Selenium is an essential trace mineral found in Brazil nuts ( 544 mcg per ounce !) sunflower seeds, fish and poultry products , onions and grains. Plants do not require selenium and therefore the content of plant sources varies with the soil content. Brazil nuts are grown in selenium rich soil in Brazil. Selenium content of the body is estimated to be 3-6mg in individuals living in low selenium areas and 13 mg in those living in high selenium areas. It is found mainly in the liver and kidneys.
What does selenium do?
The major importance of selenium lies in its place in 25 selenium dependent enzymes called selenoproteins. 5 important selenoproteins are
Selenium contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress and the protection of DNA, proteins and lipids from oxidative damage. All the selenoproteins above are antioxidant enzymes which are able to reduce the damaging reactive oxygen species to harmless water and alcohols
Selenium contributes to normal spermatogenesis. The phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase protects the sperm mitochondrial capsule from oxidative damage and is then involved in the formation of a structural protein required by the mature sperm. Another selenoprotein ( selenoprotein V) exists only in the testes and is also involved in spermatogenesis
Selenium contributes to normal thyroid function. Selenium is required for 3 different selenium dependent iodotyronine deiodinase enzymes. Thyroxn (T4) is converted to Triiodotyronine (T3) by one or more of these selenium dependent enzymes. These three enzymes can both activate and inactivate thyroid hormones
Selenium contributes to the normal function of the immune system. It appears to regulate the expression of cytokines, cell signalling molecules which are in charge of the immune response. Selenium deficiency is associated with impaired immune function.
Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal hair and nails. Selenium deficiency can lead to weak hair and nails. Hair and nails are primarily composed of proteins and these proteins are dependent on seleno proteins for their healthy production. Hair follicles and nail beds are renewing structures composed of cells called keratinocytes and seloproteins are essential for normal keratinocyte function
Selenium compounds are also important to kill a fungus which can live on the scalp that can cause dry shedding skin fragments (dandruff)
Ten drops contains: 57.5 mcg Selenium
Ingredients: Purified water, Sodium Selenate.
Selenium toxicity
Although selenium is an essential, important mineral, care should be taken not to exceed 200mcg per day for adults except on the advice of your practitioner, consult your practtioner for children. Although the mechanism of toxicity is uncertain it may be due to excess selenium inhibiting dehydrogenase enzymes
Vitamins E, B6 and copper have all been shown to be synergistic to selenium and
Vitamin A, C and K antagonistic
Orders that are in stock are dispatched daily at 2pm Monday – Friday.
Orders placed before 2pm Monday to Friday will be dispatched the same day.
Orders placed after 2pm Monday to Friday will be dispatched the next working day.
As such, orders placed after 2pm Friday will be dispatched the following Monday.
Orders will not be dispatched on Bank Holidays or weekends.
For Standard Domestic Orders: We use Royal Mail’s Tracked 48hr delivery service as standard. Royal Mail state a delivery guideline of 1-2 working days for this service, however during busier periods (such as Christmas) this may not always be possible. If your order has not arrived after 2 working days from the date of dispatch please contact us. We have tracking numbers for this service and will be able to assist you in locating your order.
For Expedited Domestic Orders (Next-Day Delivery): Provided that we have received your order by 2pm, we will process and dispatch your order the same day using Royal Mail’s Tracked 24hr delivery service. This service aims to deliver your parcel within 24hrs of the dispatch time – in some instances this may not be possible and delivery may fall within a 48hr period. If you have not received your order after 1 day from the dispatch date please contact us. This is a tracked and insured service and we will be able to assist you in locating your order.
For Standard International Orders: We use Royal Mail International Track (+ Sign), dependent on what the destination country accepts. Royal Mail state a 3-5 working day delivery guideline for this service within Europe, and a 5-7 working day guideline worldwide. However, we have found this is rarely the case outside of major cities, especially during busier periods (such as Christmas) this may not always be possible. This is a tracked and insured service, please contact us if you have not received your delivery within the above stated time-frames and we will assist you in locating your order.
For Expedited International Orders: We are able to offer expedited international shipping worldwide respected couriers. We can use DHL or another courier of your choice, but we are likely to get the best deal from DHL. Please feel free to use the 'Contact Us' form to ask for a DHL quote for your order.
We are able to offer expedited delivery worldwide using various couriers; this is something that we will examine on a case-by-case basis. Please email us and we will investigate your delivery options and let you know what is possible.
If you have selected a shipping method that does not include tracking/insurance then you accept and agree that in the instance that the parcel is lost or delayed, you will not be entitled to a refund or a replacement product, as we will be unable to make a claim for the loss.
We retain proof of postage at all times and reserve the right to use a different shipping method than you have selected in order to give your order added security in certain circumstances (e.g. for extremely high value orders we may upgrade to Courier delivery). In the majority of situations we will respect the customers chosen shipping method. We retain proof of postage for 180 days. After this time it may not be possible to retrieve your proof of postage.
Standard International Orders are not considered 'lost' by postal carriers until 90 days after the dispatch. As such, we will not consider an order to be officially lost until this time has passed. We may consider an order lost before this date based on tracking information and our previous experiences, but this will be examined on a case-by-case basis.
