MOVANA™ Is Dietary Supplement With 50 Percent More Hyperforin
Ridgefield, CT--Sept. 16, 1998--Clinical research has shown what may be a key to St. John's Wort's power, a component called hyperforin, which is now widely available in the U.S. in an advanced extract of St. John's Wort found in a new product called MOVANA™, Pharmaton Natural Health Products announced today.
"This discovery is extremely exciting for people seeking a dependable route to a positive outlook on life," said Derrick DeSilva Jr., MD, a practicing internist who teaches at JFK Medical Center in Edison, NJ, and is author of Ask The Doctor: Herbs & Supplements for Better Health (Interweave Press 1997).
"While previous clinical studies have shown St. John's Wort is effective, questions remained about the identity of the active component and how it relates to efficacy. These studies on the extract in MOVANA™ help answer those questions."
The yellow-flowered plant with the Latin name Hypericum perforatum has been heralded for decades for its ability to balance emotions. More recently, scientists found it played a role in the transmission of brain signals through gaps in the nerve known as synapses. The transmission requires the release and then re-uptake of chemical bridges known as neurotransmitters. St. John's Wort was shown to inhibit the re-uptake of neurotransmitters such as serotonin (attributed to feelings of cheerfulness and calm, researchers say), noradrenaline (alertness and energy) and dopamine (sociability). By promoting normal levels of neurotransmitters, St. John's Wort helps maintain positive emotions.
The finding that hyperforin is one of the main active components of St. John's Wort is so significant that Pharmacopsychiatry, a prestigious German journal of clinical pharmacology and psychiatry, recently devoted an entire supplemental issue to hyperforin. It includes several recent clinical studies that show hyperforin may be the compound responsible for inhibiting neurotransmitter reuptake - rather than the compound hypericin as previously believed. One of the studies also shows that St. John's Wort with a higher hyperforin content is more effective.
In a randomized, double-blind placebo controlled study, published in Pharmacopsychiatry (June 1998), a group of 147 people took either a St. John's Wort extract with 5 percent hyperforin, one with 0.5 percent hyperforin or a placebo. At the end of the six-week trial, those taking the highest hyperforin dose showed the most positive results. Of those taking 5 percent hyperforin, 70 percent reported their condition was much or very much improved. That compares with 55 percent of those taking the 0.5 percent extract and 48 percent of those taking placebo.
Another study in the issue shows that a higher hyperforin content produces greater brain wave activity. In the double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled parallel-group trial, 54 people took either placebo or St. John's Wort extracts with equal hypericin content but different hyperforin content (5 percent vs. 0.5 percent). After eight days, those who took the higher hyperforin showed the greatest changes in delta, theta and alpha-1 brain wave activity. Scientists hypothesize that this is physical evidence that hyperforin is inhibiting the re-uptake of seratonin, noradrenaline and dopamine.
Stabilization Breakthrough For Fragile Compound
Hyperforin is an extremely fragile compound that typically degrades rapidly. MOVANA™ employs a special patent-pending process to stabilize its hyperforin to a minimum of 3 percent - a full 50 percent higher than most other brands.
"With MOVANA™ you can be sure that when you want to maintain your sense of well-being, you are getting the help you expect each and every time," said Robert Carraher, executive director of marketing at Pharmaton Natural Health Products, a division of Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
St. John's Wort has a strong record of safety and effectiveness in Europe where it has been popular for over 15 years and has been used with no serious side effects. The extract is made from the flowers and leaves of the plant, which blooms around June 24, the birthday of St. John the Baptist.
MOVANA™ is being marketed to adults who want to maintain a normal sense of well being, motivation and positive outlook on life even during times of stress and low-light seasons.
People who are taking a prescription medicine or pregnant or nursing women should speak with their physician before taking this or any other dietary supplement. Those with fair or sensitive skin who take this product should avoid prolonged direct sunlight or should use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or more, as photosensitivity may occur.
The mood support supplement is available in food, drug and mass merchandise outlets. The 300-mg tablets should be taken three times daily. Optimal effectiveness has been shown in as little as two weeks with continued use.
For additional information on MOVANA™, call 1 (877) 4-MOVANA (1 (877) 466-8262) or visit our website at http://www.movana.com.
Pharmaton Natural Health Products, of Ridgefield, CT, is committed to bringing safe, effective, standardized, clinically tested, dietary supplements to the U.S. marketplace. As a leader in the category, the company's mission is to enhance the reputation and growth of the natural health care industry as a whole. Part of that charge is to adhere to the guidelines set forth in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) and to self-police the industry for unfair or misleading marketing tactics. Pharmaton Natural Health Products is the U.S. consumer products division of Boehringer Ingelheim
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and is part of the Boehringer Ingelheim worldwide group of companies, based in Ingelheim-on-the-Rhine, Germany. Boehringer Ingelheim is a major pharmaceutical, chemical and animal health company with operations in 160 countries around the world. Currently, its GINKOBA and GINSANA brands are among the top-selling brands in the United States.
Contact:
Barbara Goldberg
Creamer Dickson Basford
(212) 367-6849 (o)
(212) 595-4977 (h)
James Heins
For Pharmaton
Natural Health Products
(203) 798-4715
Editor's Note: Product photography available upon request.
The statements presented here have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. MOVANA™ is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.