Botanicals

Dispatches from Vitafoods Europe

ABC taps into European herbal insights via new advisory board member

09-Jun-2015 By Hank Schultz

Europe, and especially Germany, has historically been a hotbed of herbal lore, science and product development. The American Botanical Council recently tapped into this knowledge in a more fundamental way by adding Joerg Gruenwald, PhD, to its advisory...

Flaxseed supplements linked to improved blood pressure: Meta-analysis

09-Jun-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Supplements of flaxseed may effectively management blood pressure, says a new meta-analysis of 15 clinical trials.

Does transparency matter for dietary supplements?

02-Jun-2015 By Marc Brush, Principal, Bend LLC

There’s something on my mind. Why don’t consumers of dietary supplements respond to transparency messaging the way consumers of natural food do?

Supplement launches that aims to help people prone to Type 2 diabetes make healthy lifestyle switch

01-Jun-2015 By Hank Schultz

Type 2 diabetes continues to stalk the US population. It’s a public health crisis that has created market opportunities, and one of the companies rushing to fill that breach is Glucose Health, Inc. which has launched a supplement of the same name.

Green tea supplement backed for prostate cancer reduction: RCT findings

01-Jun-2015 By Nathan Gray

Consumption of a green tea extract has been suggested to reduce rates of cancer in certain indiviuals while reducing levels of the cancer biomarker prostate-specific antigen (PSA), say researchers.

Naturex makes play for natural sports nutrition consumer

29-May-2015 By Niamh Michail

Boosted by botanicals, Naturex's WinDrink range targets a new breed of consumer who is interested in sports nutrition but wary of complex, synthetic ingredients. 

Plandaí gets Phytofare green tea extract on shelves via deal with South African company

28-May-2015 By Hank Schultz

Plandaí Biotechnology, Inc has reached another milestone in its quest to commercialize its Phytofare green tea extract via a supply deal with a South African company.

Fenugreek extract may boost woman’s healthy sexual desire: Human RCT

28-May-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Daily supplements of an extract from Fenugreek may enhance female libido, say results of a double-blind randomized placebo controlled study.

Is it time for industry to swallow Schneiderman's bitter pill?

27-May-2015 By Hank Schultz

Should the dietary supplements industry look at the actions of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman as a wake-up call? There are many valid reasons to brush off his actions as mere grandstanding, but if for nothing other than political purposes...

Strong interest in botanical ID workshop a positive sign for industry, expert says

27-May-2015 By Hank Schultz

The fact that an upcoming workshop on botanical identification methods has sold out quickly demonstrates the industry is increasingly getting serious about improving its performance on GMP compliance, one of the presenters has said.

FDA's decision on CBD likely to be overturned after more info comes in, exec says

26-May-2015 By Hank Schultz

An executive with one of the companies promoting cannabidiol for dietary supplements believes that FDA’s recent determination that the compound is not a legal dietary ingredient is premature and will be overturned.

Garlic compounds may boost cardio health indirectly via gut microbiota

26-May-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Allicin from garlic may prevent the metabolism of unabsorbed L-carnitine or choline into TMAO, a compound linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, says a new study from the National Taiwan University.

Euromonitor runs rule over recent nutraceutical award winners

25-May-2015 By Simone Baroke

Market analyst Euromonitor International dissects recent NutraIngredients Awards winners to provide category perspective from sustainable omega-3 to healthy ageing in this guest article.

Nature's Way institutes more rigorous plant-to-powder supply chain management scheme

22-May-2015 By Hank Schultz

Supplement manufacturer Nature’s Way has responded proactively to prodding from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman by instituting a new, more rigorous plant-to-powder supply chain management structure. The first step was a meeting this week among...

Is the $35 billion figure for the dietary supplements industry over-inflated?

21-May-2015 By Stephen Daniells

The US dietary supplements industry is only worth about $12 billion, according to Dr Kurt Jetta, CEO and founder of the TABS Group.

Special edition: Outsourcing

The ins and outs: Are firms shifting to vertically integrated supply chains?

21-May-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Outsourcing. It's no secret it can bring big financial and logistical gains. But in an age when traceability and accountability carry increasing value, are we now seeing a shift towards a new concept of insourcing?

Special Edition: Outsourcing

Transparency could be the 1st step towards greater consistency in testing methods & labs: Experts

21-May-2015 By Stephen Daniells

Third-party labs that keep their testing information proprietary to gain a competitive advantage may actually be harming their business, say leading experts calling for more transparency in the analytical sector.

