Interview with Founder of Leapfrog
HOW CAN WE STAVE OFF BEASTLY BACK-TO-SCHOOL & OFFICE BUGS THIS WINTER?
Stephanie Drax and I have got great friends in common, so that was always a good start to our friendship! I heard them raving about her company, Leapfrog Remedies, the UK’s first Lactoferrin brand, and that’s how we first got chatting. Though few have heard of lactoferrin, it’s a powerful anti-viral and anti-bacterial protein that your body makes every day. It’s said to nip coughs and colds in the bud and so, as we slide into autumn, Leapfrog’s debut product, Leapfrog IMMUNE, is a must-have in the medicine cabinet. Stocked online at Leapfrog Remedies, but also in Selfridges, TheDrug.Store and Amrita Nutrition (a platform for professional nutritionists), Leapfrog launched one year ago and won a raft of great press and a Beauty Shortlist Award 2021.
TELL ME HOW YOU CAME TO START LEAPFROG?
I’m a travel and lifestyle journalist (House & Garden, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveller, Telegraph etc) and I was writing an article on gut health in 2018. I was looking for natural ways to stop the endless stream of coughs and colds that were coming home with my two small boys from nursery. A scientist I spoke to told me about lactoferrin, saying that he hadn’t had a cold in 30 years – I was definitely curious! We tried the raw material at home, taking it at the first sign of a sniffle, and it worked, and worked and worked. The colds often vanished, or the symptoms just seemed to fast-forward. When we ran out my husband was climbing the walls for me to source more – we’d come to rely on it whenever we had a tickle in the throat or nose. It was then that I realised this miracle molecule wasn’t readily available, and certainly not in an easy chewable form. I knew I owed it to every plate-spinning person to create Leapfrog – none of us can take time off to be ill!
SO, WHAT EXACTLY IS LACTOFERRIN – AND WHY HAVEN’T WE HEARD OF IT BEFORE?
Lactoferrin is an anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory protein that your body synthesises daily, working in your eyes, nose, mouth & some white blood cells to protect you against germs (there are over 9100 scientific studies on its benefits). Lactoferrin is also a key component of mother’s milk and is created by nature to offer a newborn optimal immunity. Cow’s milk and human milk are biologically very similar, but it’s only become technologically possible to extract lactoferrin from cow’s milk on a large scale in the last 35 years. Our lactoferrin comes from milk produced by French cows that live on an all-natural diet on family farms. I remember well how my two babies didn’t seem to catch anything when they were being breastfed, so it’s exciting to access that immunity enhancing magic as adults.
WHAT’S IN LEAPFROG IMMUNE THEN?
Every tablet contains 250mg of the wonder ingredient lactoferrin, plus zinc and vitamin C - a trio of immune supporting heroes! On my team I have a world-leading expert in lactoferrin, Dr Marian Kruzel, also pharmacist Dr Hamid Merchant, nutritionist Emma Davies and the founder of Planet Organic, Renée Elliott. It was important to formulate Leapfrog as a chewable tablet because we believe the action starts with the cells that line the mouth. No water needed, no big pills to swallow - and the citrus flavour is delicious!
WITH KIDS GOING BACK TO SCHOOL AND MANY OF US GOING BACK INTO THE OFFICE, HOW CAN WE BETTER PROTECT OURSELVES?
Every day our immune system defends us against a multitude of germs that we touch and breathe in, and yet we don’t fall ill, so the body really is brilliant at looking after itself if we give it what it needs. Lactoferrin is a vital part of that defence system, but it can become depleted when we’re stressed, tired, run-down, not eating properly or simply ageing. This can leave us vulnerable when exposed to germs, particularly as we slide into cold and flu season. Because of social distancing, cold and flu was mild last year, so our resilience is weaker this year. This is when Leapfrog jumps in: you can chew two tablets per day at the first sign of a cough or cold, or chew one tablet per day month on, month off over the season for prevention. Leapfrog is suitable for children 12 and up and great for stressed teenagers around exam time – we get lots of feedback from customers about how its helped.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO BOOST OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM FOR FREE?
At Leapfrog we believe that the pillars of a strong immune system are good nutrition, regular exercise, quality sleep and any stress management techniques that work for you. We speak to scientists, doctors and experts in these fields on our social channels about how to easily implement these pillars into our lives. Over the last few years’ research that I’ve done, I’ve added a few habits to my routine that I believe keep me better protected from pathogens. I do daily dry body brushing to stimulate the circulation and excrete toxins, and a 30-90 second cold shower (after a warm one!) to boost my bug-busting white blood cell count. Flossing and Te-pe brushing is a must every evening because bacteria in our mouths is something we can easily control and there have been recent links between gum disease and Alzheimer’s later in life. I breathe through my nose, as it filters the air and produces nitric oxide which helps my lungs absorb more oxygen from the air I breathe. And I’m forever opening windows too – when they’re closed, you’re sitting in an invisible viral soup.
Think you'll all agree, this product is absolutely genius. Immune can be purchased directly from the link above.
That's all from me for now but I'll be posting another blog in the next few days talking about our new collection
Big love Rae xxx
