Have you discovered any new plants? The plant extract industry has entered a golden period of development

January 11, 2024

With the improvement of living standards and the enhancement of health awareness, as well as the application of advanced plant extraction technology, people's strong demand for plant extract products has been stimulated, and the plant extract industry has entered a golden period of development. In order to improve the quality of plant extract products, standardize industry order, and promote healthy and sustainable development of the industry, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medical and Health Products has started the development of plant extract standards since 2013. Currently, group standards for 45 products have been released.

According to the Standardization Law of the People's Republic of China and the Regulations on the Management of Group Standards, the Chamber of Commerce strictly followed the procedures and rules formulated by national standards. In 2018, 16 plant extract product standards were approved. After one year of drafting, the initial draft has been completed and the standards have been reviewed by a third-party unit. At present, 11 product standards, including goji berry extract, Eucommia ulmoides leaf extract, turmeric extract, total curcumin, tartary buckwheat extract, Ganoderma lucidum extract, shikimic acid, ginseng extract, snake grape extract, new hesperidin, and Fructus Aurantii extract, have been publicly announced after preliminary review. Let's learn more together!

Goji berries

I don't know when it started, but there are nine out of ten young people around me who always suffer from hair loss, greasiness, premature aging, and bereavement, especially those born in the 1990s who suffer from severe fatigue. Therefore, they have launched a fancy punk health preservation strategy, such as spicy strips paired with honeysuckle, instant noodles mixed with indigo, and beer mixed with goji berries. Although few people can enjoy these "dark dishes", there is a certain health logic behind them.

Although goji berries are common, many people are not aware that the goji berries used for daily consumption and medicine are mostly the fruit of Ningxia goji berries. Goji berries are also popular among health enthusiasts in the domestic market due to their antioxidant properties. As a standard accessory for the middle-aged and elderly population, many manufacturers vigorously promote the benefits of goji berries, including relieving fatigue, enhancing immunity, and protecting vision. Generally, goji berries are often used in combination with multiple medicinal herbs, and there is relatively little systematic modern clinical evaluation as a single medicinal herb. Most of the data comes from in vitro and animal experiments.

Goji berries are rich in polysaccharides and carotenoids, among which polysaccharides are key active compounds that help people maintain immune health. Zeaxanthin and lutein in carotenoids can protect the function of macular and retinal photoreceptor cells and contribute to eye health. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on immune health was conducted to observe the relationship between goji berries and immune health in the elderly. The study invited healthy adults aged 60 and above to be divided into two groups. One group received 120ml/d of goji berry juice daily, and the other group received an equivalent dose of placebo. The experiment lasted for 30 days and the changes in immune cells related to the subjects were observed.

The results showed that the number of lymphocytes in the goji berry group increased, and the levels of interleukin-2 and immunoglobulin G also increased. Interleukin-2 is a 15.5kD glycoprotein produced by T cells and NK cells, playing an important role in the body's immune response. Immunoglobulin G is the most abundant antibody in the blood, which can resist pathogens. There was no significant change in immune cell levels in the placebo group. At the same time, the goji berry group had a certain positive effect on improving fatigue and sleep, and showed a trend of short-term memory and attention enhancement before and after intervention, while the placebo group did not show significant positive changes in these indicators. In summary, taking goji berries daily can significantly improve various immune responses and subjective well-being without any adverse reactions.

Eucommia ulmoides

Throughout history, people have been pursuing the mystery of immortality. In ancient legends, there is a traditional Chinese medicine herb called Eucommia ulmoides that allows people to live forever and eventually become immortal after taking it. In fact, legends are not fabricated. As early as more than two thousand years ago, Eucommia ulmoides was listed as a top-grade herb in the "Shennong Bencao Jing". "In the past, there was a famous Chinese medicine called Eucommia ulmoides, which was named after its medicinal use. Both Sizhong and Sixian have this meaning. Eucommia ulmoides, which can enter the liver and tonify the kidneys, nourish the essence and qi, strengthen muscles and bones, strengthen willpower, and treat kidney deficiency and lower back pain. Long term use of it can lighten the body and endure aging." As a famous and precious traditional Chinese medicine, Eucommia ulmoides uses tree bark as medicine to nourish the liver and kidneys, strengthen tendons and bones, regulate Chongren The role of regulating menstruation and preventing miscarriage.