Legislation by litigation? CSPI investigating Saw Palmetto claims

19-May-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is conducting a survey to assess “whether the advertising claims made about [a supplement] are legally and factually permissible”, with the initial focus on saw palmetto.

Extending GMPs to ingredient suppliers would fix gap in original rule, stakeholders say

18-May-2015 By Hank Schultz

A recently filed citizen's petition asking FDA to extend GMP requirements to ingredient manufacturers met with a cautious but generally positive reception among industry stakeholders. Having ingredient suppliers stand outside this aspect of the law...

FDA says no to CBD in supplements

18-May-2015 By Hank Schultz

In a recently updated communication on marijuana, the Food and Drug Administration has flatly stated that products based on cannabidiol (CBD), a non-narcotic fraction of Cannabis sativa, cannot be marketed as dietary supplements.  The reason? A pre-existing...

Soapbox

Body of endocannabinoid research makes compelling case for wider use

18-May-2015 By Dr Philip Blair

An exciting new area of research involves the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and the phyto-cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD).  

Gaia launches flavor-masked turmeric supplements that can be added to both savory and sweet foods

15-May-2015 By Hank Schultz

Turmeric is a spice used in food, and its active constiuents, curcuminoids, are featured in supplements.  A new product launch from Gaia Herbs seeks to straddle that divide, with powdered turmeric supplements standardized for curcumin content that can...

Large-scale, long-term cocoa flavanol study looking at heart, cognitive health enters recruitment phase

15-May-2015 By Hank Schultz

Cocoa flavanols are an ingredient that has been poised at the edge of the runway for a few years now. A new large-scale, long-term study into their cardiovascular and cognitive function benefits that is entering its recruitment phase may help provide...

InterHealth expands branded ingredient range with acquisition of Next Pharmaceuticals

14-May-2015 By Hank Schultz

InterHealth Nutraceuticals has acquired the assets of Next Pharmaceuticals, including the well-known branded ingredients Relora and Sytrionol, the company announced this week.

Special Edition: Supply in the time of Schneiderman

13-May-2015 By Hank Schultz

The supply end of the dietary supplement sector has come under extraordinary pressures of late. While the NYAG affair has called the integrity of the supply chain into question, demand continues to increase for certain ingredients such as Ayurvedic herbs...

Link of green tea extracts to liver injury raises age old question: How much of a good thing is too much?

12-May-2015 By Hank Schultz

Botanical ingredient experts are not surprised by a recent report on the association of green tea extracts with liver toxicity. It’s consistent with recent literature and could serve as a warning sign of the potential dangers lurking in the pharmaceutical-style,...

Dispatches from Vitafoods Europe 2015

Frutarom backs Peruvian berry in beverages

12-May-2015 By Shane STARLING

Inca berry, cape gooseberry, golden berry. It has many monikers but one primary Andean source in Peru and Swiss supplier Frutarom was promoting it at Vitafoods Europe last week.

Menopause herb under EU novel food evaluation

12-May-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

An extract of three herbal roots marketed for menopause is to be evaluated as a novel food ingredient in the European Union.

Single multivitamin-mineral dose may boost mood in older people

12-May-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

A single dose of a multivitamin and mineral and herbal supplement may reduce stress in healthy older women, says a new study from Australia.

Schneiderman agrees to open 'dialogue' with NPA via joint statement

11-May-2015 By Hank Schultz

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has agreed to enter into a “dialogue” with the Natural Products Association over his assault on herbal dietary supplements, the organization confirmed in a joint statement today.

Dispatches from Vitafoods Europe 2015

Indena refines Boswellia bioavailability; shifts compound focus

11-May-2015 By Shane STARLING

Italian botanicals giant Indena has debuted a version of the Indian Ayurvedic herbal extract Boswellia serrata it says offers boosted bioavailability via a lecithin delivery system.

Sabinsa expands Ayurvedic herb cultivation as demand grows

08-May-2015 By Stephen Daniells

Botanical supplier Sabinsa is expanding its existing cultivation program for Indian herbs to ensure sustainable supply of ingredients such as turmeric, gac, and black ginger, in order to match demand in the global US$1.6 billion market.

High doses of green tea extract linked to liver damage in research

08-May-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Mounting evidence suggests high doses of green tea extract, a popular ingredient in weight loss and body building supplements, could cause liver damage, although low and moderate doses appear safe.

Lycored makes a play for European Beauty From Within market

07-May-2015 By Niamh Michail

On the back of a successful US launch, Lycored will release its nutraceutical ingredient in Europe as it predicts growth opportunities for the Beauty from Within segment.

