Grant to Study Feverfew for Migraine Prevention
Awarded to Phyto-Technologies, Inc.
Phyto-Technologies, Inc., an herbal products company located in
Woodbine, Iowa, has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) grant by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine to study feverfew [Tanacetum parthenium (L.)
Schultz Bip.] for migraine prevention. This is the second year
of Phase II of Grant 5 R44 AT000770-03: Reproducible Feverfew
Preparations for Migraine Trials that is being fully funded
in the amount of $690,337.
Dr. Albert Y. Leung, Phyto-Technologies’ president, is the
Principal Investigator. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Dr.
Leung is a classical pharmacognosist trained at the University
of Michigan. He is well-known in the herbal industry as an
outspoken advocate for herbal product quality and safety. Dr.
Dennis V.C. Awang, of MediPlant, Inc., an expert in the chemistry
of feverfew, is the Co-Principal Investigator.
The study focuses on identification, characterization, standardization,
and manufacture of reproducible feverfew preparations to be used
in clinical trials. Phase I research focused on developing
unique multifaceted physicochemical techniques for the identification
and characterization of feverfew selections, potential adulterants,
and feverfew materials used in previous clinical trials. Phase
II research utilizes these techniques, complemented by biological
and genetic assays, to identify, characterize, and standardize
feverfew preparations with the most anti-migraine potential for
clinical trials.
According to Dr. Leung, many herbal products do not work because
there are presently no truly meaningful and/or relevant standards
for herbs and their extracts, resulting in the current general
lack of uniform quality of herbal products. “Our research
will, for the first time in the history of herbal medicine, provide
a meaningful and workable model to control the quality of not only
feverfew products, but also herbal products in general.”
Phyto-Technologies specializes in herb research and in custom
formulation/manufacture of Chinese herbal products for private-label
distribution. “Our approach to herbal technology is to combine
appropriate science with tradition that is necessary to retain
the total benefits of traditional herbs,” stated Dr. Leung. “And
our consistent advocation and success in defining herb quality
has made Phyto-Technologies a recognized leader in the proper modernization
of traditional Chinese medicine,” added Mr. Darin Smith,
Phyto-Technologies’ Vice President and General Manager.
For further information on the feverfew grant and an interview with
Dr. Leung, please call Terry Jinks at 773.342.7808. Chinese
please call 712-647-2563. For Dr. Leung’s bio and article
on traditional Chinese medicine, go to www.earthpower.com |