Zembrin Wins Most Sustainable Ingredient Award

MORRISTOWN, N.J.Zembrin®, developed by HG&H Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and commercialized by P.L. Thomas & Co, Inc., received the Annual Functional Ingredients Magazine Editor's Choice Award for Most Sustainable Ingredient at the Engredea show in Anaheim, Calif., in March.

South African-produced Zembrin is an extract of a cultivated elite selection of the indigenous plant Sceletium tortuosum. Zembrin has been sustainably developed for more than a decade and is the recipient of Africa's first "prior informed consent benefit-sharing agreement" with a South African indigenous community. Under terms of the agreement, 6% of all income from Zembrin will be shared with the San Council that formally agreed to allocate 50% of their share with the villagers who provided input on plant selection and dosing that were pivotal to the initial research and development on Zembrin.

Zembrin also has been granted the first ever export permit from the South African government, being in full compliance under the Biodiversity Act.

A growing body of evidence supports use of Zembrin for multiple benefits, including cognitive function, focus, improved mood and reduced stress. The first of three clinical studies, published in the February issue of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, demonstrate safety and tolerability of 8 and 25 mg doses of Zembrin in a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 37 healthy adults for three months. In addition to both doses being well-tolerated, the researchers noted "unsolicited positive effects on well-being were noted in patient diaries by some participants taking extract Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin), including improved coping with stress and sleep." Two additional trials are being submitted for publication describing the positive benefits of Zembrin on cognitive function and stress reduction.