Wakunaga Receives ABC's 7th Annual Varro E. Tyler Phytomedicinal Research Award


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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO NATIONAL EDITORS:

Wakunaga Receives ABC's 7th Annual Varro E. Tyler Phytomedicinal

Research Award

AUSTIN, Texas, March 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American

Botanical Council (ABC) has presented its 2013 Varro E. Tyler

Commercial Investment in Phytomedicinal Research Award to Wakunaga

Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd., of Osaka, Japan. Since its founding in

1955, the company has been committed to rigorous scientific and

clinical research of its products, including its top-selling,

clinically researched odorless Aged Garlic Extract3/8.

"The ABC Varro E. Tyler Award represents our extensive chemical,

pharmacological, and clinical research on Wakunaga's proprietary Aged

Garlic Extract, sold as Kyolic@ Aged Garlic Extract in the USA and

almost 50 international markets," said Albert Dahbour, Vice President

of Wakunaga of America, a subsidiary established in the early 1970s.

'We invest a lot in scientific discovery and to be recognized for our

dedication to botanical research is very inspiring for us."

The late Prof. Tyler - who has been described as one of the most

respected men in late 20th century herbal medicine and pharmacognosy

(the study of medicines of natural origin, usually from plants) - was

an early trustee of ABC, dean of the College of Pharmacy and

Pharmaceutical Sciences at Purdue University, and vice-president of

academic affairs at Purdue. He was the senior author of six editions

of the leading textbook in the field, formerly used in every college

of pharmacy in the United States, as well as numerous other

professional and popular books and many articles in the academic

literature.

"Prof. Tyler always believed that herb companies should reinvest a

portion of their annual sales revenues into legitimate scientific and

clinical research, and that is why we established this award in his

name," said ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal. "In

our view, Wakunaga merits ABC's recognition for its outstanding

commitment to such research, as evidenced by its strong record of

funding hundreds of chemical, pharmacological, and clinical studies on

its unique, proprietary garlic preparation."

Prof. Tyler urged his students and colleagues "not only to seek the

truth but, after finding it, to discard any preconceived ideas which

it may reveal as untrue." He encouraged scientific and product

integrity, and envisioned a rational herbal healthcare sector that

valued the proper evaluation of products quality, safety, and

efficacy.

According to Jay Levy, director of sales for Wakunaga of America, the

company's focus on research is part of its commitment to promoting

public health through herbal medicine. "This mission is accomplished

by providing products of the highest quality, which are supported by

truthful science and accompanied by helpful consumer information," he

said. "We are extremely proud that we now have over 700 peer-reviewed,

published papers on the efficacy of Aged Garlic Extract. Our future

plans are to continue to invest in the research of herbal products."

In 2012, garlic was the second best-selling herbal dietary supplement

in the food, drug, and mass-market channel in the United States with

sales of almost $35 million in that channel alone. Kyolic, Levy noted,

is responsible for 70 percent of branded garlic sales in the natural

foods category in the United States.

Kyolic, as stated on Wakunaga's website, is 'designed to support and

strengthen [the] cardiovascular system by reducing major risk factors

and promoting overall heart health." Recently, a clinical trial

published in the European Journal of Clinical Medicine and featured in

ABC's HerbClip service found that Kyolic significantly reduced blood

pressure in participants with hypertension. In addition to its

cardiovascular benefits, various formulations of Kyolic have been

studied for the ability to support digestive health, the immune

system, circulation, and more.

"We are deeply honored to receive the Varro E. Tyler Award from the

American Botanical Council," said Dahbour, "and will continue Prof.

Tyler's passion for botanical research and discovery."

Previous recipients of the ABC Tyler Award include Horphag Research of

Switzerland for 2012, Bioforce AG of Switzerland for 2011, New

Chapter, Inc. of the United States for 2010, Bionorica AG of Germany

for 2009, Indena SpA of Italy for 2008, and Dr. Willmar Schwabe

Pharmaceuticals of Germany for 2007.

The ABC Varro E. Tyler Commercial Investment in Phytomedicinal

Research Award was announced at the 9th Annual ABC Botanical

Celebration and Awards Ceremony on March 6 in Anaheim, California. The

ABC event occurred during the NEXT Innovation Summit (formerly

Nutracon) nutrition, natural products, and dietary supplements

conference and Natural Products Expo West.

The ABC Botanical Celebration and Awards Ceremony was underwritten by

generous contributions from the following members of the herb, dietary

supplement, and natural products industry (i.e., raw material

suppliers, supplement and tea manufacturers, analytical laboratories,

a law firm, an insurer, a media company, and a trade organization):

Alkemist Labs Mega Food

Amin Talati Natural Factors Nutritional Products

Christie Communications New Chapter

ChromaDex New Hope Natural Media

EuroPharma PlusPharma

Grifcon Enterprises RFI Ingredients

Horphag Research Traditional Medicinals

Indena USA United Natural Products Alliance

Martin Bauer Group

About the American Botanical Council

Founded in 1988, the American Botanical Council is a leading

international nonprofit organization that addresses research and

educational issues regarding botanicals, teas, medicinal plants,

essential oils, other therapeutic plant-derived materials, and

beneficial fungi. ABC's members and stakeholders include researchers,

health professionals, consumers, nonprofit organizations, libraries,

universities, herb and cosmetic industry members, and others in more

than 80 countries. The organization occupies a historic 2.5-acre site

in Austin, Texas, where it publishes the peer-reviewed quarterly

journal HerbalGram, the monthly e-publication HerbalEGram, the weekly

e-newsletter Herbal News & Events, HerbClips (summaries of scientific

and clinical publications), reference books, and other educational

materials. ABC also hosts HerbMedPro, a powerful herbal database,

covering scientific and clinical publications on more than 250 herbs.

ABC also co-produces the "Herbal Insights" segment for Healing Quest,

a television series on PBS, and manages the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical

Adulterants Program, an international consortium of nonprofit and

industry trade organizations, analytical laboratories, industry

members, and other parties committed to increasing educational

information on the quality and authenticity of botanical raw

materials, extracts and essential oils in the global marketplace.

ABC is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.

Information: Contact ABC at P.O. Box 144345, Austin, TX 78714-4345,

Phone: 512-926-4900. Website: www.herbalgram.org. Contact: Public

Relations.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100430/DC95601LOGO

SOURCE American Botanical Council

-0- 03/10/2014

/Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100430/DC95601LOGO

PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

CO: American Botanical Council

IN: HEA BIO MTC

SU: AWD

PRN

-- DC79773 --

0000 03/10/2014 11:00:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

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