In
this month's issue of Extracts Facts, read about a wonderful
male sexual tonic that you may be unfamiliar with. Dodder
seed is a traditional Chinese herb with some powerful effects
that are just right for the hot male sexual enhancement arena.
Also
on tap, Draco's marketing guy goes to the new Draco manufacturing
facility in Shanghai, China and returns with a boatload
of photos. See the facility firsthand in his special photographic
trip report.
Chinese
Dodder Seed
Male
Sexual Tonic
Cuscuta
With
male sexual enhancement products reaching new heights of popularity
in the marketplace, developers need to be on the lookout for
new and promising ingredients for these products. One such
effective herbal male sex tonic that is more well known in
the east than the west is Dodder seed.
Dodder
seed comes from the viny parasitic climber Cuscuta chinensis
that grows in China and from similar Cuscuta japonica
in Japan. A member of the family convolvulaceae, Dodder is an
annual that produces a small brown seed with powerful effects
on the male constitution.
In
Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dodder seed is known as a kidney
yang tonic and is widely used to remedy sexual problems
like impotence, nocturnal emission, premature ejaculation, and
low sperm count that arise from kidney yang deficiency. In general,
it nourishes the kidney organ in the body, boosting energy levels.
As such it is also helpful for others symptoms of kidney deficiency
like low back pain, tinnitus, diarrhea, dizziness, and blurred
vision. It also has a long history of use as a longevity herb.
Although
effective on its own, Dodder seed is often grouped with other
herbs in male sexual enhancement formulas. It works particularly
well when paired with sexual tonic Yin Yang Huo (Horny
Goat Weed, Epimedium sagittatum; See related Extrax
Fax articles #1
, #2 and #3)
because of their complementary effects. Dodder Seed enhances
the activity of Epimedium. Both are kidney yang tonics, both
have documented effects on testosterone metabolism, but Epimedium
is more warming while Cuscuta has a neutral character. In combination,
the sexual enhancement effect of these herbs on the body is
augmented but more balanced.
The
active constituents in Dodder seed are thought to be
a group of flavonoids. The seed is rich in quercetin and also
contains cuscutin, astragalin, vitamin A, hyperosides and sterols.
While
there is certainly a wealth of empirical evidence in the form
of traditional use in China to support the effectiveness of
Dodder seed, scientific studies lend further substantiation
to the herb. Pharmacological studies show a cardiotonic
effect in toads and a hypotensive effect in dogs. In male rats,
the herb increased blood levels of testosterone and luteinizing
hormone, and enhanced the growth of testes, epididymis, and
the pituitary gland. Combinations of Epimedium and Dodder seed
together were shown in animal studies to increase testosterone
secretion and cyclic AMP production; to stimulate the growth
of the testes, epididymis, and seminal vesicle; increase cerebral
blood flow; and act as a vasodilator.
Human
clinical trials also showed positive results. In one study,
50 patients with impotence were treated with a combination of
Epimedium and Cuscuta for 50 days. 76% (38 patients) experienced
total recovery and 16% (8 patients) were improved for a total
effectiveness rate of 92%. A 2 year follow up interview was
done on 20 patients from the total recovery group with no recurrance
of impotence.
Dodder
seed is an effective male tonic that is interesting and novel
for many western formulators. Now is a great time to try this
product and consider its addition to your male enhancement products.
Draco's Dodder seed is a Full Spectrum Standardized Herbal
Extract™ of the seed of Cuscuta chinensis and is
standardized to 2.5% flavonoids. Please call us at (408) 287-7871
for samples and additional details.
My
Visit to Draco China
A
Trip Report With Photos
by
Matt Humphrey
In
late January of 2003, we sent our Marketing Communications Consultant,
Matt Humphrey, to Shanghai, China to spend a week photographing
the recently completed Draco China manufacturing facility. This
is a brief (!) account of the trip with links to a few photos.
Seefor easy downloading and on-screen viewing.
It
was night time when I arrived at the huge ultra modern Pudong
Airport on the outskirts of Shanghai and I was in for a big
surprise. Having traveled in Asia a couple of times before,
I had been expecting maybe the well worn dinginess of the Jakarta
airport, or the bustling chaos of Manila. But what I found was
like something out of a science fiction movie based in the future:
a clean, ultra modern cavernous glass
building with repeating oblique angled geometrical buttresses
and glistening marble floors extending into an unknown distance.
