Hello! I’m so excited about this month’s blog post that I actually don’t know how to start it. I’ve spent ten minutes already writing and deleting things! I ended my December blog by saying that things have been very hectic at Tiny Towers recently. Those of you who have been here a while probably know that we VAT registered last year, had a few hoops to jump through before we could get Ancestral Supplements on the shelves, and then we had Brexit to contend with! What none of you knew was that we were also working on something very special: Tiny Pioneer’s first own-label products! I’ve been passionate about nutrition since my late teens, so this is something of a dream for me and I’m really proud and excited to be able to share it with you.

In November, I wrote a blog post all about palmitoylethanolamide (PEA). I am delighted to announce that we have created two palmitoylethanolamide products, which we hope will be a fantastic addition to the Tiny Pioneer store. The first, Simply PEA Powder, is a loose powder that you can mix into drinks or soft foods. The second, Simply PEA Capsules, is exactly what it sounds like! We wanted to offer both a loose powder and a capsule to allow customers to choose their preferred delivery system. Powders are great for people who don’t like swallowing capsules and they offer flexible dosing. They also negate the need for a capsule shell for those who like their supplements as clean-label as humanly possible. However, they don’t always taste great and they lack the convenience of a capsule. Capsules are portable and efficient, with the dosage measured out precisely, but not everyone is able to take capsules and of course the capsule shells add an extra ingredient to any product. We’re offering both so that you can choose whichever suits you best!

I spoke in some detail about what PEA is and how it works in my November blog, so I won’t repeat that here. What I do want to do is tell you why our own Simply PEA products are so special.

Firstly, they are extremely clean. I use this word in the nutritional sense. They contain no fillers, no binders, no anti-flow agents, no anti-caking agents, no preservatives, and no colourants. They also contain no common allergens: no gluten, no dairy, no soy, no eggs, no shellfish, no nuts, no yeast… no anything really! The Simply PEA Powder is literally that – PEA powder, in a tub, with a scoop for measuring and a silica bag for freshness. The Simply PEA Capsules contain PEA powder inside a vegetarian HPMC capsule shell, with a silica bag added to the container for freshness. Nothing else.

The palmitoylethanolamide ingredient we’ve chosen is very special – it is a branded version called OptiPEA®. OptiPEA is unique, as it is the ONLY palmitoylethanolamide to be manufactured in Europe. Based in the Netherlands and owned by Innexus Nutraceuticals, OptiPEA works with PhD chemists and leading nutritional experts. Its products are made to pharmaceutical standards in an EU GMP certified, FDA inspected facility, with rigorous inspection and documentation at each stage of production.

Supplemental palmitoylethanolamide is obtained from palm oil, which is vulnerable to over-harvesting. OptiPEA uses exclusively RSPO certified sustainable palm oil in its manufacturing process to safeguard against negative environmental impact. Organisations that are RSPO certified are subject to audits to prevent them from overselling palm oil products or mixing sustainable palm oil with other palm oil ingredients. The use of sustainable palm oil does not just protect forests and their wildlife – it also protects the interests of native communities and their workers and helps to support poverty reduction. I love that OptiPEA is RSPO certified. It also has a wider commitment to doing business in an ethical, responsible manner – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this type of thing really matters to us at Tiny Pioneer.

OptiPEA does not test on animals. This is another huge appeal for us and I think it will be for a lot of you as well.

Palmitoylethanolamide does not naturally dissolve in water. OptiPEA has a patent-pending method of making it water dispersible, which not only allows us to offer a loose powder product, but might also increase bioavailability. Water dispersible OptiPEA consists of palmitoylethanolamide coated with medium chain triglycerides and sunflower-derived phosphatidylcholine, delivering a minimum 90% PEA load. (All that means, is that a 100mg helping of water dispersible OptiPEA contains at least 90mg palmitoylethanolamide and not more than 10mg of medium chain triglycerides and sunflower-derived phosphatidylcholine.)

Phosphatidylcholine itself is thought to have various health benefits, including protecting the mucosal layer of the digestive tract, assisting with liver regeneration and detoxification, and improving memory. Medium chain triglycerides assist with nutrient absorption, may help with weight regulation, and reduce inflammation. The amount of phosphatidylcholine and medium chain triglycerides present in a dose of water dispersible OptiPEA is very small – much smaller than the amount people commonly supplement with – but I just wanted to explain a little about each of those ingredients for those who have not heard of them. Lots of supplemental phosphatidylcholine is derived from soy, so I like the fact that OptiPEA uses a sunflower-derived version.

I know that a tiny minority of you will be intolerant to sunflower and would have preferred plain, non-water dispersible palmitoylethanolamide. OptiPEA does offer a plain product and in time we might use that in our capsules and keep the water dispersible version for our loose powder. Our budget is quite limited though and we couldn’t afford to offer two different ingredients in the first instance. I decided that a majority of people would prefer the version that is potentially more bioavailable, dissolves in water and does not need to be eaten with a fatty snack to assist absorption, so that’s what I chose. I really hope you’ll like it!

Although the ingredient we’re using is made in the Netherlands, the Simply PEA products are manufactured here in the UK. We haven’t got the facilities to do it ourselves at Tiny Towers, but we’ve found a very lovely, small organisation that was happy to take us on. I rang a few places before finding one I liked and I hope they will be making lots and lots of Simply PEA for us in the future! They don’t test on animals either – I made sure to ask them that.

The recommended dose of each of the Simply PEA products is 1200mg a day for the first six weeks and then you can drop down to a dose of 600mg a day if you like. On this basis, a pot of Simply PEA Powder or Capsules lasts one or two months. For a more bespoke regime, you could also take 20mg per kilogram of body weight. Individuals with renal or hepatic conditions should start at 400mg a day and increase the dose slowly under the care of a qualified healthcare professional. Palmitoylethanolamide is very safe to take and there are no known side effects associated with its use. It can be taken alongside other medications or supplements and it carries no risk of tolerance or addiction. It is safe for use in the elderly and in children.

I’m really excited about these products. Palmitoylethanolamide is used in other products aimed at interstitial cystitis sufferers, but I think the quality of the ingredient we’ve chosen and the amount we’re offering in our products is superior. I hope some of you will find them useful in managing your own interstitial cystitis and I’m interested to see if any PGAD sufferers find a benefit too. There is no research about the use of PEA with PGAD (they’re both very niche, so it’s hardly surprising!) but it would be great if PEA had an application there. Palmitoylethanolamide has been studied in so many health conditions, from Crohn’s disease to Parkinson’s disease, from arthritis to neuropathy that I can’t wait to see how people get on with our Simply PEA products!

Wishing you the best of health,

Tiny x

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