Why Dr. Marshall Loved Brazil Nuts
Dr. Bob Marshall, the founder of Premier Research Labs, was one of my favorite people to learn from. He was always seeking the simplest and most effective ways to get to the heart of an issue. On more than one occasion I heard him during a lecture touting the benefits of Brazil nuts. He would recommend soaking 3-5 Brazil nuts overnight and consuming them in the morning. My understanding was that soaking the nuts helped trigger an enzyme reaction that made the nutrients in the nut more readily available to the body. Dr. Marshall loved the healing properties of Brazil nuts so much he even added them to our QRA testing charts as an option instead of a supplement. So, what is the big deal about Brazil nuts?
Brazil nuts are extremely high in selenium. Each nut contains an average of 100 mcg of selenium per nut. Reference ranges for blood serum levels of selenium are not standardized but functional medicine suggests selenium should be between 200-400 mcg/L, higher than most lab reference ranges.
One case study reports a gentleman with Gulf War Syndrome, suffering from a recurring staph infection in his thumb. He consumed ocean fish 5x/week and ate 10 Brazil nuts/day for 6 months. His white blood cell count rose from 3.1 to 4.3 and his 5 year recurring staph infection completely disappeared. He also had no signs of any fungal or yeast infections.
In the book "Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy", John Boik states, "Selenium induces apoptosis at the cellular level, inhibits PKC, inhibits KB/AP-1 activity, improves cell to cell communication, inhibits angiogenesis, inhibits histamine, inhibits tumor necrosis factor, inhibits VEGF effects, inhibits insulin resistance, inhibits invasion and metastasis, inhibits collagenase effects and supports the immune system." He goes on to say that scientific studies on animals show 3700 mcg/day to inhibit metastasis of melanoma cells, brain cancer, some types of leukemia, breast cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer.
Selenium deficiency is linked to glutathione levels, neutrophil function, candidiasis, arthritis and thyroid function.
Neutrophil inactivity causes candida and other fungal infections to spread in the body. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell and when they are not working it is caused by a deficiency of two substances that control intracellular glutathione production. These two substances are Selenium and N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC). Therapeutic doses of selenium start at 800 mcg and go up from there. That's 8 Brazil nuts per day. Blood levels should not exceed 600mcg/L but 400 mcg/L provides therapeutic effects in treating candida, rheumatoid arthritis, Lyme disease, hepatitis, cancer, Lou Gehrig's disease, chronic fatigue, and low thyroid. If you are prone to herpes outbreaks use another source of selenium that is not high in arginine. Other great sources of selenium are brewer's yeast, fatty fish, oysters, clams, wheat germ, mushrooms and whole grains. For N-Acetyl Cysteine I recommend Premier Research Labs NAC.
Brazil nuts (and most other nuts) are prone to fungus, molds and aflatoxins from sitting on the soil. To sterilize your nuts place in a strainer or sieve. Use either 2 quarts of ozonated water or 2 quarts water plus 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide @ 3%. Pour over the nuts, stir and mix. Then pour two cups of hot tap or boiling water over the nuts. Spread in a single layer on a towel and dry with a hairdryer within 5 minutes. Store in a glass jar in your freezer until ready to use.
To make Brazil nut milk, pour 1.5 cups of purified or distilled water into the blender, add 3/4 cups of cleaned organic Brazil nuts and blend on high for 2 minutes. Add 1.5 cups of clean water to a bow. Then strain your blended nuts through a fine strainer or double layer of cheesecloth. Add maple syrup or honey to sweeten if desired. Stir and refrigerate. Drink one glass daily for therapeutic effects.
Sources:
Hydrogen Peroxide and Aloe Vera, Conrad LeBeau. West Allis, WI. 2019.
Selenium - Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov)
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