FIRST SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE OF THE MEDICINAL VALUE OF THE INDIGENOUS SUTHERLANDIA PLANT

Two South African universities have found the first important new scientific evidence of pharmacological and physiological activity in the well-known indigenous medicinal plant Sutherlandia.

The two studies by leading independent South African academics have demonstrated that a particular cultivated variety of the plant, known as Sutherlandia SU1TM - unique to and cultivated by Cape Town-based natural products company Phyto Nova - does indeed have potential health applications.

University of Stellenbosch researchers found in laboratory tests that Sutherlandia SU1 is a true adaptogen, capable of maintaining the body's stress hormones at a level where it functions optimally. Professor Kathy Myburgh of the Department of Physiological Science says that this is the first laboratory to provide scientific evidence of Sutherlandia's stress- relieving properties, and validates Indigenous Knowledge.

The tests were conducted by Carine Smith, a PhD student at the University of Stellenbosch and Professor Myburgh and the study has been accepted for publication this year by the South African Journal of Science.

Professor Myburgh adds: "The results show that Sutherlandia can reduce some of the negative physiological effects of chronic stress."

At the University of Pretoria's Department of Pharmacology Professor Connie Medlen (CEJ. van Rensburg) and her team tested the SU1 strain of Sutherlandia and found it to be a very potent anti-oxidant. This research paper has been accepted for publication by the international peer-reviewed Journal of Ethnopharmacology.

Professor Medlen explains that the over-production of oxidants results in oxidative stress and inflammation which are common to many disease processes, such as asthma, allergy, auto-immune diseases and infectious diseases. "This preliminary finding may indicate that Sutherlandia could potentially be of benefit in the treatment of diseases associated with an over-production of oxidants", she says.

The laboratory studies suggest that Sutherlandia SU1TM would be a good candidate plant to be studied in a formal clinical trial. Phyto Nova's Professor Ben-Erik van Wyk from the Rand Afrikaans University's Department of Botany (and co-author with Professor Michael Wink of the recently published book Medicinal Plants of the World) says that for African plants to become empowered and well known internationally, scientific evidence of safety and efficacy is of the utmost importance.

Van Wyk says: "The first scientific evidence of physiological activity in Sutherlandia is exciting. Not only does it confirm traditional forms of use, but also sets the scene for numerous similar studies in the future".

The prelude to a clinical trial in humans includes a formal safety evaluation of the plant, which has already been completed. A safety study by the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) in 2002 found that the SU1 variety of the Sutherlandia plant had no significant toxicity.

Scientists from the University of British Columbia in Canada have also been actively researching potential anticancer activities of the plant in laboratory studies (using a Sutherlandia extract from a Phyto Nova Sutherlandia tablet). Their preliminary findings were published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology earlier this year .

Dr. Carl Albrecht, well known cancer researcher and Director of Research at Phyto Nova says that this is the first scientific evidence that Sutherlandia could indeed have anti-cancer potential. "I was unaware of the study on the SU1 material. The results are promising and further studies may support Sutherlandia being called the Cancerbush or Kankerbos over the last 105 years".

According to Professor van Wyk, the studies on Sutherlandia "may be the beginning of a trend where more and more focus will be placed on the scientific evaluation of African plants."

Issued and prepared by : Nicole Capper Consulting on behalf of Phyto Nova

For media queries contact: Nicole Capper on 021-425 5825 or 073 148 356

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