From menstrual blood to confronting conversations about mental health, 2024 has been the year to break taboos in the wider zeitgeist and the supplement industry. These are some ingredients with research behind them that you can add to your taboo-busting products.
Mental wellbeing
KSM-66 Ashwagandha® (P11206 ORG / P11697 CONVENTIONAL) - This ingredient precedes itself, it is the perfect ingredient to use in a mental health product. It has been studied countless times for its positive effects not only on anxiety and stress but also on sleep and general wellbeing. 125mg - 300mg twice/ day is the studied dose for this product which fits perfectly into capsules. Furthermore, it is a fairly neutral Ashwagandha extract so it can be used in blends too (Salve et al 2019) (Langade et al 2019).
TheaGreen® (P11841 40%/ P15755 60%) - This is an ideal ingredient for food supplement products focusing on mental health. TheaGreen® is sourced from green tea, meaning it is not novel in food supplements. We have two products available, a 40% and a 60% standardized version which makes formulation free from guesswork. Theanine has been studied at 200-400mg/ day and shows promise for being able to decrease stress and anxiety in people who are exposed to stressful situations (Türközü et al 2020).
Sexual health
Maca (P13209 ORG powder/ P1301 powder/ P1335 extract 10:1) - Maca is an ever-popular ingredient in the men's sexual health space for good reason, it has been studied for its effects on libido. In a clinical study from 2016, it was found that taking maca helped to improve sexual desire, mood and energy too (Gonzalez et al 2016).
Panax ginseng (P17443 Extract 4:1/ P07138 5% extract) - Ginseng has been a popular addition to blends for mood and cognition but it has also now been shown to be beneficial for supporting libido in menopausal women (Oh et al 2010).
Menstrual health
Vitamin E (P2218 (DL-Alpha Tocopheryl) Acetate/ P22193 D‐α Tocopheryl Acid Succinate) - In a recent metanalysis of 1,002 healthy female participants (age 15-30) it was found that supplementation with 200-900 IU of vitamin E significantly reduced primary dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain) (Alikamali et al 2022)
Iron (P0603 Fumarate/ Bisglycinate P14923/ P0614 Glycinate/ P06042 Sulphate) - it is really important that people maintain their iron levels while menstruating, if iron levels drop, it can cause the person to become anaemic.
*Some of the claims discussed here are not EFSA-authorised health claims but rather the results of clinical data, for EFSA-authorised health claims, please see: https://www.cambridgecommodities.com/health-claims.htm#newfunction
References:
Alikamali, M., Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi, S., Maghalian, M., & Mirghafourvand, M. (2022). The effects of vitamin E on the intensity of primary dysmenorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, (2022-Dec).
Gonzales, G. F., Villaorduña, L., Gasco, M., Rubio, J., & Gonzales, C. (2016). Acceptability, safety, and efficacy of oral administration of extracts of black or red Maca (Lepidium meyenii) in adult human subjects: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Pharmaceutical Biology, 54(9), 1642–1651. https://doi.org/10.3109/13880209.2015.1137902
Langade, D., et al. (2019). Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Root Extract in Insomnia and Anxiety: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Study. Cureus. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31728244/
Oh, K.-J., Chae, M.-J., Lee, H.-S., Hong, H.-D., & Park, K. (2010). Effects of Korean red ginseng on sexual arousal in menopausal women: Placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover clinical study. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 7(4 Pt 1), 1469–1477. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01699.x
Salve, J., Pate, S., Debnath, K., & Langade, D. (2020). Adaptogenic and Anxiolytic Effects of Ashwagandha Root Extract in Healthy Adults: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Clinical Study. Cureus. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32021735/
Türközü, D., & Şanlier, N. (2020). The effects of green tea amino acid L-Theanine consumption on the ability to manage stress and anxiety levels: A systematic review. Phytomedicine, 34, 26-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2017.07.008