed with fiber and vitamin D. They've been used for centuries in Asian herbal medicine to help promote circulation and wellness. Trella mushrooms are proven anti-inflammatories, which help keep the blood flowing, making them protectors of our heart health and our immunity, combined with their ability to boost collagen production and protect collagen producing cells. They're also an ingestible way to keep your skin glowing. This is by way of bringing forth youth and bounce a a elasticity back to skin because they help fortify your natural skin barrier, which holds a ton of extra hydration, which can help maintain skin's optimal moisture balance. An extract from trella mushrooms has been shown to reduce cell death in collagen producing skin cells. This is the antioxidant action that it takes. That means tram, mushrooms help skin heal from sun damage or pollution, thus helping protect the youth boosting collagen that keeps skin supple and free of fine lines. And when you see them, if you see them in nature or even if you look up photos, you can tell that it's like, how could that not help? It's like that's what you want, your skin, they're like these little plump filled with hydration like a cactus or something, and they're kind of bouncy and flexible and beautiful. And so if you think of something like that, nourishing your skin from the inside out or even on the outside of your skin in products because there are products internally and externally that have this mushroom. Now I'm going to, as I always do, put my references in the show notes so you can look up products and information on your own if you'd like. How are they climate protectors? Ellas have a unique ability to adapt to many climates playing a key part of ecosystems on every continent except Antarctica as fungi. These organisms help break down organic debris like feathers and fallen leaves, cycling nutrients through the soil and propelling minerals back to growing plants. This would be an awesome addition to LA's disaster cleanup efforts. I've thought about the cleanup efforts down there and I almost want to just go down there at a certain point and volunteer some time, but get involved with an organization that's doing really good sustainable cleanup work because I really think that with all the pollution that's been caused from a fire like that, if you think of all the chemicals that were burned up and that are now lying on the soil, we really need to utilize natural ways, sustainable permaculture, different methods that actually draw the toxins out of the soil and help heal the soil. Again, it's not just like a forest fire that happens naturally in trees and leaves and natural debris burns. This is way different, and I know Paul Stats knows a lot about how mushrooms can help heal the planet and that mushrooms can actually detoxify pollution and in our soil and they can actually just heal the world. I think between hemp and mushrooms, we've got a lot going on between those two substances on earth that are here to really help us heal for next generations. Anyways, I'm going off on a tangent that was not part of my blog back on topic, Trella mushrooms also saved trees and forest canopies because they're a micro parasitic fungi, an organism that eats actual parasites, including those that feast on tree roots and bark. They truly are MVPs of the natural world. Call them an MVO. I made that up A most valuable organism. So now on the hyaluronic acid, which I'm sure many of you have heard about, hyaluronic acid, commonly abbreviated as HA is a naturally occurring molecule found throughout almost every fluid and tissue in our bodies, primarily in the skin, eyes and joints. It is also known as luminate a carbohydrate, specifically a mucopolysaccharide occurring naturally throughout the human body. The molecular structure can be several thousands of sugars or carbohydrates long and it is found in some foods, but we don't all eat those foods, and if you want a higher source of it, of course now you can get it in a supplement form or in beauty products. Think of hyaluronic acid, like a big drink of water for your skin, able to hold up to 1000 times its molecular weight and water. Hyaluronic acid penetrates the skin and then binds water to skin cells, infusing all layers of the skin with valuable rejuvenating moisture. In fact, approximately 50% of the total resides in the skin, which is what allows for hydration and plumpness. Hyaluronic acid is crucial to the moisture and elasticity of our skin. Unfortunately, again, as we age, the concentration of this molecular weight of substantially decreases over time. Because of this, hyaluronic acid has been widely researched now and formulated as a powerful active ingredient in serum's, moisturizers, as well as many other cosmetic products. This viscus gel is one of the most heavily researched substances in medicine with thousands of clinical trials. Most of the studies are in the fields of orthopedics and eye surgery. Its function in the body is primarily to bind water within lubricating movable parts of the body such as joints and muscles. The consistency and tissue friendliness allows it to be beneficial in skincare products. As