Afrigetics

Sceletium, potent mood booster Written By Chris Kilham Published January 26, 2012 FoxNews.com

steve@afrigetics.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:42:40 +0000

Among the many thousands of plants used medicinally around the world, about a hundred or so are mind and mood-modifying. Now, a plant from South Africa has made its way to North America, and it too promises significant mind enhancing effects.

Sceletium tortuosum, known by the native San people of South Africa as “Kanna,” enjoys a long history of native use – as early as 1662. The San people used to pick the plant, bury it to ferment it, then dry it. Once dried, sceletium was eaten, used as a snuff or even smoked, to produce its potent effects. The plant was also sometimes used as currency.

A good way to describe the effects of sceletium is through a simple metaphor. Think of your mind as a reasonably well-tuned four cylinder engine. About half an hour after consuming between 50 – 100 milligrams of sceletium, your mind is more like a twelve cylinder, turbo-charged racing engine. Soon your mind is overcome with startling clarity, a feeling that anything is possible, and a seemingly endless capacity for ideas and mental work. If coffee is a pick-me-up, sceletium is a jet ride to mental brilliance.

The staggering effects of sceletium seem primarily due to a group of alkaloids, notably mesembrine, mesembrenol and tortuosamine. These compounds interact with receptors in the brain, enhancing the production of dopamine, which is our primary inner pleasure chemical, and prolonging the activity of serotonin, a critically important mood compound. The net effect of sceletium ingestion is a feeling of tremendous well being, heightened awareness, mental alertness and a keen-mindedness that is quite pronounced.

But there is far more than just a feel good effect and terrific mental stimulation to sceletium. The plant appears to be a first-rate anti-depressant and anti-anxiety aid. It could potentially be used by people with low mental energy, mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety disorder.

In one study of the effects of sceletium reported in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, the main alkaloids of the plant demonstrated the capacity to extend the activity of serotonin. This activity, known as SSRI, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibition, is essentially how pharmaceutical antidepressant drugs work. The difference with sceletium is that it is a multi-compound plant and does not appear to demonstrate comparable hazardous effects of antidepressants, which can include gastrointestinal disorders, loss of sex drive, insomnia and exacerbated depression.

One major difference between sceletium and other agents used to manage depression or anxiety is that sceletium is available as an herbal supplement and does not require a prescription. Most people tolerate sceletium well, although there are some reports of mild headaches among users.

In its long history of use, no significant adverse effects of sceletium have been noted. This makes sceletium a worthy candidate for consideration in cases of depression and anxiety. Is sceletium a miracle cure? No. Will sceletium erase all cases of depression and anxiety? No. But sceletium will likely enjoy a significant spot in the market as an unusually effective mind and mood enhancer, and a good first option for mild to moderate mood disorders.

Review Afrigetics Botanicals Sceletium Portfolio

Book Review: Green Gold

steve@afrigetics.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:56:29 +0000

GREEN GOLD – Success Stories Using Southern African Plant Species
A new book by AAMPS Publishing outlines 10 key commercial species of African plants that have been successfully traded internationally. One new African species used in popular childrens cough remedy Umcka Cold Care (by Natures Way) is documented in this book, as are several other species such as Aloe ferox and buchu.
Short description:
“Medicinal plants and plant-derived medicine are widely used in traditional cultures all over the world and they are becoming increasingly popular in modern society as natural alternatives to synthetic chemicals. It is a fact that many cultures throughout the world still rely on indigenous medicinal plants for the primary health care needs. To date, 25% of modern medicines are derived from plants that have been used by traditional medical practitioners. The aim of this unique book is to provide scientific, technical and socio-economic data on ten medicinal plants that have been successfully commercialized in South and East Africa and which the authors believe offer considerable further scope for wealth creation and employment. These profiles provide concrete examples of the “green gold” that lies waiting to be developed in Southern Africa. This book will be of special interest to all those involved in the production and trade in botanical products, pharmaceutical, food supplement and cosmetic industries, plant conservation agencies, national and international plant research centers, Intellectual Property rights lawyers and organizations, university departments studying development, and all those interested in understanding the Convention on Biodiversity.”