Due to Eucommia ulmoides being a medicinal plant, its secondary metabolites have a positive effect on people's symptoms of hypertension. Eucommia ulmoides is considered to be the highest quality natural antihypertensive drug with no side effects in the world, and its effective ingredient in lowering blood pressure is rosin diglucoside. There is a report from Guizhou Medicine that the research team extracted the effective ingredient of reducing blood pressure, rosin alcohol diglucoside, from Eucommia ulmoides. The content of rosin alcohol diglucoside in Eucommia ulmoides bark is about three times higher than that in leaves. Eucommia ulmoides leaf extract has a very obvious and long-lasting antihypertensive effect on experimental animals, and the antihypertensive intensity increases with dosage, and the duration of antihypertensive maintenance also extends. In addition, the trace elements zinc and calcium in Eucommia ulmoides are relatively high, which can have a hypotensive effect by correcting the zinc content in patients with Yin deficiency type hypertension. In recent years, research has also shown that Eucommia ulmoides has a "bidirectional regulation" function on blood pressure that cannot be compared to chemical antihypertensive drugs, that is, it can be reduced in hypertensive patients after taking it, and can be increased in hypotension patients after taking it.

In addition, many studies have confirmed that Eucommia ulmoides leaves have good effects in relieving fatigue, weight loss, and beauty. For example, in a study on anti fatigue in the Chinese Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine Volume of Foreign Medicine, Zhao Hui and his team found through rat experiments that Eucommia ulmoides leaves can affect the distribution of isoenzymes in rat skeletal muscles and the activity of lactate dehydrogenase and 3-hydroxyacetyl CoA dehydrogenase, thereby achieving the goal of anti fatigue.

Ginger extract (95%)/total curcumin

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When it comes to trendy herbs, turmeric is undoubtedly the most popular. It is known for its high anti-inflammatory properties, and with the deepening of research on turmeric and its component curcumin, not only has turmeric expanded its popularity among consumers, but many turmeric products have also emerged in the market. People generally believe that turmeric has benefits for cardiovascular health, brain, joint, and liver health, especially the anti-inflammatory effect of BCM-95 patented turmeric extract.

A study published in the Journal of Scientific Reports suggests that the patented turmeric extract BCM-95 curcumin is more effective than standard curcumin in reducing colitis disease activity and inflammation. Researchers from Baylor University in the United States conducted animal experiments, grouping all mice into groups and receiving standard curcumin or BCM-95 at doses of 5mg, 25mg, or 50mg/kg for more than one week. Afterwards, standard curcumin or BCM-95 group mice continued to receive sodium dextran sulfate (DSS) for about a week to induce the onset of colitis. Finally, by analyzing the colon length, weight, fecal hardness, visible blood in feces, and inflammatory markers of mice, the severity of daily diseases was evaluated using the Disease Activity Index (ADI).

The research results showed that the BCM-95 group could slow down the daily DAI of diseases (P<0.001), and the degree of disease remission also improved with increasing intake doses (25mg and 50mg/kg) (day 5 and day 7). The colon length of mice in the BCM-95 group slowed down, while mice in the standard curcumin group did not show any changes. In addition, BCM-95 can significantly increase inflammatory genes and upregulate the activity of anti-inflammatory markers such as IL-10 and IL-11, while the inflammation markers in the standard curcumin group mice did not show significant improvement.

With the continuous deepening of research on curcumin, its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects are also reflected in the field of microbiology. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study investigated the effects of curcumin on human gut microbiota for a period of two months. The results indicate that curcumin can increase the number of beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiota and has a prebiotic effect, helping the host adapt to the growth of beneficial microbiota. In the market of puzzle products, the proportion of turmeric components is also increasing, and research has confirmed a correlation between cognitive health decline and inflammation. Curcumin, as the main active compound found in turmeric, has a certain effect on improving the blood-brain barrier level and reducing inflammatory reactions that affect physical health.

