Natural Pharmacia International, Inc. (NPI)
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is a botanical drug and herbal supplement company engaged in the modernization and re-discovery of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
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NPI was founded in 1991 by Dr. David Y. Lee, a Professor at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Natural Products Lab at Harvard Mclean Hospital and a world-renowned leader in the field, together with a group of prominent professors in the US and Asia.
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TCM has been practiced for thousands of years, and NPI culls through the wisdom of TCM, validates and further develops selected gems with modern technology and methodology as FDA approved botanical drugs. We have a robust pipeline of TCM-based botanical drugs now in clinical trials.
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While going through clinical trials, we market certain herbal products, with safety and efficacy in mind, as functional dietary supplements under the overarching brand of DR.LEE+TCM. You can learn more about these products and the brand at www.drleetcm.com.
So What’s in a Name?
Dr. Lee Shizhen (1518–1593) was one of the greatest physicians and pharmacologists in Chinese history. His major contribution to medicine was the Bencao Gangmu (“Compendium of Materia Medica”), which describes in detail over 1,800 drugs, with 1,100 illustrations and 11,000 prescriptions. It also describes the form, flavor, nature and application in disease treatment of 1,094 herbs. This book remains the premier reference for herbal medicine.
Some 400 years after Bencao Gangmu being compiled, Dr. David Y. Lee, Director of the Natural Products Laboratory at Harvard McLean Hospital, founded Natural Pharmacia International (NPI) with a group of leading experts in the US and Asia. NPI culls through the wisdom of TCM distilled over thousands of years, and enhances it with cutting-edge technology to develop evidence-based and FDA-approved botanical drugs as well as functional dietary supplements under the brand “DR.LEE+TCM”. The overarching brand for all of our herbal supplement products symbolizes the union of modern technology and ancient wisdom. It also reflects our core values: Integrity, Validity, and Superiority.
NPI also leverages its first-class discovery and development capabilities to identify and develop the bioactive single-molecules responsible for the therapeutic effects of certain herbs.
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The research and development team at NPI is made up of prominent scientists from the US and Asia who have a wealth of experience in modern drug development as well as expertise in complementary and alternative medicine. The company is managed by executives with extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry as well as solid understanding of the life sciences.
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NPI strives to be one of the most valued and respected healthcare enterprises in the world, combining the wisdom of TCM and the rigor of cutting-edge science and technology.
So What’s in a Name?
Dr. Lee Shizhen (1518–1593) was one of the greatest physicians and pharmacologists in Chinese history. His major contribution to medicine was the Bencao Gangmu (“Compendium of Materia Medica”), which describes in detail over 1,800 drugs, with 1,100 illustrations and 11,000 prescriptions. It also describes the form, flavor, nature and application in disease treatment of 1,094 herbs. This book remains the premier reference for herbal medicine.
Some 400 years after Bencao Gangmu being compiled, Dr. David Y. Lee, Director of the Natural Products Laboratory at Harvard McLean Hospital, founded Natural Pharmacia International (NPI) with a group of leading experts in the US and Asia. NPI culls through the wisdom of TCM distilled over thousands of years, and enhances it with cutting-edge technology to develop evidence-based and FDA-approved botanical drugs as well as functional dietary supplements under the brand “DR.LEE+TCM”. The overarching brand for all of our herbal supplement products symbolizes the union of modern technology and ancient wisdom. It also reflects our core values: Integrity, Validity, and Superiority.
NPI also leverages its first-class discovery and development capabilities to identify and develop the bioactive single-molecules responsible for the therapeutic effects of certain herbs.
​
The research and development team at NPI is made up of prominent scientists from the US and Asia who have a wealth of experience in modern drug development as well as expertise in complementary and alternative medicine. The company is managed by executives with extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry as well as solid understanding of the life sciences.
​
NPI strives to be one of the most valued and respected healthcare enterprises in the world, combining the wisdom of TCM and the rigor of cutting-edge science and technology.
So What’s in a Name?
Dr. Lee Shizhen (1518–1593) was one of the greatest physicians and pharmacologists in Chinese history. His major contribution to medicine was the Bencao Gangmu (“Compendium of Materia Medica”), which describes in detail over 1,800 drugs, with 1,100 illustrations and 11,000 prescriptions. It also describes the form, flavor, nature and application in disease treatment of 1,094 herbs. This book remains the premier reference for herbal medicine.