Get it on AMAZON:

Afrigetics Botanicals trades in all species listed in this book. We have a benefit sharing agreement with the San of Southern Africa, we are licensed sellers of protected species (incl CITES) and are midway through the process of completing our bio-prospecting agreement. Contact us for more information abut any of these plants for research or commercial use: sales@afrigetics.com

Afrigetics Launches Kalahari Salt with Sunfood.com

steve@afrigetics.com — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:31:53 +0000

In 2011, Afrigetics introduced Sunfood Nutrition (sunfood.com) to our new product, Kalahari Salt.
Sunfood saw potential for our award winning product and promptly added it to their range of gourmet salts.
Here’s what they have to say about it:

Introducing Kalahari Desert Salt
Salt is an essential part of life. In fact, life is not possible without salt. Our bodies mostly consist of a mixture of water and salt. In fact, our blood has about the same percentage of salt as the ocean. Many of our body’s most simple actions require salt. For example, the act of thinking requires the elements potassium and sodium from salt. Without salt, not even a single thought is possible. Salt is also the basis for everything from triggering the production of saliva and digestive juices to maintaining the electrolyte balance inside and outside our cells. But we don’t want to get this essential element from just anywhere. Salt has become big, big business and the quality has suffered to a dangerous extreme.
Whole Salt vs Table Salt
For being such an essential part of life, salt has gained quite a bad reputation. But this is because, like so many other foods, modern day salt has become a highly-refined industrial commodity, massively altered from its original, health-giving state. Salt has gone from a sacred substance, full of minerals and trace elements and called the “white gold of the Earth”, to a mass produced, fine white, poisonous powder now called “table salt” or NaCl, pure sodium chloride. In fact the vast majority (93%) of salt produced today is for industrial purposes, like making laundry detergents or plastics, which require pure sodium chloride. Sodium chloride is an aggressive substance that is very difficult for our bodies to deal with and causes our organs to work overtime, which in the long run can lead to many different types of disease.Kalahari Desert Salt is much more than just sodium chloride. Kalahari salt contains vital minerals and trace elements, and is especially high in potassium, magnesium and sulfur. Iodine content is zero due to the fact that it is an inland salt, not a sea salt. Click here to see the full mineral analysis of Kalahari Desert Salt.

Treasure of the Kalahari
Kalahari salt is harvested deep in Africa in an area that has never been inhabited or used for industry. In the pristine Kalahari Desert of South Africa, three underground streams converge on a layer of pure salt deposits untouched by man. The pure water dissolves the salt and creates a brine solution that is then gently dried by the desert Sun. What remains are the pure, mineral rich crystals of Kalahari Desert Salt.

Kalahari tribe throws weight at Unilever over hoodia rejection

steve@afrigetics.com — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:24:44 +0000

By Shane Starling, 19-Dec-2011

South Africa’s San people say food giant Unilever was working off inaccurate research data when it decided to bin a €20m investment in hoodia gordonii, the Kalahari cactus the San have used for centuries to curb hunger pangs.

CSIR has pooled research about hoodia while the San people have attacked a damning study that prompted Unilever to drop its €20m hoodia project

The South African San Council (SASC) last week released a statement that said inaccurate data about levels of P57 – which some research suggests is the primary satiety-delivering glyceride of hoodia – were partly to blame for Unilever’s 2008 decision. Media reporting of the trial was also unbalanced, it said.

The statement comes as the country’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) publishes a summary of 14 clinical trials conducted between 1999 and 2003 – where mostly supplements rather than liquids were studied – that showed the cactus extracts were, “generally safe and well tolerated”.

“Commercialisation of Hoodia gordonii as a dietary supplement has created major interest around the world and further development of hoodia as a functional food for management of weight remains important,” said CSIR technology manager, Dr Vinesh Maharaj.

Dr Maharaj told NutraIngredients that CSIR, which recently re-acquired IP around the extract from former holder, UK start-up, Phytopharm, was actively seeking licensing partners.

“The development going forward requires clinical studies which are typically multi-million rand investments. The clinical studies have not been scoped yet, so no precise budgets are available at this stage,” he said.

“The CSIR does not have a budget for further development [but] will engage with all stakeholders, public funding institutions and potential licensees to support further development.”

A summary of the 14 trials, which include those conducted by Phytopharm and original license holder, Pfizer, can be found here.

P57 levels

SASC said some of the initial information around the 2008 Unilever trial that ultimately led to its withdrawal did not specify P57 quantities, rather generalising that glyceride content was about 80%. There are more than 20 glycerides in hoodia.

“That is what was claimed by the CSIR and what fuelled the commerciality of hoodia in the first place,” SASC said. “If the actives are not quantified nor standardised and ensured throughout the trial, the outcomes are fatally flawed.”