Tartary buckwheat extract

Among the health tips for middle-aged and elderly people, it is inevitable to mention bitter buckwheat. In the modern society that pursues "nature and health", tartary buckwheat is recognized by the International Food and Agriculture Organization as an excellent food and medicine crop, and is known as the "natural golden partner" of humanity. Due to its large export to Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea, it is internationally referred to as the "Eastern God Grass".

According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, "buckwheat is bitter in nature and taste, calming cold, beneficial to strength, invigorating the mind, benefiting the eyes and ears, reducing qi, broadening the intestines and strengthening the stomach." Some studies also show that the main components of tartary buckwheat extract are flavonoids, and also contain steroids, phenols, active proteins, minerals, etc., which are very friendly to diabetics. A study on the hypoglycemic effect and mechanism of tartary buckwheat dietary fiber provides a good explanation for the important role of tartary buckwheat diet in lowering blood sugar.

In this study, the dietary fiber extracted from tartary buckwheat skin powder was used to intervene in diabetes mice induced by high-fat/STZ, and the content and effect of soluble (SDF) and insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) were compared. The effects of tartary buckwheat dietary fiber on blood glucose and lipid metabolism in diabetes mice and the related mechanism were observed. The study found that the SDF group reduced the fasting blood glucose level of diabetes mice by promoting liver glycogen synthesis and insulin level, improved the glucose tolerance of mice, and reduced the fat accumulation in serum and liver, and this effect was closely related to the increase of the content of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the cecum and the increase of AMPK phosphorylation in the liver. Further research has found that SDF is more effective in lowering blood sugar than IDF at the same concentration. When the content of IDF reaches 5 times that of SDF, its effect in reducing serum TC and LDL-c levels is more significant, just like SDF, which effectively promotes insulin secretion and improves glucose tolerance. In summary, both SDF and IDF play important roles in the hypoglycemic effect of tartary buckwheat, but the differences in the mechanism of action of IDF and its optimal ratio with SDF still need further research.

Ganoderma lucidum extract (alcohol extraction)

In Chinese history, the efficacy of Ganoderma lucidum was incredible. Legend has it that it can cure all kinds of diseases in the human world and has the effect of reviving the dead. For example, in "The Legend of the White Snake", the White Snake, in order to save Xu Xian, went through countless difficulties and dangers, stole the fairy grass Ganoderma lucidum, and revived Xu Xian's soul. Nowadays, rigorous science has shown us the true face of "immortal grass". Ganoderma lucidum extract is fermented and extracted by the Ganoderma lucidum process. Its main components are Ganoderma triterpenoids and Ganoderma polysaccharides, which can help improve the body's immune function, improve coronary blood circulation, increase myocardial oxygen supply, and have benefits such as blood pressure reduction, lipid-lowering, and liver protection.

Ganoderma lucidum is widely used in many Asian countries to treat various diseases, including cancer, diabetes and neurasthenia. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study investigated the efficacy and safety of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide extract in treating neurasthenia. 132 patients with neurasthenia were included in the trial according to the International Classification of Diseases diagnostic criteria, and clinical research was conducted with the written consent of the patients. The patients were randomly divided into two groups, orally taking 1800mg of Ganoderma lucidum or placebo three times a day for 8 weeks. After the trial, the clinical overall impression scale was used to evaluate the patient's fatigue level and happiness.

The results showed that after 8 weeks of treatment, the CGI severity score and fatigue sensation in the Lingzhi group decreased by 15.5% and 28.3% from baseline, respectively, while the placebo group decreased by 4.9% and 20.1%, respectively. Moreover, during the experiment, the patient showed good tolerance to Ganoderma lucidum. In summary, Ganoderma lucidum extract can improve the clinical symptoms of patients with neurasthenia.

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