Upon
emerging through the doorway at customs, I was confronted with
a sea of expectant faces waiting for returning travelers. After
a moment of confusion, I saw the sign with my name on it held
by Draco's Government Relations PR man and his Chauffeur, and
we were on our way to Shanghai. Once again I was blown away
by the modernity of China as we made our way down a clean well
constructed freeway through a multitude of skyscrapers to a
restaurant in Shanghai where Draco CEO Jerry Wu was entertaining
a group of friends. Jerry told me that there are over 3,000
high rise buildings in Shanghai, most of which were built
in the last 10 years. Here is a city of 20 million people that
is joining the 21st century at breakneck speed.
The
next morning the driver picked us up and we made the 40
minute drive to the Draco
manufacturing facility. The Draco Natural Products manufacturing
facility in China is located on the outskirts of Shanghai in
an area that is undergoing rapid industrial development and
growth. Interestingly, the newer industrial parks are interspersed
with older neighborhoods, an indication that the land has been
used for a long time, but probably for agriculture rather than
industry.
The
Draco facility itself is in a self-contained campus
surrounded by a wrought iron fence and comprising 8 buildings.
Finished during the summer of 2002, this brand new facility
encompasses 125,000 square feet of ISO 9000-certified work space
and equipment. There are 2 security buildings located at the
west and
north entrances respectively, an administrative
office building, an incoming raw materials processing and
warehousing
building, the main manufacturing
facility, a cafeteria
building, a power plant, and a building that is part of
the waste water treatment facility. The main manufacturing plant
houses the main extraction processing equipment, as well as
a complete pilot manufacturing setup, hydro-alcohol extraction
equipment, a large industrial maceration setup, the R &
D lab facility, and an environmentally controlled clean room
facility
Approximately
125 people
work there in 3 shifts of production (royal
blue uniforms), maintenance (navy
blue uniforms), administration, R & D, security, and
dining. My impression, one which is shared by others, is that
this is one of the nicest
looking manufacturing outfits in this part of China. It
is intelligently laid out, well staffed, clean and run with
a high level of efficiency. It is really something that we at
Draco can take pride in.
Jerry
gave me a quick but comprehensive tour on my first morning there
and then assigned 1 or 2 out of 3 people to be with me during
the next 3 days inclusive to photograph the entire facility.
All told I took maybe 1,000 pictures with the assistance of
the Draco
plant manager and Jerry's secretary, who kindly interpreted
for me, and on one occasion, one of the drivers.
I'd
like to offer a descriptive tour following the flow of materials
through the plant. The Incoming Raw Materials building comprises
2 main floors: the first floor is receiving and wash/cut/sift/grind/mill
processing, the second floor is warehousing. Raw materials are
received through the back door of the building and are put in
a quarantine room until QA testing can be completed in the lab.
The shipment is then moved on pallets onto a large cargo elevator
at the end of the room and lifted to the second
floor warehouse where they are stored. When its time for
production, the herbal materials are taken back to the first
floor where they are prepared for extraction. This may involve
washing the material in a large
drum washer and/or sifting, milling,
or grinding it for optimal extraction results. When I was there,
the workers were milling Wild Jujube seed, crushing the seeds
so that interior of the seed would be more accessible during
extraction.
After
initial preparation, the raw materials are taken to the Main
Manufacturing facility and loaded into the top opening of one
of the large stainless steel Draco extractors
in a row on the mezzanine level of the main production room.
Water that has undergone on-site purification is piped in and
the extractor is sealed. From this point on, the mixture is
in a closed system until the final extraction emerges in the
clean room facility, delivered through an elaborately intricate
system of plumbing
that runs throughout the building. The magic of Draco's proprietary
extraction process begins here as the herbal raw materials undergo
a precisely controlled combination of heat, pressure, agitation
and reiteration until the herb marc is exhausted, and the menstruum
is piped through a series of filters into holding
tanks.
The
next step is vacuum concentration where the liquid is reduced
to the appropriate concentration for spray drying. There are
several concentrators, both cylindrical
and spherical
that also use pressure and temperature to do their work. From
there the concentrate is piped to one of two enormous spray/spin
drying machines
where it is flash dried to a powder. The powder then emerges
from a large
spigot into poly
bags in the clean room facility.
In
the clean room area, samples of the extract are sent to the
lab for testing and the lot is loaded into a large stainless
steel tumbler.
From the tumbler, the extract is bagged
and weighed,
then sealed
in their inner plastic bags and then in outer
mylar bags, and placed in heavy duty cardboard
drums for shipping.