It said heat treatment and the liquid application form employed in the trial contributed to a lower level of P57 than may have otherwise been present.

“It was confirmed that P57 was not stable in a liquid suspension and that the entire active compound settled to the bottom of the liquid medium,” SASC said.

Flawed?

Chairman Andries Steenkamp added that the double blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in 2008 and published this year in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was flawed.

“It was not a cross over study and therefore no comments on clinical reverence or relevance to things like blood pressure should be made as there is no cross over comparison data,” he said.

But a Unilever spokesperson reiterated its earlier position in stating: “Unilever terminated its hoodia gordonii project in 2008 after clinical research found that using hoodia gordonii extract in a Unilever-branded product would not meet our high standards for safety and efficacy. This research has now been published in the AJCN.”

The researchers in question noted hoodia, “was less well tolerated than was the placebo because of episodes of nausea, emesis, and disturbances of skin sensation. Blood pressure, pulse, heart rate, bilirubin, and alkaline phosphatase showed significant increases in the [hoodia] group.”

But they added: “More knowledge of the mechanisms, sites of action, and active components of [hoodia] is required before a final conclusion can be drawn regarding the potential use of [hoodia] as a viable-candidate functional food ingredient targeted at aiding weight management.”

FLORA Labs Bulbine natalensis Verification for Afrigetics Botanicals.

ryan — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 08:18:29 +0000

Bulbine natalensis verification

Flora Labs LLC from Oregon has recently completed the world’s first Bulbine natalensis verification. Bulbine natalensis is an indigenous African plant that is traditionally used in South Africa. The tuber is brewed as a tea and taused to improve potency in men (as an aphrodisiac), however it is also used for the treatment of immune deficiency, probably due to the high concentration of saponins. Recent research suggests that it could help to boost testosterone levels and decrease oestrogen levels.

Afrigetics Botanicals and Bulbine natalensis:
In Ocotber 2010, Afrigetics Botanicals was casked by a USA-based sports nutrition company to to create a Bulbine natalensis extract. We based our extract method on some of the original research and traditional methods of consumption using the stem of mature Bulbine natalensis plants. the extraction process included cold-water soaking, sonication and freeze-drying to produce a 5:1 powder extract. This extract was tested on two subjects and showed a 35% rise in testosterone levels after 18 days at 320mg/day. Subsequent in-house tests by other customers using our Bulbine 5:1 have shown promising results with improving testosterone levels in the body.
In Feb 2011 we prepared a voucher specimen of Bulbine natalensis for Flora Labs in the USA to help develop a Bulbine natalensis verification, which was completed in June 2011. We have subsequently supplied Flora Labs with alternate Bulbine species which may be incorrectly traded as Bulbine natalensis in order for them to improve the depth of their verication method and help industry members to authenticate their Bulbine natalensis raw material and extracts.

Now that the market has a Bulbine natalensis verification, many companies can test the authenticity of this hard-to-find botanical. This reduces the possibilities of people selling fake Bulbine natalensis and improves the lifespan of the ingredient. A Bulbine natalensis verication also helps the ingredient to have a more stable future on the market for ingredients and offers a degree of protection for this exciting new product. Thanks Flora Labs!

Preview the verification report here:

Bulbine NANBN001-002 Verification

VISION, MISSION, VALUES

ryan — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:02:58 +0000

“We believe that botanical resources in Africa may hold the key to major medical and health ailments and we want to be at the forefront of these discoveries…”

Our VISION, MISSION, VALUES

OUR VISION: Afrigetics is building a business that will help to introduce the world to the vast botanical resources available in Africa. We are focused on promoting long-term, sustainable harvesting of botanical resources that will create new markets for rural communities to earn income and facilitate the growth in the manufacturing sector for indigenous African herbal products. We are dedicated to researching and saving the traditional knowledge of African traditional healers and creating channels through which minority communities can derive benefit sharing from the plants that are commercially successful. We believe that botanical resources in Africa may hold the key to major medical and health ailments that are currently ‘incurable’ and we want to be at the forefront of these discoveries. We plan to become the leading supplier and industry expert on indigenous botanical herbal extracts and commercially viable indigenous foods. Our vision is to grow this business into a strong link in the supply chain for these products in the future in a way that respects the earth and its indigenous knowledge systems whilst also being financially profitable and ethical in our pursuits. Our clients should share our values of sustainability and ethical business practices so that we can jointly create a blueprint for sustainable trade in these botanical ingredients from Southern Africa.

