For thousands of years, people have used and relied upon herbs to treat a number of ailments and diseases. Within the past few years, as more researchers (both from the private and government sector) and pharmaceutical companies are discovering the efficacy of herbs and the low incidence of adverse side effects associated with them, more research is being devoted to understanding the value and the mechanistic actions of herbal and botanical medicines. Last year, for instance, the National Institutes of Health's Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Medicine awarded several grants to research facilities located at several U.S. universities to carefully study the role of herbs and botanicals in several chronic and acute conditions including heart disease, cancer, arthritis and depression.


Herbal Medicine
"The therapeutic actions of herbs comes from alkaloids, organic nitrogenous compounds that cause certain chemical reactions in the body. Herbs also contain minerals, vitamins and salts that help the body to resist disease, strengthen tissues, and improve the nervous system," according to Nutrition Almanac.1 However, while there are beneficial effects particular to consuming certain herbs alone, we, at MRI, strongly believe that a holistic balance of herbs, ionic minerals and vitamins is far more efficacious.

Herbs, especially when they are combined with ionic minerals, trace minerals and vitamins, will create a synergistic effect specific to the therapeutic effect of the particular herb. Practitioners of traditional Oriental medicine have known for years that combining certain herbs together with others creates a better therapeutic effect than administering only the individual herb. Each of MRI's mineral-herbal combination formulas is thoroughly researched and precisely formulated for optimal synergistic enhancement. And this is the resounding reason, we believe, why so many individuals are able to feel an improvement with our mineral-herbal combination products.


The Philosophy Behind MRI's Herbal Formulations
Each of our mineral-herbal combination products are formulated using many of the principles found in traditional Oriental medicine. Our herbal blends are comprised of a combination of what might be called dominant herbs, which are the herbs primarily responsible for the specific therapeutic actions. The dominant herbs are then formulated to work with passive herbs. Passive herbs are herbs that serve to support, soothe and/or potentiate other nutrients within a product. For example, in MRI's Arth-X Plus bone and joint supplement, one of the herbs that is used is devil's claw. This herb has both anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. The addition of capsicum to the formula acts as a potentiator, or catalyst, for all of the other herbs. Capsicum acts as an activator, carrying other herbs to the specific part of the body where additional support is required.


The Synergy Behind MRI's Products
Each product is then manufactured using fresh, quality herbs combined with concentrated, balanced, ionic minerals. In fact, we go to exact lengths in our manufacturing process to ensure an effective finished product. For instance, to allow for optimal synergistic enhancement in our products, ingredients are combined into a wet mix versus a dry mix. This practice is rarely used by other supplement manufacturers today, however, we understand that when herbs, minerals, botanicals and other nutrients are mixed together while wet, it allows for greater bonding among the ingredients thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of the finished product.

The following chapter is a summary of the most common herbs that MRI uses in its products. It is important to note that herbs are metabolised differently by individuals and as such, if an individual experiences an adverse reaction or side effect with any of the products, it is advised to discontinue its use.

Finally, the information contained in the following section should not replace the advice of a physician. If you have a serious condition, please confer with your physician or health care provider first before taking the product.