Some 400 years after Bencao Gangmu being compiled, Dr. David Y. Lee, Director of the Natural Products Laboratory at Harvard McLean Hospital, founded Natural Pharmacia International (NPI) with a group of leading experts in the US and Asia. NPI culls through the wisdom of TCM distilled over thousands of years, and enhances it with cutting-edge technology to develop evidence-based and FDA-approved botanical drugs as well as functional dietary supplements under the brand “DR.LEE+TCM”. The overarching brand for all of our herbal supplement products symbolizes the union of modern technology and ancient wisdom. It also reflects our core values: Integrity, Validity, and Superiority.
NPI also leverages its first-class discovery and development capabilities to identify and develop the bioactive single-molecules responsible for the therapeutic effects of certain herbs.
​
The research and development team at NPI is made up of prominent scientists from the US and Asia who have a wealth of experience in modern drug development as well as expertise in complementary and alternative medicine. The company is managed by executives with extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry as well as solid understanding of the life sciences.
​
NPI strives to be one of the most valued and respected healthcare enterprises in the world, combining the wisdom of TCM and the rigor of cutting-edge science and technology.
NPI is a research and development driven herbal product organization. In order to have maximal assuarance in the quality of the entire manufacturing process, NPI also built, from ground up, and 100% owns a brand-new manufacturing facility fitted with state-of-the-art equipment.
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NPI also offers ingredient and manufacturing services to others in the dietary supplement industry. Through its relationship with IMPLAD, NPI can procure the finest raw materials from China for other companies. Because its new production facility has excess manufacturing capacity, NPI can also process herbal products for other companies. Please let us know how NPI can help your organization.
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Kudzu in the News
McLean Hospital Study Finds Herbal Extract May Curb Binge Drinking
5/16/12
An extract of the Chinese herb kudzu dramatically reduces drinking and may be useful in the treatment of alcoholism and curbing binge drinking, according to a new study by McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers.
Got a Drinking Problem? Try Kudzu
5/17/05
BOSTON — The hardy, invasive kudzu vine, introduced to this country decades ago to control soil erosion, could have what it takes to curb binge drinking, new research suggests.
Kudzu Publications
Lukas SE, Penetar D, Berko J, Vicens L, Palmer C, Mallya G, Macklin EA, Lee DYW (2005) An extract of the Chinese herbal root kudzu reduces alcohol drinking by heavy drinkers in a naturalistic setting. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 29: 756-762. PMID: 15897719
Ma Z, Wu Q, Lee DYW, Tracy M, Lukas SE (2005) Determination of puerarin in human plasma by high performance liquid chromatography. J Chromatogr B Analy Technol Biomed Life Sci 823: 108-114. PMID: 16009605
Penetar DM, Teter CJ, Ma Z, Tracy M, Lee DYW, Lukas SE (2006) Pharmacokinetic profile of the isoflavone puerarin after acute and repeated administration of a novel kudzu extract to human volunteers. J Alt Compl Med 12(6): 543-548. PMID: 16884345
Penetar DM, MacLean RR, McNeil JF, Lukas SE (2011) Kudzu extract does not increase the intoxicating effects of acute alcohol in human volunteers. Alcoholism: Clin Exp Res 35: 726-734 PMID: 21244439
Bracken BK, Penetar DM, RR Maclean, Lukas, SE (2011) Kudzu root extract does not perturb sleep/wake cycle of moderate drinkers. J Altern Comp Med 17(9): 1-6. PMID: 22010780
Penetar D, Toto L, Farmer S, Lukas SE (2012) The isoflavone puerarin reduces alcohol drinking by heavy drinkers in a naturalistic setting. Drug Alcohol Dependence, 126: 251-256. PMID: 22578529
Lukas SE, Penetar D, Su Z, Geaghan T, Maywalt M, Tracy M, Rodolico J, Palmer C, Lee DYW (2013) A standardized kudzu extract (NPI-031) reduces alcohol consumption in non treatment-seeking male heavy drinkers. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 226:65-73. PMID: 23070022
Penetar D, Toto L, Lee D y-W, Lukas SE (2015) A single dose of kudzu extract reduces alcohol consumption in a binge drinking paradigm. Drug Alcohol Dependence, 153: 194-200. PMID: 26048637
PubMED reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26048637