Our Values: We believe that through these values, we will achieve our success:
+ Ecological sensitivity: We believe that the earth is experiencing extreme strain due to over-consumption of its natural resources in a non-sustainable way. We are committed to the practice of sustainable wild harvesting which ensures that future generations have an endless supply of the resources.
+ Community sustainability: through benefit-sharing of the profits made from botanical resources, the communities who showed us these plants through their indigenous knowledge are able to derive financial benefit for their own development initiatives.
+ Research-driven products: There are many African scientists producing research on the botanical resources of Africa. We follow this research and choose the botanicals that are scientifically backed.
+ International standards: African manufacturing can be excellent; the world just needs to see more of it. We are committed to international protocols such as HACCP and ISO as well as international standards of botanical identification (HPLC).
+ Internet-driven; we use the Internet as a platform for marketing, sales and communication by following the trends and strategy of previously successful business models and new emerging success stories. We will earn from these cases and apply them directly to our own business.
+ Strong Value System: We will do business in a way that is honest, fair, ethical and upright to the best of our ability at all times so that everything we do is an extension of these values. We believe in the sacredness of all life and the spiritual responsibility that we have to protect, preserve and improve the botanical wisdom of Africa.

MISSION: AFRIGETICS is a botanical ingredient supplier specializing in African indigenous botanicals. We are committed to developing the supply chains for botanicals that show promise as potentially commercial ingredients in the international pharmaceutical and wellness markets.
We have developed and continue to develop a range of African botanical extracts that are compliant with international production standards, that fit into the major high-sales categories of our buyers (weigh-loss, sports nutrition, immune support) and are well-priced and comparable in efficiency to similar competitive products available on the market.

Our retail products which consist of African foods and herbs (Bushman’s Wild Food TM) already match the standards set in the health food and herbal supplements industry abroad and are packaged according to the specifications set by the market. With these retail products we intend to continue our distribution into the US market, particularly in California and to build our representation in the major health and nutraceutical chain stores such as Wholefoods in the USA.
Our mission is to introduce the world to the botanical resources in Africa through research, innovation and quality, with a particular emphasis on sustainable and fair trade as emphasized in our benefit sharing agreement with the San people of South Africa. Our primary marketing tools are the Internet and international trade shows – through these two tools we are able to communicate with our customer base and grow into a mature and profitable company.

FREEZE DRIED SPROUT POWDERS

ryan — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 09:17:24 +0000

Freeze dried sprout powders perfectly preserve the incredible nutrients in sprouts.
These powders are made from sprouted legumes and seeds which are freeze-dried and gently milled into a powder, preserving the live enzymes and delicate nutrients close to their pristine form. These powders are rich in enzymes, nutrients and chlorophyll and are a perfect ingredients for capsules or for wholefood powder supplements. They can also be used as an ingredient for smoothies.

Glycine max	Soybean	Sprouted, freeze-dried, milled/whole
Helianthus annuus	Sunflower	Sprouted, freeze-dried, milled/whole
Hordeum vulgare	Barley	Sprouted, freeze-dried, milled/whole
Linum usitatissimum	Flax/Linseed	Sprouted, freeze-dried, milled/whole
Lupinus albus	Lupin (White lupin)	Sprouted, freeze-dried, milled/whole
Trigonella foenum-graceum	Fenugreek	Sprouted, freeze-dried, milled/whole

So why freeze dried sprout powders?
Sprouting the seeds breaks nutrients down into their simplified form. EG: Proteins begin to be broken down into amino acids, carbohydrates into simple sugars, fats into fatty acids, while minerals chelate or combine with proteins. This significantly improves digestion and assimilation. This is why sprouted foods are considered to be ‘pre-digested’.

The actual content of the nutrients dramatically increases during the soaking and sprouting process. Proteins, vitamins, minerals and enzymes increase 300-1200%. For example, the zinc present in Alfalfa sprouts increases from 6.8mg per 100g to 18mg per 100g.

Enzymes inhibitors, phytic and oxalic acids and mineral chelates are washed away during the soaking and sprouting process. These chemicals interfere with digestion and assimilation.

Sprouts also contain chlorophyll which protects against radiation.

