Stress is everywhere. In today's world, "too much work and too little time" is adding up to higher and higher stress levels as consumers try to fit more and more into their day and get less and less satisfaction out of it. According to Dr. Zakir Ramazanov, Vice President, Pharmline, Florida, NY, speaking at a recent industry conference, "Stress affects 35% of the population and it increases with age. Twice as many women as men are affected and 80% of illnesses can be tracked back to stress, depression and diet." He continued,Pharmline, Florida, NY, speaking at a recent industry conference, "Stress affects 35% of the population and it increases with age. Twice as many women as men are affected and 80% of illnesses can be tracked back to stress, depression and diet." He continued, "Stress slowly destroys the immune system, it destroys your resistance and allows degenerative and opportunistic diseases to flourish. Stress causes depression."

Describing the stress market further, Dennis McKenna, industry consultant, pharmacognicist and ethnobotanist, said, "There's mental stress, which has associated with it problems like fatigue and anxiety; environmental stress from exposure to pollutants, UV rays or electromagnetic radiation; and biological stress, which is linked to aging factors and lifestyle/degenerative diseases like heart disease and cancer."

To combat the problem, consumers are looking at many possible answers. Yoga is gaining in popularity, as are other relaxation options like meditation, massage and reflexology. Likewise, as awareness of herbal remedies grows, consumers are more open to trying herbs to help reduce the feelings or physical manifestations of stress.

In the herbal arena, kava kava has been a recent standout, while valerian is an old standby. Although some would argue that valerian is related to sleep issues more than stress, many consumers associate the two. Likewise, St. John's Wort-while primarily used for depression-is also associated with stress reduction and anxiety. The market for these herbs at the health food store channel is detailed in Table 1.

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From Fiji To Ft. Lauderdale
The largest segment in the stress reduction market is ruled by kava kava, which originated in the South Pacific as part of the social culture (for a related article on kava, see page 56). In the U.S.-thanks to the consumer press-kava roared into the public consciousness in the mid 1990's, but dropped off rapidly as supply did not keep up with demand.

Suppliers discussed the market evolution. "The kava market is still alive but not where it used to be," said Thomas Christenson, President, Stryka Botanicals, Canoga Park, CA. "It was initially out of control; now it is in the regular market with regular people. There's still an oversupply situation, however, and the price has fallen 50%."

"Kava got sucked into a bad market," is how Jack Klein, Vice President-Marketing at American Ingredients, Anaheim, CA, described the situation. "It's hard to tell where the market is now," he continued. "It never really took off the way it should have; there was a lack of supply and then material on the market was not made to consistent standards."

Balram Advani, President, ADH, Congers, NY, talked about the supply situation. "Back then, you couldn't get the material. Price was not even an issue; it just was not available. Today," he said, "kava will not disappear, but the initial spike is certainly over."

"Kava is starting to come back," said Natalie Koether, President, Pure World Botanicals, South Hackensack, NJ. "The problem was the price soared and there was 'irrational exuberance.' But kava has a long history of safe use; it's been used in the South Pacific for years and it has been used safely in larger doses."

Tony Worth, Vice President-Product Development, MW International, Hillside, NJ, explained the science behind kava. "When the body is under stressful conditions, it gets what the Chinese describe as 'hot.' The goal then is to try to use cooling herbs to dissipate the heat. According to the science behind kava, the kavalactones have a cooling effect on the body. It also impacts the central nervous system for a relaxation effect."

Suppliers agree that quality is definitely an issue in the kava segment. Mr. Klein said, "The mass market is not educated enough; there are a lot of variations and consumers have false expectations. Is there a difference between forms? Consumers don't know."

Mr. Worth agreed. "When kava first debuted in this country, there were poor quality products and the supply wasn't there. When it was finally available, people had lost interest. The market has continued because there's good kava on the market now," he said. "But different products have different effects and it's very important to use a quality product."

