Glandulars

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Glandular Extracts

See also: Adrenal Extracts, Liver Extracts, Spleen Extracts, Thymus Extracts

Thyroid Extracts

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What it is

Where found

Are you deficient?

Amount to take

Side effects & interactions

References

What is it?

A gland is defined as a secretory organ (i.e., an organ that secretes

substances into the bloodstream or elsewhere in the body). The internal

secretory organs of the body are called endocrine glands. These ductless

glands secrete hormones directly into the blood stream. The glands that are

known to have endocrine function include the pineal, pituitary, thyroid,

parathyroid, thymus, adrenal, pancreas, and gonads (testes and ovaries).

Although not technically glands, other organs of the body are commonly also

referred to as " glandulars " when they are taken as supplements. For example,

tissue extracts of the heart, spleen, prostate, uterus, brain, and other

tissues are often used in so-called " glandular therapy, " along with extracts

from pineal, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, thymus, adrenal, pancreas, and

gonads. Glandular therapy refers to the use of animal tissues to try to

enhance the function of, or mimic the effect of, the corresponding human

tissue.

There are two basic concepts upon which glandular therapy is based. The

first is that " like heals like. " For example, feeding prostate tissue might,

in theory, help the body’s prostate gland heal or function better. The

second concept is that ingestion of certain glandular tissues will provide

the body with hormones or other biologically active substances that are

normally secreted by that gland. For almost as long as historic records have

been kept, glandular therapy has been an important form of medicine. While

ancient glandular therapy usually involved the use of fresh, whole glands,

modern glandular therapy primarily involves the use of concentrated

glandular extracts.

While it is well established that some glandular preparations may be

effective orally because of active hormone or enzyme content (e.g., thyroid

and pancreatic-enzyme preparations), the effects of other commercially

available glandular products are not known as they have not been

sufficiently studied.

Detractors of glandular therapy often claim that when a glandular product is

consumed, its potentially active components are destroyed by digestive

enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract before they can be absorbed into the

body. Therefore, orally administered glandular products cannot be effective.

However, there is now much evidence that, under normal conditions, some

proteins, enzymes, and other large molecules can and do pass intact from the

human gut into the bloodstream.1 2 3 4

Where is it found?

Most glandular products are derived from beef (bovine) sources, with the

exception of pancreatic extracts, which are most often derived from pork

(porcine). The four most widely known methods of processing are the

azeotrophic method, salt precipitation, freeze-drying, and predigestion.

The azeotrophic method begins by quick-freezing the material at well below 0

degrees F, and then washing the material with a powerful solvent (ethylene

dichloride) to remove the fatty tissue. The solvent is then distilled off

and the material is dried and ground into a powder so that it can be placed

in tablets or capsules. Although the azeotrophic method aids in the removal

of fat-stored toxins (like pesticides) and toxic heavy metals, it also

removes fat-soluble hormones, enzymes, essential fatty acids, and other

potentially beneficial materials.

The salt precipitation method involves the maceration of fresh glandular

material in a salt and water solution. Like the azeotrophic method, this

process also allows the fat-soluble material to be separated out. The

benefit of the salt precipitation method is that no toxic solvents are used

to remove the fatty material. The down side is that the salt content can be

very high, and that some of the potentially beneficial constituents may be

removed.

The freeze-drying process involves quickly freezing the glandular material

at temperatures 40 to 60 degrees below 0 degrees F and then placing the

material into a vacuum chamber, which removes the water by direct

vaporization from its frozen state—hence the term freeze-drying. The

benefits of freeze-drying are that it preserves more of the unaltered

protein and enzymes as well as all of the fat-soluble components. Since the

fat is not removed, potentially harmful contaminants that accumulate in fat

tissue may remain in the product. It is therefore critical that the glands

be derived from livestock that have grazed on open ranges that are not

sprayed with pesticides or herbicides. The animals should also be free of

antibiotics, synthetic hormones, and infection.

The predigestion method employs the aid of plant and animal enzymes to

partially digest or hydrolyze the glandular material. The partially digested

material is then passed through a series of filtrations to separate out

fat-soluble and large molecules. The purified material is then freeze-dried.

This method of extraction is thought to be ideal for certain glandulars,

such as liver and thymus, where the polypeptide (small proteins) and other

water-soluble fractions are desired.

Who is likely to be deficient?

As glandulars are not essential nutrients, no deficiency states exist.

How much is usually taken?

The recommended amount may vary according to the potency and method of

preparation of the particular product. Please consult the label on the

specific glandular product.

Are there any side effects or interactions?

Refer to the specific glandular product.

References

1. Gardner MLG. Gastrointestinal absorption of intact proteins. Annu Rev

Nutr 1988;8:329-50.

2. Udall JN, WA. The physiologic and pathologic basis for the

transport of macromolecules across the intestinal tract. J Pediatr

Gastroenterol Nutr 1982;1:295-301.

3. Kleine MW, Stauder GM, Beese EW. The intestinal absorption of orally

administered hydrolytic enzymes and their effects in the treatment of acute

herpes zoster as compared with those of oral acyclovir therapy.

Phytomedicine 1995;2:7-15.

4. Hemmings WA, EW. Transport of large breakdown products of dietary

protein through the gut wall. Gut 1986;27:715-23.

[Guest guest]

>I've read that some of you think Time Cap Labs is inferior. But it does

>have to pass United States Pharmacopia standards. I find it hard to

>believe

>it can pass USP standards and be very different in potency. Can anyone

>explain that?

My guess would have something to do with binders and absorbtion. I've had

both the real Armour and the TCL version, and there's a huge difference when

you do them sublingually. Armour just melts away quickly, no residue, but

the TCL took *forever* and never did " melt " ...I ended up with sludge

underneath my tongue that I finally swallowed. I figured I'd gotten

whatever there was to get sublingually by that point. It may have the same

amount of dessicated thyroid in it, but the delivery system isn't as good.

Laurie