an excellent moisturizer, one of my favorite products is from Hologic. They have a pure HA serum they call it, and it is only three ingredients, water hyaluronic acid with a little zinc citrate, and one of zinc's many functions for the body is to aid the production of proteins such as collagen fibers and elastin. So these proteins are what keep the skin firm supple and hydrated. The zinc also helps prevent skin from developing fine lines, wrinkles and sagging. So that is a great product. It's not super cheap, but it's like a mediocre price. I think it's around 40, no, it might be around $50, but that should last you maybe three months using it twice a day on your face. And they also make that company makes lotion and a bunch of other products. They have a great lip balm as well. Now we're going to discuss a couple of plants. One that I've discussed before is horsetail. Horsetail is one of the best natural plant sources of silica. Silica is a mineral that is essential for collagen synthesis and healthy skin. And silica, from what I remember, I believe is one of the most prevalent minerals on earth. It is in almost probably every rock stone crystal. Of course, some have higher silica contents and it's not like we can go around eating rocks and sand and crystals, but we could possibly put some of these things in our water that we are soaking in, or if we go to a hot springs, sometimes the silica content can be pretty good source there, and that is a good way to absorb it into your body because of its deep roots. Horsetail pools, the element silicone from the soil, and when the plant is dried, silica crystals will form on its stems. Silica acts as a stabilizing agent for glyco salmon, no glycan networks, as well as activating certain hydrating enzymes in the production of both collagen and elastin. Elastin is a highly elastic protein, okay? It's one of the proteins like collagen that we need for our structural system, including skin. So it's found highly in our connective tissues that help maintain their shape and bounce back after being stretched. Silica strengthens these substances and increases their potential for elasticity bamboo extract. So bamboo is similar to horsetail, but much larger and stronger. Silica is kind of if you think of a mini bamboo plant, and bamboo of course is one of the strongest plants used for building used for making fabric. It's very strong and it's structured grows very fast. This plant bamboo contains a variety of compounds such as flavones, glycosides, lic acids, and amino acids such as tyrosine, arginine, leucine, and histidine, all of which have antioxidant, skin soothing and astringent properties known for one of the highest silica content. Bamboo helps boost collagen formation and enhances skin suppleness resulting in a more luminous and healthy appearance, but use caution with long-term use if you have hypothyroid issues. That was one thing I read about that I did not know was that it will decrease your thyroid function like hypothyroidism being that your thyroid isn't producing enough of its thyroxin hormone and it leads to different issues in the body. You might be on medication for that. You don't also want to be taking bamboo every day. So I want to just do a quick disclaimer right here in the middle of this podcast saying that this is research that I've done, things that I know or things that I have researched out on the internet and putting together this podcast for information that may help you, but I am not advocating on this podcast that you take these things that I'm talking about. I want you to do your own research. I want you to go to the links that I'm sharing with you and make your own decision, okay? I'm not doing a personalized consultation on this podcast, and so I am putting a disclaimer out there stating that please make your own decisions. I am not advising you to do one of these supplements, and the only thing I am saying is that you should do your own research and make your own decisions about your own health, your own with maybe information that I'm giving or with information that you find in various ways that is your decision. I'm just sharing information and I love sharing information of things that I've used that help me and I highly believe in plant medicine. Of course, there's going to be some things that would overlap with medications because a lot of plants are medicine actually, most of them are. And so as long as they're not toxic or poisonous and they're safe to take, they may be also helping a certain issue because they are medicine. And so if you're taking prescription drugs at the same time, you're going to want to know if there's contraindications. So do your research if you have questions, of course you can ask me anyways. A few great powdered products to add to your diet that I have tried are allo gorgeous by aura and collagen building protein peptides by Sun Warrior. Both have silica from bamboo and taste great. Cautionary disclaimer that I found out about both bamboo and Horsetail, that they contain an enzyme called a thiamin and thiamine, AKA B one is an important compound in energy metabolism related to various important actions in the