Product definition
Plant extracts are plant-based, according to the needs of the use of the extracted final product, through the physical and chemical extraction and separation process, directed acquisition and concentration of one or more active components in the plant, without changing its active component structure. Product formed. According to the different components of the extracted plants, glycosides, acids, polyphenols, polysaccharides, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, etc. are formed; According to different traits, it can be divided into vegetable oil, extract, powder, lens and so on. [ 2]
Market supply and demand
There are many different varieties of plant extracts[ 3] The supply and demand of these products are constantly changing with the year and various market factors. The imbalance between supply and demand occurs from time to time.
1 The impact of product supply on the plant extract industry is due to the fact that raw materials in the plant extract industry are agricultural and forestry products, which are easily affected by factors such as weather, pests and diseases, and planting area. The purchase price and quantity of raw materials in different years will fluctuate. The fluctuation of raw material price makes the price and output of natural plant extract products change to a certain extent, and the market supply and demand are out of balance.
2 Market demand impact
Most production enterprises have limited knowledge of overseas market demand and may lack scientific and long-term accurate judgment on market demand. When the demand of a product market is relatively good, there will be a market imbalance in short term. However, with the dissemination of market information, a large number of enterprises will rush to repeat production, resulting in an oversupply of products.
Alkaloids
It is a kind of complex nitrogen-containing organic compound with special physiological activity and medical effect. For example, ephedrine, which contains ephedrine for asthma, and scopolamine, which contains antispasmodic and analgesic effects, are contained in ephedra.
Glycosides are also called glycosides
It is a combination of sugar and non-sugar substances. The commonality of glycosides is in the sugar part. Different types of glycosides have different physiological activities and have various functions. For example, in the yellow leaves of the ocean, there is a strong heart glycoside, and ginseng contains ginsenosides that complement Qi, biojin, and Anshen.
Volatile oil
Also known as essential oils, it is a mixture of aromatic and volatile oily liquids. It consists of a variety of compounds and has physiological activities. It has many medical effects, such as cough, asthma, sweating, table relief, phlegm, and drive. Wind, analgesia, antibacterial, etc.. Among the medicinal plants, the volatile oil content is rich in Cypress, Magnolia, Xinyi, eucalyptus, cinnamon wolfberry, white Peony, chuanxiong, Angelica, Mint and so on.
Tannin(tannin)
A mixture of polyphenols. It is found in a variety of plants, especially in Yangliuke, Futaceae, Polygonaceae, Rosaceae, Leguminosae, Myrtaceae, and Rubiaceae. The medicinal plant, Saltskin, is known as the gallnut, which contains gallnut tannins and has the effects of convergence, diarrhea, and sweat.
Other components
Such as sugars, amino acids, proteins, enzymes, organic acids, fats, waxes, resins, pigments, inorganic substances, etc., each have special physiological functions, many of which are clinically important drugs.
The concept of plant extract can be accepted and recognized by various countries, and it is also a common expression of the dissemination of herbs in various countries. The export value of Chinese plant extracts exceeded the export value of proprietary Chinese medicines as early as 1999. In Europe and the United States, plant extracts and their products(plant medicines or food supplements) have broad market prospects and have developed into an emerging industry with annual sales of nearly $8 billion.
The plant extracts in our country are intermediate products in general, and they are widely used at present. They are mainly used as raw materials or accessories for pharmaceuticals, health foods, tobacco, cosmetics, etc.. There are also many types of raw material plants used for extraction. At present, there are more than 300 species of plants that have entered the industrial extraction.
Product Effectiveness-Curbing Cancer
American scientists say their study of bladder cancer has demonstrated that green tea extract can effectively inhibit cancer without damaging healthy cells. The team, led by Chinese American scientists, believes green tea extract may be an effective anti-cancer drug.
The results were published the same day in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. Raojianyu, an associate professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who led the study, said their results "improved understanding of the mechanism of green tea extracts." If one knows the mechanism by which green tea extracts contain tumors, one can determine which types of cancer patients will benefit from green tea extracts.
In the paper, the researchers wrote that the development of cancer tumors is closely related to the proliferation of cancer cells. For cancer cells to move, they must start a cell process called actin remodeling. Once the process is activated, cancer cells can invade healthy tissues, causing the tumor to spread. Green tea extract, on the other hand, can disrupt the process of "actin remodeling", which causes cancer cells to stick together and hinder their movement. In addition, it can also enable cancer cells to age faster.
Raojianyu said that cancer cells are "aggressive" and green tea extract breaks its "aggressive" pathway, limiting and "localizing" cancer cells and making cancer treatment and prognosis relatively simple.
Previous studies have shown that green tea extract has effects on many cancers, including bladder cancer, causing premature apoptosis and blocking blood supply to tumor tissue. Raojianyu told Xinhua that some members of their team were testing the effects of green tea extracts on other cancers, such as stomach cancer.
Unlike previous studies, he said, the green tea extract they used was very similar in composition to the green tea they drank, which means that drinking green tea may have some anti-cancer effect, or at least enhance the body's ability to defend against cancer. However, the researchers also believe that they have only tested a limited number of bladder cancer cell lines and that further research is needed to reveal the anti-cancer mechanism of green tea.
Other scientists commented the same day that the findings further confirmed the potential of green tea for cancer prevention and treatment. Especially in the treatment of bladder cancer, the new results help to find the susceptible person of bladder cancer, reduce the incidence rate.
Product efficacy-antioxidant
Since Gomberg proposed the free radical theory in 1900, people's research on free radicals has gradually deepened. Although the antioxidant capacity of traditional synthesis is relatively strong, long-term consumption is potentially toxic, and some even produce teratogenic and carcinogenic effects, so it is increasingly rejected by people. The bee pollen is a pollen particle collected by bees from flowers. It contains flavonoids, vitamins, hormones, nucleic acids, enzymes, and trace elements. It has an anti-aging effect and is a good antioxidant food. The antioxidant effects of Gegen, Duzhongye, <UNK> <UNK>, <UNK> <UNK>, <UNK>, <UNK>, <UNK>, <UNK>, silver apricot, bamboo leaf, lemon, citrus and propolis have been experimentally demonstrated. Therefore, the screening of natural products with antioxidant and free radical removal activities is of great significance to the food and pharmaceutical industries.