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It is truly something exceptional, especially when considering what else we can find at this price. Even from a 5-star Metaxa, we wouldn't get this strong alcohol sensation, and that alone makes it worth every penny.

I'm not sure exactly what the 5 stars mean - even if it's not 5 years old (which is probably close), it feels very close to the brands it is. It is smooth, light, I would say summery - on the nose, herbs, grapes, honey, on the palate, sweetness, orange, moving towards other yellow fruits like apricots, peaches, and on the finish, a noticeable reddish hue.

Below is a nice comment talking about the production process, to which we can add that Metaxa is made with a brandy base primarily sourced (about 80%) from Spain and Italy, with the rest being distillate from Greek varieties (Savatiano, Sultanina). This base of the spirit ages for a year in French Limousin oak barrels, then it is blended with aged sweet wines from Samos. Metaxa now has its own vineyards in the center of the island for this purpose, and then it ages for additional years in French oak barrels. In the end, a secret blend of herbs is added, and depending on the stars, it ages even more.

Metaxa has been owned by Remy Cointreau for a long time, but it continues to be produced and provides job opportunities in our country, remaining a quintessentially "ours" distillate. The idea of blending with aged wine works, and to find this smoothness and bouquet in another drink, we would have to go up to a different price category.

This is perhaps the only option we have in the domestic market for a decent Coq10 that is not overpriced. For purchases from abroad, there are several very good options, but not in the domestic market. It is generally an expensive supplement, but in the domestic market, we see exorbitant prices or small quantities.
Some things about Coq10.

- Anything below 100mg personally I wouldn't bother with at all. Also, anything that is priced in a way that doesn't allow me to use it consistently. Generally, I want to have the same relationship with Coq10 as I do with something like omega-3 - regular use for long-term benefits. We want to make an intervention, we will see why in a bit.
- Coq10 is a fat-soluble substance, I take it with a meal of the day, just like I do with vitamin D.
- From Coq10, I have felt only a subtle sense of internal stability, so to speak, which could have been a placebo. It's difficult to describe these things. Anyway, if we don't perceive any particular action, that's normal.
- It has the double benefit of being a very powerful antioxidant (hundreds of times more powerful than vitamin C) and participating in a very basic process of energy production in our mitochondria. Our body produces it. But after the age of 35, the concentration in tissues starts to decrease, especially in organs like the heart. So, 35-40 is a good age to turn to it, earlier probably doesn't make sense.
- There is the myth of the "best", more absorbable ubiquinol (you will see it as a much more expensive Coq10). This probably comes from the observation that for Coq10 to be absorbed from the small intestine, it is converted into its 'active' form, ubiquinol. So by giving it as is, theoretically, I help my body avoid this conversion. Different studies have shown that there is no substantial difference, but also that there is better absorption (especially in older people) - which, however, the difference in price and the amount of mg I can take probably negates.
- The truth is that our body constantly recycles Coq10 from one form to another, from the oxidized form (ubiquinone) to the concentrated form (ubiquinol) and vice versa. If we take ubiquinol, our body will convert it to ubiquinone anyway - very early on to pass it to the lymph from the small intestine. The only benefit is somewhat, perhaps better absorption in the first stage.
- We understand that if we take 100mg ubiquinol (a very expensive supplement) for 2-3 months a year and on the other hand, 100 or even 200mg ubiquinone for a year - the benefits will be much greater in the second case.
- Here we come to the use we want to achieve. With Coq10, we want to raise its levels in the blood with consistent intake (to achieve what we call a pharmacologically stable state) and keep it there for as long as possible. We saturate our organism and let it absorb what it needs to start replenishing Coq10 levels in our cells.
- Two of the major studies with this (Q-Symbio and Kisel-10), one in people with chronic heart disease, the other in elderly individuals with an average age of 78, showed very significant benefits - a reduction of around 55% in both cases of the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases. But it was not used passively. And in both studies, ubiquinone was used incidentally, 3x100mg per day for two years in one case, 200mg/day for four years in the other, a sufficient amount for a long period of time.

- There are countless supplements out there. We want ones that will work for us, be affordable without breaking the bank. Milk thistle will work for us, so we should have no doubt about it. Its main mechanisms of action are antioxidant (like other flavonoids it fights oxidative stress), anti-inflammatory (it controls COX-2 and Nf-kb, two inflammatory processes in our body), and it also has an anti-aging effect.
- Not only will it "lower the prices in the liver," but studies show various neuroprotective benefits and an anti-aging effect (it seems to reverse telomere shortening, which is observed in older individuals). So let's keep in mind that while we take it for our liver, it provides benefits in general. And similarly, even if we don't have any liver issues, we can still take it for its other benefits, as its price makes it affordable.
- The neuroprotective benefits are significant. We don't need to discuss them here, you can easily find them. But if we are looking for an antioxidant that can penetrate our brain (not many can), milk thistle should be high on our list.
- It helps in its overall function if we take it with other antioxidants. Vitamin C, which is inexpensive, is the easiest option, but of course, there are others like Coq10, vitamin E, MSM, etc. This applies to all antioxidants, they work much better in synergy. Milk thistle and vitamin C also provide increased liver protection when taken together compared to each one alone, for the same reason.
- A good supplement is standardized extract for 80% silymarin, the main active compound of milk thistle. This is such, so it is a good choice. 250mg of silymarin is a good dosage, beyond that, we consider what suits us (capsules, price).

