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Colostrum - a unique food!
Colostrum, which is also called beast milk, is one of the oldest and most exceptional foods that can be found in nature. It is as old as motherhood itself, for colostrum is the milk of any mammalian in the first 24 to 36 hours after birth. The effective substances that are present in this first milk are found nowhere else in nature in such high, perfectly balanced concentrations as only nature can do.
Already at the end of the 18th century Dr. Hufeland described the unique functions of colostrum in comparison to normal milk, as he recognized its positive influence on the general high health standard and the fast growth of newborn calves. Already by the end of the 19th century a multitude of research existed about colostrum and this research continues until today.
Breeders of cattle have known since ages that calves which do not receive colostrum die within the first 2 weeks after birth or remain sickly throughout life. Therefore the farmer will always make sure that the calf gets the colostrum first and only that which is left is sold.
In the year 1955 a publication about "immune milk" as a food supplement for human rheumatoid arthritis was published, whereby natural foods came more into focus again. In the following years colostrum and its components were more intensely examined. It was confirmed that breast - fed babies had considerable less allergies and infections, showed bigger appetites and grew faster than non breast - fed babies. As was recently proven colostrum is not only of great importance for the newborn baby but also for the grown human.
Recent studies have shown that not only changes in the environment (i.e. increased levels of smog/pollution and stress in many areas of our lives) have caused an increase of the so-called civilization -diseases, they also often originate from a poor diet which has been maintained throughout many years. This is not very surprising since food chemists have discovered that todays customary food processing methods do de-naturate the effective substances in the food and thereby render them ineffective. At the same time pestizides, insecticides and methods of speeding-up growth promotion which shortens the ripening process interrupt the natural development of the nutrients and lead to further increases of contamination in humans.
Therefore colostrum offers to be a unique functional food as it contains nutrients that are hardly, if at all, present in our daily diet anymore. As the unborn calf does not receive any immunoglobulins via the placenta during pregnancy it must receive its first immunization via the colostrum. This takes place through high doses of immunoglobulins and growth factors during the first hours after birth. Easily falling prey to predators, its genetic inheritance commands the newborn to be able to move with the herd as soon as it is born. To make this possible, nature has supplied the colostrum with growth factors and other possibly yet undiscovered elements to enable the calf to have its physiological metabolic processes ignited so it can get up quickly and run with the herd.
Two studies that have recently been performed by Prof. Mero, at the university of Yväskylä in Finland and by a team of scientists at the university of Kiel have proven that the components present in colostrum do pass through the intestine of the human into the blood stream. As the according DNA-sequences of the components are identical between humans and cattle it is also guaranteed that these are taken up and utilized by the human.
Colostrum is a food for humans of all ages which will not find its equal anywhere. Existing deficiencies are removed, the power of resistance is increased and healing processes are supported.
Taking the afore said into account colostrum increases the psychic and physical performance and promotes health.
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