Herbal Extracts Plus is pleased to inform our readers that since June of 2006, we have been participating in a shared scientific project with the University of Oklahoma and its Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.  Herbal Extracts Plus (HEP) continues to supply raw herbal materials for the purpose of preparing and analyzing phytochemical extracts in controlled bioassays.

The studies are being conducted by the University's Natural Products Discovery Group, headed by Robert H. Cichewicz, Ph.D., and Dr. Cichewicz has described the upcoming studies:

"I am a new natural products chemist at the University of Oklahoma .  My research is focused on the discovery of new naturally-derived compounds that could be used for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, cancer and diabetes.  We currently have developed new assays in my lab to identify extracts from plants and fungi that protect cells from Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases as well as prion ("mad cow") type disorders.  Other assays are in development or carried out through collaborations.  

"I was very impressed with your selection of dried bulk herbs.  At this time, I am interested in screening as many herbs as possible to see if they can offer protective effects from these diseases.

"My current plan is to prepare extracts of each herb (total organic constituents) and then run these in the bioassays.  The assays that will be initially used are for Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases as well as prion-based ailments.  Extracts will also be tested for cancer and diabetes with collaborators.  Any hits that are identified will be followed up with a second round of small scale testing to reconfirm.  All initial assays are performed in a 96-well format and require very little extract to test.  Good leads will be pursued for large-scale (kilogram) isolation work to try to identify the bioactive components (if possible).  This should give further information for product standardization.  Another possible outcome is that the extracts will have antagonistic properties and enhance cell death in these model systems.  If so, this information should serve as important contraindication data."

Herbal Extracts Plus is proud to be the company selected to participate in these scientific studies. Moreover, we also enthusiastically plan to introduce individual herbals and natural herbal formulations that have been used traditionally in skin cancer care with great success. We hope the University's studies will help to define (and even confirm) why these products have worked so effectively, so that these products may be introduced to the consumer with a complete scientific perspective as to "how and why" they have been used so successfully in alternative medicine.

Herbal Extracts Plus
The Staff