body. Thiamin is an inhibitory enzyme that blocks or destroys the thiamine in the intestinal tract, found in some raw fish and fern plants, including horsetail. I also looked up, it is also in bamboo. So if you're taking horsetail or bamboo every day, this may be another thing to think about or maybe, yeah, just do your research because this is something I did not know. And I believe what I saw about horsetail is that there are certain strains of it. There's different phenotypes or strains found all over the world, and some of them have this thiolase enzyme and some of them do not. And so just knowing that it's a safe one, that if you want to take it every day because it is a very high source of silica, that you would be safe from not having this enzyme that's taking your thiamine because thiamine is an essential vitamin. So more evidence is needed to show how to destroy this enzyme in these plants. Unlike cooking or other heat treatment that renders the thiam as inactive enough to prevent thiamine deficiency in carnivore diets. So thus, the ingestion of significant amounts of the thiam ass can induce thiamine deficiency enough, though there may be a sufficient amount of thiamine in the diet. Now we're going to go on and talk about a few more plants. One specifically, actually, I just have one more plant to talk about is alle vera. So alle, if you think about aoe, it's kind of like the trella mushroom, right? Or hyaluronic acid. The liquid is like, to me, it seems like hyaluronic acid would be in aloe, but they have different constituents and hyaluronic acid is found in other foods. Aloe vera is a rich source of antioxidants like C and E, which I talked about on the last podcast. They're known to fight against the damaging effects of free radicals that contribute to skin aging, right? So an AOE is safe. You can take it internally or externally. I believe that most of the hyaluronic, actually I did look up hyaluronic acid. I believe there was some in aloe, but it was in the skin part. Consuming aloe would help to prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, keeping your skin looking youthful. This plant is loaded with essential vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that nourish the skin, promoting a healthier complexion. It helps to stimulate the growth of new skin cells leading to a more radiant and refreshed appearance. Its natural cooling effect also helps to soothe and refresh tired, dull skin. Nlo also has shown to have an innate ability to stimulate collagen production, improving skin elasticity and firmness, thus reducing many signs of aging. The aloe, gorgeous product that I mentioned has of course aloe powder in it. And yeah, aloe has that similar texture to the Trello mushroom kind of a little sticky, like viscous, liquidy, very hydrating. And yeah, that's just something to keep in mind. You can buy it at the store and you can have a plant too. And there's a lot of different types of aloe. I would make sure that it's a right kind for consuming if you're juicing or using it for food. I don't think that all of the types or species are edible. I could be wrong, but I think some are better than others. But for your skin, yeah, just get yourself a nice allop plant and you can use that anytime. Just cutting it like lengthwise and rubbing it on your skin. It is kind of sticky. So I would recommend putting a hydrosol on your face first. A nice rose hydrosol would be a great way to start. And then rubbing the aloe on, and it would be like a nice, just refreshing, hydrating cooling mask to do anytime on a clean face. Of course, biotin is another B vitamin that I want to mention here in a different way. It's a crucial nutrient that plays a pivotal role in promoting healthy hair and skin, essential for cell growth, amino acid metabolism, and energy production. So this B vitamin is known as B seven or vitamin H, and I mentioned biotin in the past, I think when I did my hair podcast a few podcasts ago before the aging gracefully. And it is just so well known. So just proven time and time again to really help with hair loss. And you will definitely notice a difference in the first week of taking it. So I'm just going to mention that again. I have a liquid one. I don't remember the brand, but it's one of the only liquid ones out there that comes in a glass bottle and it's a dropper and it tastes good. It's like tastes like cherries, but it has no sugar. Anyways, it's a great thing to take if you are aging and you are losing hair, because that's something that happens to a lot of us. And so I want to mention that again because I noticed it's in a lot of products that we're talking about here, and they'll also add biotin. So there's so much more that I could go over, but I'm trying to keep this not too lengthy and as simple as possible. So thank you so much for listening, and please keep following me. I am trying to release one of these podcasts every week on a different topic that will help you support your health and help support the planet. Stay strong, everybody. I love you. I appreciate you, and it'd be great if you could give a five star review wherever you're listening. Until next time, peace.