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Wakunaga Receives ABC's 7th Annual Varro E. Tyler Phytomedicinal Research Award
(AUSTIN, Texas, March
10, 2014) 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 Extract®.
“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 companies producing botanically based products 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
Amin Talati
Christie Communications
ChromaDex
EuroPharma
Grifcon Enterprises
Horphag Research
Indena USA
Martin Bauer Group
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MegaFood
Natural Factors Nutritional Products
New Chapter
New Hope Natural Media
PlusPharma
RFI Ingredients
Traditional Medicinals
United Natural Products Alliance
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