Mitochondria are organelles:  they are to a living cell what an organ is to an organism.  The most fundamental role played by mitochondria is to provide cells with energy, by regenerating ATP (a molecule  which acts as  a universal battery) through the controlled combustion of the food we eat (oxidation) using the oxygen we inhale.  We breathe so that our mitochondria can breathe!

The proper functioning of our mitochondria is thus essential for good health.  The ability to produce enough usable energy is of course important. But there is more: mitochondria control all the deleterious chemical reactions generated by oxygen and the molecules it oxidizes.

In a perfectly healthy cell,  incomplete oxidation is minimized and dangerous oxidation products (such as free radicals and other active oxygen derivatives) are detoxified. It’s a bit like burning wood in a well-designed stove: the combustion generates very little smoke and soot and as much heat as possible.

Mitochondria play a key role in managing all the consequences related to the presence of oxygen in the cell: activation of enzymes, inflammation, programmed cell death,  and multiple cell signaling pathways important  for immunity, metabolism, hormones,  and neurological functions.

What keeps our mitochondria healthy?  The answer is simple: we must train them by challenging them briefly with oxygen starvation through aerobic physical activity and provide them with stimulatory molecules.  Among these, polyphenols found in plants play a major role. This is one of the main reasons why all healthy diets must be rich in fruits, vegetables and spices (reference 1).

Willow herb is naturally rich in very powerful polyphenols: flavonoids and eligitannins (reference 2) and the Siberthé manufacturing process makes them particularly bioavailable.

Health-promoting micronutrients are also abundant in olives and, to a lesser extent, in olive oil. As it turns out, many polyphenols never make it to the olive oil bottle because they are water soluble and thus remain in the pulp of the olive fruit.

This is where our unique process of olive fruit polyphenol extraction comes into play. Not only does it extract these water-soluble compounds, it increases their bioavailability to such an extent that the benefits on energy performance are felt right away.