Elan Vital

Élan Vital by Bio-Gestion combines maca, ginseng, tribulus and L-citrulline in a vegan formula inspired by ingredients traditionally associated with vitality and endurance.

In 1907, the French philosopher Henri Bergson published Creative Evolution. In it, he describes the élan vital, the inner impulse that runs through all living things and constantly drives them to renew themselves, to invent, to move forward. The book was a considerable success, and Bergson received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1927.

The name of our formula pays tribute to this idea. It brings together four ingredients which, each in its own way, have a history of resilience and vigour: a root that grows where almost nothing grows, another that takes years to mature, a small plant with fruits armed with spines, and an amino acid discovered in a summer fruit.

Maca, a root of the high plateaus

Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a cousin of the radish and the turnip. But where its relatives prefer temperate vegetable gardens, it is grown at between 3,800 and 4,500 metres above sea level, on the high plateaus of Junín, in Peru, making it one of the highest-grown crops in the world. Night frost, scorching sun, constant wind: few crops can withstand such conditions.

Its roots, yellow, red or black depending on the variety, are dried in the sun for several weeks. Prepared in this way, they keep for years, which for centuries has made them a precious store for Andean peoples, who eat them as flour, porridge or a drink. Élan Vital contains 400 mg of dry maca root extract per daily dose.

Ginseng, the man-shaped root

In Chinese, ginseng is rén shēn, literally “man-root”: its fleshy, often branching root suggests a human figure with a trunk, arms and legs. Its botanical name, Panax, shares the same Greek root as the word “panacea”, a sign of the esteem in which it has always been held in Asia.

Ginseng is not to be hurried: it takes several years of cultivation, in the shade, before a root can be harvested. At the beginning of the 18th century, a Jesuit missionary, Joseph-François Lafitau, discovered an American cousin of the plant in Quebec, which was promptly exported to China. Élan Vital contains 40 mg of dry ginseng root extract (Panax ginseng) per daily dose.

Tribulus, a weapon turned plant

In Roman antiquity, tribulus was the name for the caltrop: a small metal object bristling with spikes that was scattered on battlefields to stop cavalry. The plant inherited this name because of its hard, star-shaped, spiny fruits, which cling to hooves, soles and bicycle tyres.

Tribulus terrestris is a small creeping plant with bright yellow flowers that favours dry, sunny soils, from the Mediterranean rim to India. Élan Vital contains 50 mg of dry tribulus fruit extract per daily dose.

L-citrulline, an amino acid from watermelon

L-citrulline owes its name to the watermelon, Citrullus lanatus, from whose juice it was first isolated in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century. It is an amino acid found naturally in the gourd family. Élan Vital contains 50 mg per daily dose.

Composition per daily dose (2 capsules)

Vegan formula, in a plant-based capsule.

Who is it for, and how to take it?

Élan Vital is for adults who appreciate plants from the world’s great traditions, combined in a vegan formula.

2 capsules a day, preferably in the morning, with a glass of water. One bottle lasts a month.

Made in France.

THE BIO-GESTION COMMITMENT

Since 1983, Bio-Gestion has developed and distributed food supplements, prioritising:

• Rigorously developed, targeted formulas
• The quality of raw materials
• A measured, responsible scientific approach

All our products are shipped from Switzerland.

A question before you order?

Our team can be reached by phone and by email to advise you personally.