MediHerb, Quality Herbal Supplements Distributed by Standard Proces Inc.
Phytochemical Investigations
False Unicorn
Chamaelirium luteum
Complexities of Phytochemicals
Understanding the complexities of the phytochemicals within herbs is fundamental to quality. Once these are defined and identified through extensive laboratory analysis, quality assurance procedures can be established to ensure that the same premium quality raw material is consistently used. A complicating factor of phytochemical analysis is the concept of active and marker compounds:
- A marker is a characteristic phytochemical found in an herb plant that is chosen to represent a quality standard
- An active is a phytochemical that is important for a given therapeutic effect of an herb
Wild Yam
Dioscorea villosa
A marker compound may or may not be responsible for any therapeutic efficacy of the herb. A vast amount of phytochemical data has been compiled on various plant species from around the world, but there is a relative scarcity of data relating to the identification of active constituents. This is partly due to the often observed finding that the therapeutic action of an herb is due to the synergy of multiple phytochemicals, rather than just one isolated component.
MediHerb, in conjunction with the University of Queensland, Australia is currently involved in a research project investigating the phytochemical profile of poorly-defined medicinal plants. This ground-breaking research has already provided some interesting data on widely used herbs whose phytochemical profile has previously been poorly understood, for example:
False Unicorn
A unique steriodal saponin has been identified in Chamaelirium luteum (False Unicorn) that is not found in any other medicinal herb. This unique phytochemical could be the key to False Unicorn's therapeutic effect.
White Peony
Investigation into the affect of bleaching Paeonia lactiflora (White Peony) roots (as done in Traditional Chinese Medicine) has shown that the active constituent paeoniflorin, is modified into another compound. The action of this new compound is unclear. Work is continuing to discover if its effect is therapeutic or otherwise. Parts of this work by Hayes PY, et al has been accepted for publication by two journals: Tetrahedron Letters 2005; 46:2615-2618 and Phytochemical Analysis: (in Press due June 2006).
Wild Yam
Wild Yam Complex provides relief from discomfort associated with menopause including mood enhancement, antispasmodic activity, and supports a natural balance in the female endocrine system. ∆
Wild Yam
The phytochemical profile of Wild Yam is based on scientific literature from the 1940s. It is widely misconstrued that Dioscorea villosa contains diosgenin and many products have this as a statement on their labels. However it does not contain diosgenin, but rather the diosgenin precursors. Traditionally Dioscorea villosa was believed to contain predominantly dioscin, however, the origin of this assignment is unclear (dioscin is a steroidal glycoside precursor of diosgenin). Commercially available Dioscorea villosa is in the form of dried roots, usually harvested at the end of summer or autumn when the plant is dying back to its rootstock. It was found that these roots contained only very small amounts of dioscin, not the predominance as previously thought. The major steroidal glycoside found was a diosgenin based compound that has an extra sugar molecule (either glucose or a similar sugar) to that of dioscin. The chemical structure of this newly identified compound is being investigated further by MediHerb and Dr. De Voss of the University of Queensland, Australia which will provide a better understanding of this valuable herb's activity.
Anthelmintic Herbs
A project investigating the phytochemical characterization of herbs with anthelmintic activity was conducted in conjunction with the Chemistry Department of the University of Queensland and the Australian Department of Primary Industries. This project involved a PhD student and a postdoctoral researcher and targeted the identification of herbs with high anthelmintic activity and the constituents of those herbs responsible for this activity. The results of this research led to the successful reformulation of MediHerb's Wormwood Complex tablets, resulting in increased efficacy.
Globe Artichoke Cynara scolymus
Garlic
It is now considered to be a requirement for publication of clinical trials that the phytochemical constituents of the formulation be known and they must be included in the submission. Variations in phytochemical constituents is believed to be responsible for the varied clinical results obtained in many trials. Analysis of Garlic trials (Lawson LD, et al, J Agric Food Chem 2001; 49(5): 2592-2599) has linked the efficacy of garlic formulations to those containing a high level of allicin release. However, in many early trials this information was not provided, either because it was not available or was proprietary.
Agronomic Research
Research programs on the growing and post-harvest handling of herbs have been undertaken at a range of academic institutions, most with the support of the Australian Government under the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) grant scheme. These projects look at the importance of varietal selection, soil and climatic conditions, harvest time, post-harvest drying methods and storage in herb quality and efficacy. Projects under the RIRDC scheme have included three-year Ph.D. research grants for the optimization of Echinacea purpurea (in conjunction with the University of Newcastle, Australia), a study of Chamomile at the University of Tasmania, and examination of Valerian at the University of Newcastle. Another project has recently been completed in collaboration with the Research Institute of Agroecology in Slovakia, investigating the optimal growth conditions for Tribulus. Many smaller projects have centered on the optimization of other herbs within the MediHerb line.
Globe Artichoke
Post-Harvest Chart
By optimizing the post-harvest handling of Globe Artichoke the levels of phytochemicals are increased by a factor of six.
Globe Artichoke
Globe Artichoke contains a mixture of caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoids that contribute to its clinical effect. These were found to be quite variable in the raw materials sourced by MediHerb. A research project was initiated to investigate the causes of the variability, looking at varietal differences, geographical effects, harvest parameters, and post-harvest handling. It was found that by optimizing the post-harvest handling of the Globe Artichoke leaves it was possible to increase the level of desirable phytochemicals by a factor of six.
∆ These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.