Meet Cats claw, more properly known as Uncaria tomentosa, one of the indigenous plants of the Peruvian rainforests and a member of the Rubiaceae family. This native of South America begins life as a scrubby, tangled bush on the rainforest floor growing to become a woody vine, easily reaching thirty meters as it winds its way to the top of the rainforest canopy.
Cats claw, which goes by the local name Una de Gato gets that name from the sharp, curved thorns emerging on the stem from the axis of each leaf. Even when the vines lose their leaves, the thorns remain.
Like many other rainforest natives, Uncaria has a long history and has been used by the Ashaninka Indians and other tribes of Peru as a traditional medicine. In the late 1980′s an Austrian physician began independently researching this plant and found that Cat’s Claw contained properties that could be used to treat many degenerative conditions including Crohn’s disease and other intestinal disorders, fibromyalgia, genital herpes, osteoarthritis, HIV, cancer, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Uncaria tomentosa contains substances that can extend the half life of white blood cells – key infection fighters. Not only did they live longer, they appeared to function better, too. It has antioxidant properties and helps control cellular inflammation.
But what makes Uncaria exceptional is its ability to support DNA repair in the skin. This remarkable property has been incorporated in a product known as AC-11 (R) and previously known as C-Med-100 (R). Unlike anything that is sold as Cat’s-Claw, AC-11(R) a concentrated water soluble extract uniquely contains a patented class of CAE (Carboxy Alkyl Esters) actives, demonstrated through extensive research to have healthy aging and natural DNA repair enhancement properties.
In over 10 years of research AC-11 (R) a foundation ingredient in AIO and the Activar Skin Renewal System has been shown to:
- -activate enzymes to support our natural ability to repair DNA
- -measurably increase the skin’s production of natural collagen III
- -help to normalize the production within the cells of NF-KB, to regulate our cellular response to inflammation.
- -increases the life span of lymphocytes, improving the functioning of the immune system
AC-11 helps our body and notably our skin renew sun and environmental stress-related damage to DNA and Ceregenex has incorporated these properties in two outstanding products.
Activar Skin Renewal System – The system includes Activar Intensive Day Repair with AC-11 and Activar Night Repair with AC-11®. These products hydrate the skin; reduce the appearance of age spots, fine lines, wrinkles, discolorations and enlarged pores. Best of all the Activar product line enhances the skin’s natural ability to repair DNA and provides the skin with a potent source of antioxidants. Representing the future of skin care technology, and supported with over 13 years of scientific and clinical research the AC-11(R) in Activar has been shown to help skin repair the DNA damage caused by overexposure to the sun, pollution and stress.
AIO – a breakthrough nutraceutical that combines AC-11 with a premium combination of natural ingredients including Niacin, Resveratrol, Green Tea, Carnosine, Amla, Acai, Blueberries, Camu camu, Mango, Acerola, Cherry and Pomegranate to target the nutrition and production of stem cells, support our immune systems, Repair DNA, support the collagen production in our skin and help our body to better manage inflammation.