Email us for more information about these wonderful new products: info@afrigetics.com

BULK BOTANICAL INGREDIENTS

ryan — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:09:27 +0000

Bulk Herbs Our bulk herbs are steam sterilized (on request) and then processed at low temperatures to ensure good color and careful preservation of active ingredients. They are milled and sieved according to your specification, then packed in 20kg double-lined, sealed agricultural bags with options for palletization and shrink-wrapping for export by sea/air. All goods are accompanied with standard QC documents.
Plant Name	Common name	Form
Aloe ferox	Cape Aloe/ Bitter Aloe	Milled leaf powder, gel, bitter crystals.
Aloe arborescens	Aloe Green Leaf Powder	Milled leaf powder.
Andansonia digitata	Baobab	Fruit powder.
Aspalathus linearis	Rooibos	Various tea cuts
Bulbine natalensis	Bulbine	Milled stem powder.
Catharanthus roseus	Madagascar Periwinkle	Milled leaf powder.
Centella asiatica	Pennywort	Milled leaf powder.
Cyclopia intermedia	Honeybush	Various tea cuts.
Eriosema kraussianum	Bangalala	Milled tuber powder
Harpargophytum procumbens	Devil’s Claw	Milled tuber powder, slices
Hoodia gordonii	Hoodia	Milled stem powder, slices
Lobostemon fruticosus	Lobostemon	Milled leaf and flowers
Mondia whitei	White Ginger	Milled tuber powder.
Nerium oleander	Rose laurel	To specification.
Pelargonium sidoides	Umckaloabo	Milled tuber powder, dried tuber
Sceletium tortuosum	Kanna	Milled powder.
Sclerocarya birrea	Marula	Kernels.
Shinus molle	Pink Peppercorn	Dried berries.
Shinus terebinthifolius	Brazilian Peppercorn.	Dried berries.
Sutherlandia fructescens	Cancer Bush	Dried leaf powder.

*Our bulk botanicals are sustainably sourced, with care for the environment and its inhabitants.*

BOTANICAL EXTRACTS

ryan — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 07:56:47 +0000

We are botanical extracts suppliers, spcialising in African botanicals.
Afrigetics botanicals offers a range of powder extracts using ultrasonic extraction combined with freeze-drying.
This advanced process ensures a final product that has high amounts of active ingredients, healthier levels of living nutrients and a longer shelf life. Ultrasonic extraction also has a lower carbon footprint and contains no other ingredients or solvents making it a viable and holisitic alternative to alcohol extraction and spray-drying.

These are the current extracts we offer:

Plant Name	Function	Actives
Bulbine natalensis	Strong testosterone stimulant.	PE 5:1
Griffonia seed	Serotonin precursor (anxiety, ADHD, weight loss).	12.5% 5-HTP
Irvingia gabonensis	Weight loss, Leptin resistance	9.4% Total Proteins
Harpargophytum procumbens	Pain relief, analgesic	3% Harpagosides
Hoodia gordonii	Appetite suppressant, weight loss, blood sugar control.	0.3% P57
Pelargonium sidoides	Cold and flu remedy.	Umckalin 100ppm
Sceletium tortuosum	Anti-depressant, natural sleeping aid, anti-anxiety (SSRI).	3% Total Alkaloids
Sutherlandia fructescens	Anti-viral, general health tonic.	PE 3:1

All extracts are substantiated with 3rd party lab results and accompanied with detailed CoA’s (bulk density, moisture, HPLC result, micro, heavy metals + others requested).
Please contact us for samples and pricing information: sales@afrigetics.com

Sial Show in Paris

ryan — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:03:45 +0000

Afrigetics cc and Bushmans Wild Food TM recently attended the 2010 Sial Global food marketplace Show in Paris from the 17th to the 22nd of October. Steve Hurt, owner of Afrigetics cc was part of an SMME business delegation selected by SEDA (Small Enterprise Development Association) to attend the show with the aim of introducing South African businesses to the European food marketplace. Our delegation joined the South African pavilion hosted by the DTI where we met with the expertly trained business consultants from both DTI, SEDA and the SA consulate in France who all assisted with information on the European food market. The scale of the show is remarkable, in fact it’s the biggest global food show in Europe with 185 visitor countries, 5700 exhibiton stands and 148,000 visitors which included 1500 journalists. Sial represents the best of the industry in all food categories and this is exactly why Afrigetics was attending. Afrigetics now has the opportunity to develop an organic food product, made from African ingredients, to be sold and distributed in the European market and we will be gearing up to launch this new product at the next big show in Europe which is Anuga, in Germany. Thanks to SEDA’s Teresa Jardim and Paul Hoffman for their assistance in helping Afrigetics to attend.