Press Release - 2020

Sabinsa’s Curcumin C3 Complex^®, the #1 clinically studied curcumin brand on the market, is the subject of a recently published study on its effect, combined with BioPerine^®, on serum cytokine concentrations. Effects of supplementation with curcuminoids on serum adipokines in critically ill patients: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial was published in the peer-reviewed journal Phytotherapy Research.

In this clinical trial, researchers studied the effects of the administration of Curcumin C3 Complex and BioPerine in combination on the levels of the cytokines leptin and adiponectin in critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). In a total of sixty-two patients, supplementation with 500 mg C3 Complex and 5 mg BioPerine daily showed a statistically significant decrease in the pro-inflammatory cytokine leptin in the treatment group compared with the placebo group.

While leptin is often associated with food intake and energy expenditure, its importance in aging conditions, serious illness, and stressful injuries is increasingly recognized.

Simultaneously the researchers also monitored the levels of the beneficial anti-inflammatory cytokine adiponectin. They commented that the increase in adiponectin did not reach statistical significance, presumably due to the short 7-day duration of this trial. They also pointed to other trial results in which longer durations of curcuminoids administration resulted in adiponectin level increases.

“We are happy to see the utility of C3 Complex with BioPerine in controlling the expression of cytokines in TBI patients,” said Sabinsa Founder and Chairman Dr. Muhammed Majeed. “It is heartening to note that there were only benefits and no adverse side effects for this group of subjects, further attesting to our ingredient's safety.”

The study may be accessed here: https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6749

Sabinsa founder and chairman Dr. Muhammed Majeed presents check to PM CARES Fund.

From Left to Right: Ms. Neeraja Shetty, CEO and Director, Sami Labs; Dr. Muhammed Majeed, Founder and Chairman, Sami-Sabinsa Group; Dr. Anju Majeed, Director and Sr. Scientist, Sami Labs; and Shaheen Majeed, President Worldwide, Sabinsa and Director, Sami Labs

The Dr. Majeed Foundation, a non-profit institution established by Dr. Muhammed Majeed, Founder and Chairman of Sami-Sabinsa Group, has channeled significant support to people impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic through contributions to organizations and its own community outreach programs to vulnerable communities in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, India. Financial contributions include US $1.32 million (₹10 crores) to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund), and over $250,000 (₹2 crores) to the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority.

The PM CARES Fund was created on March 28, 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic reaching India. The fund will be used for combating, containment, and relief efforts against the coronavirus outbreak and similar situations in the future. Money raised by the PM CARES Fund has supplied 50,000 ventilators, invested in vaccine development, and funded the care of migrant laborers.

In recent weeks, in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, the Dr. Majeed Foundation distributed a total of 3,600 kits containing essential food items, protective equipment, hand sanitizers, and health supplements. Teams from Sabinsa’s parent company, Sami Labs, helped to distribute items to poor, aged and vulnerable people living near the company’s Hyderabad facility.

“We have always believed in supporting the less fortunate while giving back to society and the nation,” said Dr. Majeed. “Today, as the COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented challenge for the country, supporting efforts such as the PM CARES Fund is a step towards helping combat the virus.”

Material Claiming Naturally High Amounts of Vitamin C IRMS-Tested, Establishing It as Non-Amla, Fermentation Source

Sabinsa, which alerted the industry to synthetic curcumin masquerading as natural source turmeric, has identified mischaracterized amla (Emblica officinalis) extract with claims of high levels of natural vitamin C for sale in the marketplace.

Vitamin C, which is vital for human health, is in high demand today as people seek to support their immune function. Because vitamin C occurs only in trace quantities in amla (aka Indian gooseberry), it is not economically feasible to isolate and extract vitamin C up to 25% from that raw material. However, some companies are claiming to offer 25% weight for weight vitamin C derived from amla and further alleging their material is organic.

