First off, enzymes are NOT probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that support many different aspects of our digestive and overall health.

Enzymes are molecules, typically protein molecules that are present in all living things. The body is home to thousands of enzymes which are involved in every bodily process imaginable. All living cells require enzymes to grow, divide, and perform their day to day duties. Enzymes help drive vitamins, minerals, and hormones into our cells and are absolutely critical to life.

There are two major groups of enzymes in the body: metabolic and digestive. Metabolic enzymes help with the production of energy within our cells as well as their detoxification. They help us move, think, see, hear and feel. Digestive enzymes help us break down, unlock, absorb and metabolize the minerals, vitamins and amino acids from the foods we eat.

Inadequate enzyme activity can lead to foods sitting in the digestive tract longer than they should, and fermenting there. This can lead to the over growth of yeast, parasites, and bacteria along with many other health issues such as Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis, fibromyalgia, inability to gain or lose weight, body odor, skin rashes and other health issues linked to chronic inflammation.

Our bodies naturally produce enzymes – the pancreas, liver and gallbladder all produce enzymes and they are also secreted from our digestive tract. Without them, food would sit in our stomachs undigested for weeks and we would eventually die.

Many foods contain naturally occurring enzymes - but only when they are fermented or fresh.  Fresh meaning just picked off the vine or pulled from the ground. This is where most of us today run into problems. Even if we are doing our best to eat quality, organic fruits and veggies, by the time they are picked, packaged, sit on a truck for days (if not weeks), and finally make it to your grocery store shelf: the naturally occurring enzymes have diminished greatly, if not completely.

On top of this, many of us today are eating low quality, processed, and preservative loaded foods that are completely void of any naturally occurring enzymes. Food cooked at high temperatures can also be problematic as when temperatures reach 120 degrees, the enzymes are totally destroyed.

When our foods are completely void of naturally occurring enzymes – our bodies have to produce (and crank out) more of its own enzymes. Our bodies do NOT have a never ending supply of enzymes!

Fortunately there are solutions to this problem. First off, consume more raw/unpastuerized foods such as raw honey. raw egg yolks, yogurt, kimchi, kombucha and raw milk (if you are lucky enough to have access to it). These foods are a great source of naturally occurring enzymes and some contain probiotics as well.

FUN FACT: Probiotics actually produce their own enzymes! This is an awesome one-two punch for digestive and overall health! 

Other common foods that contain good amounts of naturally occurring enzymes (assuming they are quality and fresh/frozen) would be carrots, bananas, papaya, bee pollen, pineapple, raw honey and certain meat marinades/tenderizers.

We now come to enzyme supplementation which is an awesome modern day solution to these modern day problems. One of the biggest things to consider with regards to enzyme supplements is going for a quality supplement with which the enzymes are still alive and intact. If you are still reading this you have probably come to realize that enzymes are a little on the fragile side and degrade quickly.

Young Living offers five different enzyme supplements which contain critical enzymes to support digestion and the bodies detoxification processes. Here are just a handful of some of the various enzymes found in Young Living’s enzyme supplements:

– Amylase – breaks down carbohydrates and simple sugars

-Cellulase – digests fiber

-Lactase – digests lactose, the sugar found in milk and dairy products

-Lipase – breaks down fats (dairy, nuts, oils, meats)

-Pancreatin – an enzyme composition that combines the enzymes of amylase, lipase and protease to help break down starches, fats, proteins and also helps remove dead and dying tissues from the body

-Phytase – helps with the digestion of grains, nuts and seeds

-Protease – assists in the digestion of protein (meats, nuts, eggs and cheese)

Young Living’s various enzyme supplements also contain the unique addition of therapeutic grade essential oils such as: peppermint, anise, cumin, fennel, juniper, patchouli, ginger, tarragon, rosemary and lemongrass. These essential oils support natural enzyme production and conversion within the body. They also increase oxygen uptake for ATP (provides energy to living cells and is found in all life forms) and the antioxidant power of the essential oils helps to protect and preserve the enzymes. Depending on which product you choose, the essential oils also provide additional benefits such as supporting healthy inflammation levels, and supporting the bodies overall detoxification processes.

The addition of essential oils to go along with the enzymes give them a synergistic effect in the body and truly set them apart from any other enzyme supplements on the market. Read more about why essential oil infused supplements are superior supplements here:

https://oilsguy.com/oilyevanstribe/essential-oil-infused-supplements-are-superior-supplements?p=3166

Young Living’s five different digestive enzyme supplements are: Essentialzymes, Essentialzymes 4, Detoxzyme, Allerzyme, and the kid friendly chewable Mightyzyme. Our current favorites are Detoxzyme and Allerzyme.

You can read more about the specific enzymes, herbs and oils in each product at youngliving.com or please reach out with any questions.

Thank you for reading!

#Oilyevanstribe

Written by Will Evans

*This information includes ideas and suggestions that is educational in nature, and is provided only as general information. We are not medical professionals; and our advice should not be looked upon as medical treatment plans. This information does not represent the views or opinions of Young Living.*

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4844621/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyme

https://enzymedica.com/blogs/naturaldigestivehealth/high-enzyme-foods

Essential Oils Desk Reference – 7th Edition