I
spent some time in the clean room and was very impressed with
the setup. Upon entering, you pass under a blower which helps
remove loose dust, dirt and hairs from your body, and into a
changing room where you don a lab coat, hair cap and shoe covers.
From there, you pass through a series of clean buffer rooms
designed to isolate the clean room area from the outside world.
Once inside, you are in an environment that is controlled for
temperature and moisture. During a production run, extract powder
does make its way out onto the floors of the clean room, but
because the area is thoroughly cleaned between runs, the run
keeps its integrity in complete isolation from other runs -
and from dust, dirt and other extraneous particles. For cleaning,
the walls are a smooth surface and inside corners are made of
stainless steel and rounded for easy and thorough cleaning.
The
clean room facility occupies the ground floor of the front part
of the Main Manufacturing building. Directly above it is the
R & D
department. This is where Draco's extensive Phd brain
trust does its exciting cutting edge work. This area contains
chemistry
labs, microbiology
labs, testing equipment like HPLC
and UV
equipment, a precision weighing
room, a retain sample
room, and another clean room for isolated observation of
microbes. The floor also contains the HVAC
equipment for the clean room below as well as autoclaving
equipment for the glassware.
Back
down in the Main Manufacturing Facility, you can pass through
a door from the north side of the building where the previously
discussed main lines of production are, to the south side of
the building where you can find several other rooms full of
extraction equipment. First is the Pilot Production Facility,
which is a complete extraction setup in a much smaller size.
It includes an extractor,
filtering equipment, a vacuum concentrator, and a spin
spray dryer (on the right) and is capable of producing small
runs, primarily for research and development projects. In a
pinch, it could be used for a small special order, but it was
pointed out to me that this is not the intended purpose of the
equipment. It's a great way for our formulators to produce and
test a new formula, for example.
In
another room is a maceration facility containing large bowl
or teacup shaped containers
that appear to be about 100 gallons each that are used for
passive maceration. A large blending agitator is used to mix
the menstruum on a daily basis while the maceration takes place.
Certain herbs produce better extraction results with passive
maceration before extraction. The room also contains a spherical
vacuum concentrator.
The
last room in this row of rooms on the south side of the building
contains another extraction
facility that is set up for Full Spectrum extraction. It
contains a full extraction setup and storage tanks. It is for
additional manufacturing capacity.
Around
the back of the manufacturing facility there is a huge water
treatment facility. Here is an important stage in the manufacturing
of Full Spectrum extracts that you might not be initially aware
of. The Chinese government has fairly particular environmental
standards regulating the effluent that results from industrial
manufacturing. In the case of Draco, it is surprising how much
water is used in processing herbs. Of course there is the water
that is used to extract the herbal material, which is ultimately
driven off during concentration and spray drying, but there
is also a large amount of water used to wash and clean the inside
of the equipment between runs, to clean the floors and work
areas, and even to wash and clean the raw plant material before
extraction. This is a food grade facility that is Kosher Certified
and everything in on the premise must be maintained at high
levels of cleanliness.
Water
treatment occurs in several stages, some of which I have no
understanding beyond the obvious aeration, sedimentation,
and filtration processes. However, it is clear by seeing this
elaborate
setup that this stage of manufacturing was very carefully
thought out and executed for results that are within stringent
specification. On the subject of water, it should be mentioned
that there is also filtration and equipment for incoming water
to insure its purity and safety. This is a more obvious minimum
standard for the manufacture of high quality extracts.
Draco
provides lunch for its uniformed legions of workers in the cafeteria
near the rear of the campus. The cafeteria is a separate building
with one large room for seating and a smaller room for a kitchen.
Lunch is served around noon on stainless steel portion divided
trays and always seems to include rice, vegetables and some
kind of meat. There is always a large steaming kettle of soup
for the end of the meal, as well. I can vouch for the fact that
the food is quite delicious, if a little unusual for the American
palate.
Overall
working conditions at Draco China appear to be very good and
the workers seem to be happy and in good spirits. They were
quite eager to be of assistance to me in my photographic work
and with anything else I needed. CEO Jerry Wu facilitated this
process by assigning some of his management staff to make the
assignment easier. Aside from a bit of a language barrier, I
felt quite welcome and comfortable. In summary, it was an honor
and a privilege to work in China for what turned out to be an
exceptionally remarkable week! If you are going to China
and are interested in touring the Draco facility yourself, please
call us to make arrangements.
©
Copyright 2002, Draco Natural Products, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