AHPA webinar to explore significance of recent Prop 65 developments

07-May-2015

Proposals to amend the regulations, an unsuccessful lawsuit against Beech-Nut, and additions to the list of carcinogens are just a few of the topics to be discussed during an upcoming webinar about Prop 65 hosted by the American Herbal Products Association.

Dispatches from Vitafoods Europe 2015

Consensus: For quality manufacturers, NYAG is little more than irritating blip

07-May-2015 By Hank Schultz

As the dust settles in the NYAG affair, the new contours of the industry start to become apparent through the thinning murk. And the message from industry seems to be that those are mole hills, not mountains.

Botanical Adulterants Program endorsed by four international health professional groups

06-May-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

The Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, Integrative Healthcare Policy Consortium, American Herbalists Guild, and Irish Register of Herbalists have thrown their support behind the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program.

Pine bark extract may boost endothelial function in at-risk people

06-May-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Daily supplements of extracts from French Maritime Pine bark may strengthen metabolic parameters, reduce LDL cholesterol and curb oxidative stress in people with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Nestlé chews on Belgian botanical player’s bone

04-May-2015 By Shane STARLING

Belgian olive oil extract supplier BioActor has inked a deal with the world’s biggest food firm to develop products based on bone health benefits.

Inergetics puts CBD product line into dispensaries first as it negotiates turbulent regulatory waters

28-Apr-2015 By Hank Schultz

Dietary supplement development firm Inergetics has put its first CBD supplement on the shelf in a medical marijuana dispensary in Northern California. One of the company’s goals was to offer consumers a way to try the ingredient without the high out of...

Science short

Herbal blend shows body fat reduction potential: Study

28-Apr-2015

A botanical blend has been shown to reduce body fat by 5% compared to placebo in a study published in the Journal of Functional Foods.

New analytical method could help clean up yohimbe adulteration, developer says

27-Apr-2015 By Hank Schultz

A new analytical method for products featuring yohimbe bark extracts developed and tested by Flora Research Labs promises to speed the detection of adulteration in this ingredient, according to lab director James Neal-Kababick.

Special Edition: View from the aisles: The retailers' perspective

NYAG affair may ultimately serve to reinforce smaller retailers' quality message, execs say

23-Apr-2015 By Hank Schultz

The actions of the New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman have yet to filter down in a big way to the kind of questions retailers are getting from their customers on supplements. But business executives contacted by NutraIngredients-USA said that...

BSCG offers expanded testing suite that looks for almost 400 drugs that have been found in supplements

22-Apr-2015 By Hank Schultz

In this new era when the quality of dietary supplements has been called onto the carpet in the mainstream media, a San Diego-based testing firm believes it has a solution.  The Banned Substances Control Group now offers an expanded testing suite that...

Seed supply bottleneck strangles development of made-in-USA CBD supplements

21-Apr-2015 By Hank Schultz

For those monitoring the potential market of dietary supplements based on cannabidiol the message is this: Don’t hold your breath for products made in the US, if the experience of Colorado industrial hemp growers is any benchmark. The complex and in some...

‘Great economical and clinical benefit’: Garlic is an ‘effective and safe approach’ for BP management, says meta-analysis

21-Apr-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Dietary supplements with garlic (Allium sativum) may beneficially affect blood pressure for hypertensives, says a meta-analysis of 7 randomized controlled trials.

Taiyo carves out niche in natural caffeine market with slow-release whole green coffee bean ingredient

20-Apr-2015 By Hank Schultz

It’s been 10 years and more since ephedra was taken off the market and in that time the importance of caffeine as an energy and thermogenic ingredient has grown significantly.  Suppliers are competing to offer forms the compound that offer interesting...

Harmonised Southeast Asia regulation complete by end of year

20-Apr-2015 By Niamh Michail

The Alliance for Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) harmonised health supplement framework will be up and running by the end of the year after over ten years in the making. 

Lack of baseline dissolution data makes evaluating risk of bioavailability enhancements tricky, researcher says

20-Apr-2015 By Hank Schultz

Bioavailability enhancements continue to be one of the most active development tangents in the dietary supplement ingredient industry.  But even as these approaches gain market traction, basic information about the toxicological profiles of many of these...

BMPEA proponent Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals expands with acquisition of Mexican company

17-Apr-2015 By Hank Schultz

Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, a controversial Georgia-based dietary supplement finished products and contract manufacturer, has announced plans to acquire a major Mexican dietary supplement and OTC drug manufacturer, the company announced this week. Hi-Tech...