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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.
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SOURCE American Botanical Council
-0- 03/10/2014
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