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Shark cartilage is available in powder and capsule forms. Exercise caution when buying shark
cartilage, as the purity and correct processing of the product are vital to its effectiveness.
Not all shark cartilage products contain only 100 percent pure shark cartilage, so read labels
carefully. Pure shark cartilage is white in color. If you find the odor and/or taste of pure
shark cartilage to be stronger than you can tolerate, look for a product called BeneFin,
which has significantly less fishy taste and smell than most other products. BeneFin is a
trademarked name for naturally processed shark cartilage manufactured by Lane Labs-USA and
marketed by various companies under license.
Warning: If you are taking large quantities of shark
cartilage, it may be wise to increase you supplementation of certain minerals, especially
magnesium and potassium, to maintain a proper mineral balance in the body. Shark cartilage
should NOT be taken by pregnant women or children, or by persons who have recently undergone
surgery or suffered a heart attack.
Due to the taste of shark cartilage, some people who have problems taking this supplement orally
can mix the powder with water and use it as an enema. The properties will then be absorbed
through the intestinal tract, bypassing the stomach.
The tough, elastic material that makes up the skeleton of the shark is dried and pulverized
(finely powdered) to make this food supplement. Shark cartilage contains a number of active
components, the most important of which is a type of protein that acts as an angiogenesis
inhibitor - that is, it acts to suppress the development of new blood vessels. This makes it
valuable in fighting a number of disorders. Many cancerous tumors, for instance, are able to
grow only because they induce the body to develop new networks of blood vessels to supply
them with nutrients. Shark cartilage suppresses this process, so that tumors are deprived of
their sources of nourishment and, often, begin to shrink. There are also certain eye disorders,
such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration, that are characterized by the growth
of new blood vessels within the eye; because they grow in inappropriate places, the presence
of these blood vessels can lead to blindness. Such diseases too may respond well to shark
cartilage. Other conditions for which shark cartilage is useful include arthritis, psoriasis,
and regional enteritis (inflammation of the lining of the bowels). In addition to angiogenesis-inhibiting
protein, shark cartilage contains calcium (approximately 16 percent), and phosphorus (approximately
8 percent), which are absorbed as nutrients, and mucopolysaccharides that act to stimulate
the immune system.
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