February 4, 2009

6 Min Read
ABC Publishes Monograph on Scientific and Clinical Research of Sinupret®

The nonprofit American Botanical Council (ABC) has just published a monograph summarizing the scientific and clinical studies of Sinupret(R), a clinically-tested herbal combination for upper respiratory tract health, including conditions associated with sinusitis and bronchitis. A monograph is a technical paper focusing on one subject.

Studies of Sinupret reviewed in the monograph include four clinical trials regarding acute sinusitis, two clinical trials regarding chronic sinusitis, one meta-analysis of clinical trials evaluating treatment of sinusitis, two clinical trials regarding bronchitis, and a post-marketing surveillance study of patients with bronchitis.

Based on the review of the available scientific and clinical information from these studies, the monograph concludes that Sinupret has a relatively significant level of safety and efficacy data compared to many other natural products intended for use in maintaining the health of sinuses and the upper respiratory tract.

"Year after year Sinupret is one of the top-selling herbal products in Germany, a country where the strong tradition of herbal preparations is combined with modern science," said Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of ABC. "Extensive use by millions of people attests to this product's overall safety and effectiveness in the area of upper respiratory tract health."

"The availability of this product, particularly the version for children, comes at a time when millions of parents are concerned about recent government advisories about the safety of conventional over-the-counter cough and cold medications in children," he added. The Food and Drug Administration advised parents not to administer cold and flu remedies to young children under 2 years of age and is reviewing the safety of such products for older children. A leading OTC drug industry trade association has recommended that parents not administer such products to children under 4 years.

The ABC Sinupret monograph is published in three parts: The full monograph, a Clinical Overview (i.e., an executive summary) containing condensed information from the full monograph, and a consumer/patient information sheet, consisting of essential information for consumer education about the responsible use of the product. Each of these elements is accessible separately on the ABC website (www.herbalgram.org).

The full monograph contains an overview of Sinupret in the German market, the uses of the product, the chemistry of the product's five herbal ingredients, dosage information, summaries of the product's researched pharmacological actions, and safety data. The monograph also contains an extensive summary of human clinical research in both text and table form, among other data.

Sinupret contains extracts of five traditional European herbs: elder (Sambucus nigra) flowers, primrose (Primula veris) flowers with calyx, common sorrel (Rumex acetosa) herb, European vervain (Verbena officinalis) herb, and gentian (Gentiana lutea) root.

Sinupret is manufactured by Bionorica, a 76-year-old company in Neumarkt, Germany with offices in San Clemente, California. Bionorica is widely considered one of Europe's leading manufacturers of clinically tested herbal preparations.

According to Scott Bukow, president and CEO of Bionorica's US division, Sinupret has a great deal of safety and efficacy data behind it, and Bionorica commissioned the ABC monograph so that this information would be readily available to the general public. Bukow noted that such information could be particularly important for consumers interested in safe and effective natural products for children.

"ABC is recognized as an outstanding organization with an excellent reputation that plays a key part in educating and informing all relevant target groups in the US," said Dr. Harel Seidenwerg, head of corporate communications of Bionorica. "Bionorica wanted to perform an independent review about Sinupret and believes that with ABC it has chosen one of the most credible organizations to do so."

The monograph was written by Heather S. Oliff, PhD and ABC's Blumenthal. It was formally peer reviewed by scientific and medical experts for its accuracy.

"This monograph is extremely valuable for the consumer and healthcare provider because it provides an unbiased review of the Sinupret literature," said lead author Dr. Oliff, who is the principal in the Scientific Consulting Group, LLC, and holds a doctorate in toxicology and pharmacology. "The monograph includes numerous studies to which people in the US have limited access," she continued, noting that some studies of Sinupret have been published only in German.

ABC emphasizes that the publication of the Sinupret monograph is not an endorsement or recommendation of the product or the manufacturer. "ABC has had a long history of documenting the specific herbal products and ingredients that have been clinically tested," said ABC's Blumenthal. "As part of our nonprofit educational mission, we believe it is in the public interest to identify clinically tested natural plant-based products and ingredients which the scientific literature indicates are safe and beneficial."

ABC's Sinupret monograph is the third in a series of product-specific monographs that the organization has initiated. Previous product-specific monographs developed by ABC have focused on the scientific and clinical trial data regarding the health benefits of CVT-E002(R) (the active ingredient in the ginseng-based dietary supplement COLD-fX(R)) and of POM Wonderful(R) Pomegranate Juice. Additional monographs concerning specific researched commercial products and ingredients are being developed by ABC.

ABC's Sinupret monograph is available on the ABC website, one of the largest independent websites summarizing the scientific and clinical literature on herbs, medicinal plants, teas, and other plant-based ingredients: www.herbalgram.org

About the American Botanical Council

Founded in 1988, the American Botanical Council is a leading international nonprofit organization addressing research and educational issues regarding on the health benefits of herbs, medicinal plants, teas, essential oils, and other plant-based ingredients. ABC's members include academic researchers and educators, universities and libraries, health professionals and medical institutions, botanical gardens and arboreta, government agencies, members of the herb, dietary supplement, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, journalists, consumers, and other interested parties from over 70 countries. The organization occupies a historic 2.5-acre site in Austin, Texas where it publishes the quarterly journal HerbalGram, the monthly e-publication HerbalEGram, HerbClips (summaries of scientific and clinical publications), reference books, and other educational materials. ABC also hosts HerbMedPro, the most powerful herbal database on the Internet, covering scientific and clinical publications on 221 herbs.

ABC is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. Information: Contact ABC at P.O. Box 144345, Austin, TX 78714-4345, Phone: 512-926-4900. Website: http://www.herbalgram.org/.

About Bionorica and Sinupret

Founded in 1933, Bionorica is a respected leader in research, marketing, and distributing of plant-based, herbal remedies. The company is centered in Neumarkt, Germany, where it operates a state-of-the-art herb extraction and manufacturing plant with numerous laboratories for extensive quality control and quality assurance.

Sinupret is registered and marketed in 38 countries all over the world, and approximately 16.25 million retail packages of Sinupret were sold in38 countries worldwide in 2008. It is consistently the top-selling herbal remedy in Germany. Sinupret is produced in liquid and tablet dosage forms for both adults and children. It has recently become available through retail outlets in the United States.

Sinupret products are imported into the United States by Bionorica LLC, of San Clemente, CA. Website: www.bionorica.com.

Subscribe and receive the latest updates on trends, data, events and more.
Join 57,000+ members of the natural products community.

You May Also Like