For thousands of years, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has used plants and herbs to support various aspects of human health—everything from ginkgo to chrysanthemum to goji berries.

While many of the plants already used in Nutrilite products are the same ones used in TCM, the new Amway Botanical Research Center (ABRC) in Wuxi, China, is expanding that research, evaluating plants used in TCM for their potential benefits in future Nutrilite health and Artistry beauty products.

“The tangible part of TCM, and the treasure, is in the plants,” ABRC Vice President Jia Chen said. “History shows how these plants are used to support optimal health. Many of the plants we use in Nutrilite products are the same ones used in TCM.”

Even Nutrilite founder Carl Rehnborg experienced the power of plants to support optimal health while living in China in the 1920s. During political unrest in Shanghai, Carl was isolated in a protected enclave where he conceived the idea of using nutritional elements missing from his meager diet as a way to support his overall health. He supplemented his meals with soups from what was available: local herbs, grasses and vegetables, along with rusty nails (for iron) and limestone and ground-up animal bones (for calcium).

“Today when we say TCM, it may sound foreign, but more than 80 years ago, it was built into our brand,” Chen said.

Carl’s early studies continue to influence the science around Nutrilite products worldwide. ABRC scientists are growing and studying more than 100 plants to evaluate their potential benefit in future Nutrilite health and Artistry beauty products.