Research Services by Plant Bioactives
Research Programs Focus on the Health Effects of Medicinal Plants and Vegetables
Plant Bioactives Research Institute was founded with the purpose of finding ways to prevent and treat human health problems as well as to support products in the marketplace that are helpful in maintaining and improving human health.
The focus of studies has been on the plant kingdom, including medicinal plants (herbs) and vegetables. Medicinal plants have been used for centuries as remedies for human diseases, but the entities (compounds) that account for effects and the mechanisms of actions are generally not well researched and understood. Vegetables are also known to contain compounds that are beneficial to human health, but the way that such compounds work in the human body is not clearly defined. Plant Bioactives Research Institute scientists are working to discover how medicinal plants and vegetables prevent and lessen disease states.
Plant Bioactives Research Institute has a research program studying medicinal plant and vegetable extracts and isolated compounds as cancer preventives. The enzymes and genes that are either induced or repressed are being examined. The immune effects of medicinal plants are also being explored. A recent publication on the immune effects of echinacea seems to be the first in the U.S. (R.A. Burger, A.R. Torres, R.P. Warren, V.D. Caldwell and B.G. Hughes, International Journal of Immunopharmacology, Vol 19, pp. 371 – 379, 1998).
Antiviral effects of medicinal plants and other natural source compounds are another research area at Plant Bioactives Research Institute. Recent research has targeted influenza virus and cold sore virus. In addition, the relative antioxidant strengths of vitamins, minerals, vegetable and vegetable compounds, medicinal plants and medicinal plant compounds are under examination. The antioxidant effects are being studied using oxidizing substances that are thought to contribute to cancer, cardiovascular disease, and a number of other diseases. It is thought that by blocking or trapping these oxidizing substances that a number of diseases might be prevented or mitigated.
To explore the possibility of conducting a research project at Plant Bioactives Research Institute, please contact us with your request.