Located in Tempe, Arizona, Sonoran University of Health Sciences is honored to be home to the Ric Scalzo Institute for Botanical Research. In collaboration with the natural products industry and other academic institutions, this state-of-the-art molecular biology/phytochemistry laboratory is dedicated to developing new products and improving existing botanical therapeutics through scientific exploration grounded in clinical herbalism’s rich tradition.[1]
Mission: “Explore traditional medicine at the cellular, molecular and cultural level to create novel botanical solutions that support people, plants and planet.”
Botanical formulations present challenges for rigorous scientific testing to understand their actual therapeutic efficacy.
To assess a botanical’s medicinal potential, two factors need to be understood:
Once assessed, valid plant material is obtained and tested for basic biological activity. This in vitro system will be optimized and modified to develop a consistent and reliable method to evaluate and/or validate the biological activity of a specific botanical. From this, optimal extraction, concentration and delivery methods can be developed, pilot clinical trials performed, and further deciphering of the specific mechanism of action of the botanical completed.
In addition, through bioassay-guided fractionation and purification, the constituent profile of a botanical can be used to standardize botanical therapies and the active therapeutic compound(s) isolated and identified.
By combining this in-depth analysis of botanicals, novel synergistic botanical blends can be designed and traditional formulas can be optimized to target different aspects of a disease. Thus, the therapeutic claims can be validated, as well as herbal product standardization and quality control can be performed to develop evidence-based, standardized natural products.