Research has confirmed that amla does not contain ascorbic acid in consistent amounts, and often only in trace quantities, which is why it is neither a valid biomarker nor a source of high amounts of vitamin C. Sabinsa's successful Saberry^® Amla Extract brand, standardized to 10% beta-glucogallin, highlighted this when introduced to the marketplace in 2009. Sabinsa scientists published research on the low occurrence of vitamin C in amla products¹. They were, therefore, surprised to come across an amla extract advertised to contain vitamin C more than 25%, and decided to dig deeper

“The major source of vitamin C is through fermentation. If suppliers buy fermentation-derived vitamin C and blend it with their amla extract to claim as high as 25% w/w of vitamin C, they should disclose this,” said Sabinsa founder and chairman Dr. Muhammed Majeed. “This unethical practice is not easily detected by normal analytical methods for vitamin C analysis. It is also not distinguishable by C¹⁴ radiocarbon content method, either. But there are other analytical methods to expose this repugnant practice.”

The fermentation process for producing vitamin C uses carbohydrates as raw materials with C4-plant origin, so vitamin C from fermentation sources will have typical C¹³/C¹² isotopic composition characteristic of C4-plants measured as ¹³δC in the neighborhood of -10. This result is obtained by Isotopic Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS). On the other hand, if derived from amla, a typical C3-plant, vitamin C will have a value of ¹³δC in the neighborhood of -29.

Experiments were designed to isolate vitamin C from an amla extract labeled as organic with 25% vitamin C. The IRMS measurements showed a value of ¹³δC to be -11.6 for vitamin C isolated from this product, clearly tracing the origin of vitamin C to be derived by fermentation, and not from amla.

To authoritatively confirm, beta-glucogallin was isolated from the commercially available high-vitamin C amla product and analyzed for its ¹³δC content. The measured value was -25.7, showing that the amla's secondary metabolites will have ¹³δC values expected for a C3-plant. Therefore, vitamin C, if from amla, should also have ¹³δC value in the neighborhood of ^~-25 instead of the measured value of -11.6.

“Because we have the science and expertise to unravel this unscrupulous practice, tarnishing one of India’s beloved and cherished fruits will not be tolerated,” said Sabinsa president worldwide, Shaheen Majeed. “We have identified a few companies practicing this deception, and will be filing notices to them in the weeks ahead. We hope the industry will appreciate and adopt the methodology we’ve disclosed, so no further deception occurs.”

¹ Majeed et al, Ascorbic Acid and Tannins from Emblica officinalis Gaertn. Fruits—A Revisit J. Agric. Food Chem. 2009, 57, 1, 220–225,https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jf802900b.

In these uncertain days of the highly contagious coronavirus, the absence of pharmaceutical intervention in the form of drugs or vaccines has pushed scientists to look for clues among safe herbal extract ingredients. A recent peer-reviewed scientific article co-authored by the founder and chairman of Sabinsa, Dr. Muhammed Majeed, along with a galaxy of other scientists, reviews the possible role of curcumin in COVID-19 scenarios with supporting evidence from existing literature.

The compendious review by eight multi-site authors summarizes the results from in silico and animal studies of curcumin on viral infections. The coronavirus enters human cells through the ACE2 receptor by attaching its spike protein (S). Curcumin could at least partially prevent that entry as inferred from in silico docking studies. A potential inhibitory effect on the main protease of the coronavirus is also reported in an in silico study in the literature. The multi-mechanistic modes of action are the forte of curcumin in various types of virus infections. The paper cites several studies wherein curcumin is effective in pulmonary -inflammation, -fibrosis, and -edema. The positive role of curcumin played out under the cytokine storm conditions during viral infections is also discussed. The review touches on the recuperative actions of curcumin on cardiac and kidney functional damage caused by viral infections. Curcumin’s role in mitigating the morbid acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) during viral infections, as demonstrated in animal models, is also reviewed. The outstanding antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin are the basis of their activity.

“We are pleased to see this meaningful assemblage of the relevant work on curcumin published at a time when prevention and strong immunity is on the minds of people around the world,” said Dr. Majeed. “While the world anxiously awaits a permanent solution to this pandemic, it’s helpful to understand how safe herbal compounds like curcumin can support healthy immune function.

The article may be accessed here: Phytotherapy Research 2020 https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6738.