Companies engage in what is called label dressing. They add various ingredients to their products, theoretically beneficial, but in such negligible quantities that they essentially do nothing for us. However, because they are still present in small amounts, the label is free to proclaim that it contains this, that, and the other. It is a misleading tactic.

Look at this wonderful example. Essentially, it is a multivitamin like all the others on the same shelf, with vitamins at 200% in inorganic cheap forms, and various minerals. Whatever energy we see will mainly come from these. They will naturally give us a small boost.

What makes it extra, as it claims? It has 50mg of panax ginseng, a generally small amount. This is often found in such supplements. It has a completely insignificant amount of Coq10, as if it doesn't exist. Also, here is where the trickery begins, for some reason it has lutein - this is a carotenoid with antioxidant benefits for vision, so it is often found in compositions for "over 50". Why is it here? Unknown. Lanes has such a supplement for those over 50, so it maintains quantities in its storerooms. Someone would say, I suppose, let's add it here too to display more "special" active ingredients. Is it a supplement that provides energy, whatever that means? No. A usual dose of lutein is around 20mg, but here it has how much? 1mg, so once again, a nonexistent amount.

The funniest thing is that it contains taurine. Again, a negligible amount, of course, 40mg, while a normal dose is let's say 1000mg (when we say negligible amounts, we mean it, we're talking about such differences), up to 2-3 grams. We won't even notice that it's there. The funny thing is that taurine, despite its reputation, has exactly the opposite effects, it is a mild anxiolytic with soothing effects. They add it to energy drinks precisely to counterbalance the large amounts of caffeine they contain, which provide the "energy".

What does it have to do with energy here? Nothing related to "energy". Yes, but it is known from energy drinks, so if we add a small amount, we can list it on the label and people who, of course, are not supposed to know about supplements will see that it "contains taurine", like Red Bull.

The company simply has products at generally fair prices (for domestic ones). This is not one of them.

All these unnecessary things allow it to market something "with ginseng, Coq10, lutein, and taurine." So it is not just a simple multivitamin.

If it suits you as a multivitamin in terms of price, no problem. It remains a concoction of dubious inspiration.

With memory aids, mental enhancement, we want to know what they can actually do for us. If they were given to us, most of them would be okay, they wouldn't harm us. But that's not the case, so we want to know what is worth our time and money.

Here the main active ingredient is acetyl carnitine 250mg, an amino acid that our body produces, the acetyl version is to be able to cross into our brain where it performs various functions of mental stimulation, "energy" and related functions. It is also available on its own as a supplement, and sometimes we encounter it in compositions of this type. Those of you who have hypothyroidism need to be careful, as it inhibits thyroid hormones, definitely not for long-term use.

And then it has a not very high dose of ginkgo biloba - it is because of ginkgo and its circulatory action that doctors prescribe it for brain function. If it helps you greatly, but look at what other ginkgo preparations are available, you will find many. There is no other "drug" here for your problem, ginkgo is it.

The rest of the ingredients are in small amounts of insignificant importance, some phospholipids (an egg will give you more), some B vitamins in completely typical amounts. For this price and 20 tablets, you will judge if it is worth it. As a kind of tonic, it may be okay. You won't see any difference in terms of memory.

Valerian tea knocked me out, with a strong hypnotic effect, these are milder. If it works for you, it's great. However, keep in mind that valerian is a GABA agonist, where GABA is our main inhibitory neurotransmitter. Insomnia, anxiety, overstimulation, and all this package of lack of calmness are associated with low levels of GABA in our body.

Who are some other GABAergic agonists? Alcohol, Xanax, Valium, and generally benzodiazepines. They all affect the same system. Valerian will be milder, but there are similar risks - downregulation of GABA receptors over time, the need for higher doses, addiction, and withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation. I don't know if I would use it long-term, developing a dependency relationship with it for my sleep. Valerian also affects the so-called opioid receptors in our brain - that's why many people report vivid dreams.

The other well-known aid, melatonin, has a completely different mechanism of action (unrelated to GABA), and it is recommended for short-term use, mainly to regulate our biological clock.

For those who want to try something else (mild, non-hypnotic of course, as it should be), here is a composition without side effects that we can make ourselves for bedtime every day, magnesium and 2 amino acids:

Magnesium bisglycinate or magnesium taurate 100mg
L-theanine 200mg
L-glycine 2x1000mg