COLOSTRUM BASICS: WHAT IS IT & WHY IS IT USED AS A SUPPLEMENT? (PART ONE)

While it may seem a bit strange for humans to use bovine (i.e. cow) colostrum as a supplement, there are many excellent reasons for doing this.

Colostrum (aka siara, aka beestings) is a 100% natural whole-food supplement that provides an exceptionally broad spectrum of benefits: It has strong anti-bacterial and anti-viral capacities. It stimulates tissue repair (i.e. muscle, tendon, ligament, bowel-lining). It encourages our bodies to utilize fat as fuel while increasing muscle mass (helping to stabilize weight at the ideal level). And it optimizes cellular reproduction—which supports physical longevity.

Siara can also help you move from a baseline level of generally good health, into realms of extraordinary fitness and vitality.

There is no other substance on the planet that provides all of these benefits, within a naturally balanced whole-food medium. Read on for more about the history of this uniquely potent supplement, the mechanisms that make it so beneficial, and tips for using it effectively.

What Is Colostrum?

Colostrum is life’s first food. It’s the very first meal consumed by most mammals, e.g. cats, dogs, sheep, cows, lions, tigers—and (when the newborn is breastfed) humans.

This thick, yellow fluid is produced in the mother’s mammary glands during the first few hours after birth (72 hours after birth for human mothers, 0-8 hours for bovine/cow mothers)—prior to the production of milk.

While human mothers produce very small amounts of siara, cows produce somewhere in the neighborhood of nine gallons—which is much more than is required by the newborn calf. And because bovine colostrum is not species-specific (and in fact is virtually identical in molecular structure to human colostrum), any mammal—including humans—can benefit from it.

Nutritional Benefits Of Colostrum

Designed as a newborn’s nutritional send-off, colostrum is rich with immune factors and natural antibodies (called immunoglobulins). It’s also brimming with growth factors, amino acids, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. It basically includes everything that the newborn requires to form a strong immune system, and is designed to jump-start all the mechanisms required to encourage optimal health and healing.

Because it is a whole food, colostrum can be safely ingested in any amount and has no known side effects, nor any harmful drug interactions. Bovine colostrum truly is a marvelous gift from our cow-friends—which each and every one of us stands to benefit from.

Bovine Colostrum=A Natural Elixir

Colostrum’s numerous immune and growth factors help to prevent injury and disease; to speed recovery from illnesses or injuries you may already be experiencing; and to foster ever-deepening, ever-expanding levels of physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing. It is a substance that truly deserves to be called an “elixir”!

Before we go into a bit more detail about the supplementation, let’s take a look at how colostrum has been used throughout history.

History of Colostrum Supplementation

“Consuming colostrum may support a healthy gut flora…”

In 1950, a physician by the name of Dr. Albert Sabin made the discovery that colostrum contained antibodies against polio. He recommended to his patients that they consume colostrum as an inoculation against this debilitating disease. Building upon the results of these initial studies with colostrum, Dr. Sabin went on to become the inventor of an oral polio vaccine.

The interest in colostrum as a natural remedy—which had been active up until the time of Dr. Sabin’s discovery—became largely dormant in western cultures for the next forty years or so, from 1950-1990. This was because sulfa drugs, cheap antibiotics, and other synthetic pharmaceuticals became more readily available, and were promoted as being superior to more natural or “folk” alternatives. As a result, the remarkable benefits of colostrum as a natural supplement and support for the immune system faded, for this period of time, from public view.

Though in certain western cultures the interest in bovine colostrum as a health supplement has waxed and waned, in other parts of the world it has been more consistently honored, and even revered, for its rejuvenating capacities. For instance:

* Images in hieroglyphic texts offer evidence that colostrum was used by the Ancient Egyptians.

* In India, where cows are considered sacred, Ayurvedic physicians have, for thousands of years, used bovine colostrum in the treatment of skin conditions, eye infections and a host of other maladies. It is also consumed by India’s rishis (spiritual teachers)—as part of their vegan diet, for its spiritual blessings as well as physiological benefits.

* For centuries in England, Sweden and The Netherlands, siara has been a traditional folk remedy and tonic, consumed by all members of the family for year-round health. The “first milking” of a cow (i.e. of the colostrum, also known as the “beestings”) following the springtime birth of a calf is traditionally made into a pudding, to celebrate the birth and promote good health.

* Masai tribesmen in Kenya are known to drink it by the liter, as a tonic to increase their strength and vitality. As in India, cows for the Masai are revered, and the tribesmen sing songs of praise to colostrum, to honor and celebrate the great benefits they derive from it.

As you can see from this cursory review, the benefits of colostrum have been known to a wide variety of cultures, for hundreds and thousands of years. And there is now an abundance of scientific evidence in support of these claims.

In part two of this article, we’ll answer some colostrum FAQs, including specific advice on how best to choose a colostrum supplement.