| Pueraria mirifica has long
been traditionally prepared in the form of pills for oral
intakes. Currently, the dried roots are finely ground, sometimes
mixed with other medicinal herbs, packed in capsules and marketed
as a dietary supplement; however, for some distributors, the
capsules are prepared from the root extract. The formulation
that includes ingredient list and content of each ingredient
varies from one supplier to another.
Pueraria mirifica in the form of extract
has been introduced just recently. With modern extraction
technology, the extract from dried roots is standardized and
prepared in the form of powder and solution, The extract solution
is used in cosmetic industry such as preparation of breast
cream, eye gel, and skin moisturizer. The extract powder is
used as a dietary supplement similarly to the traditional
method, but the product has more uniformity due to the advantage
of standardization.
When Pueraria mirifica is taken as
a dietary supplement, its phytoestrogen constituents will
naturally alleviate symptoms occurring as a result of the
aging process and a deficiency in estrogen levels, e.g., sagging
breasts, wrinkled skin, bone loss, gray hair, etc. These aging
signs and symptoms will, to a certain extent, be reversed,
When applied topically to the skin,
Pueraria mirifica will be beneficial to that respective part
of the body.
Various forms and preparations of
Pueraria mirifica should provide an effective and inexpensive
alternative to women who wish to take charge of their own
health and to enhance their beauty or utilize Pueraria mirifica
for many cosmetic purposes.
With regard to the safety and efficacy of dermal
preparations of Pueraria mirifica extract, standard dermal toxicity
tests were performed in various animal species as well as in humans,
and no toxicity was observed, Moreover, the efficacy of breast cream
was recently evaluated in a large group of human
volunteers.
Source : Medical Plant Research
Institute, Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public
Health , Thailand , July 2000
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