And then there's the taste, which does not invoke many positive adjectives. Ms. Koether offered a suggestion, "Kava could be added to beverages but it is difficult to flavor. You can mask the taste and take it like a shot of medicine rather than a beverage," she suggested. "In general, liquid form is a good idea."

At The Root Of Valerian
While kava has the distinction of showing up in full force on the American market, valerian goes by the "slow and steady wins the race" theory. The herb has been around for hundreds of years and has plenty of strong science associated with it in Europe.

According to Stryka's Mr. Christenson, "Valerian has better potential because of the science behind it. It's been in use in Europe for many years and it's a good product with no side effects. If someone only used a few herbs, valerian would be one of them," he said.

Rodger Rohde, President of Triarco, Wayne, NJ, concurred. "Valerian is a staple. Only a few botanicals have been able to transcend the herbal market to become a common word in our everyday language," he said, giving examples like garlic, ginkgo biloba, ginseng and echinacea. "Valerian is a candidate to join the ranks of the transcended herbs. It has a great future because it had a great past."

Jeffrey Wuagneux, Partner, RFI Ingredients, Blauvelt, NY, also said that valerian is more legitimate. "However," he said, "right now consumers know more about kava than about valerian."

David Wilson, President, Folexco/East Earth Herb, Montgomeryville, PA, agreed on the consumer awareness issue. "Kava is known more by consumers," he said, "but the research is there on valerian."

America Ingredients' Mr. Klein added, "Valerian will be much more important than kava. It has more data behind it and more data will be published soon to substantiate its claims. However, consumer awareness of kava is higher."

Adding an interesting point was Gilbert Gluck, President, Cyvex, Irvine, CA. "Valerian has a longer medicinal history. Kava has so far been a non-medicinal herb, used in more 'social' situations, but it will find a more mainstream place in society as stress/anxiety becomes a medical condition," he said.

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The Combination Question
The debate about whether these stress reducing herbs should be taken as single ingredients or combination formulas drew strong opinions on both sides. Logging in on the single formula side was David Lytle, President and Lab Director of Peak Botanical Lab, Shingle Springs, CA, a testing lab geared toward product development. "As an herbalist, it drives me crazy to see manufacturers dumping all of these ingredients into one formula. I wish someone would take the time to differentiate therapeutically between herbs like kava, valerian, St. John's Wort, skullcap, passionflower, hops and chamomile. This would help tremendously to raise educational awareness at the consumer level."

Dr. McKenna looked at both sides of the story. "The pharmacologist in me says it's better to keep it simple, but the herbalist in me looks at the more practical side-our bodies ingest thousands of chemicals a day. Look at herbal traditions such as Chinese medicine; they have very complex formulas of synergistic herbs. It comes down to a question of how it's practiced. If you have an experienced Chinese herbalist, he or she can certainly put together an effective combination. In our favor is the fact that most herbs by themselves or in combination are quite safe. There would be much more evidence of adverse reactions if that were not the case."

Giving his opinion on two specific ingredients was Stryka's Mr. Christenson. "It's better to keep kava kava and St. John's Wort separate; St. John's Wort is a prescription drug in some countries for a reason and should be kept as a single product."

Taking the side of combinations was Mr. Wilson. "There is a market today for a combination of valerian and St. John's Wort," he said. "Combinations are the new wave. We see things like a 'Sleep Aid' formula with products such as valerian and chamomile."

ADH introduced a "Tranquility Complex" formula at NNFA that includes kava, "Nutramins" DHA, phosphatidyl serine, trimethyl glycine and St. John's Wort. According to Mr. Advani, the product generated strong interest at the show.

"Consumers may already be taking herbs together individually," said Triarco's Mr. Rohde. "I'm sure we'll see more combination products in the future once more work has been done on their net effects."

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Possibilities On The Horizon
While the main herbs for this area are certainly kava kava, valerian and-at least according to consumers-St. John's Wort, an assortment of smaller players are also surfacing in the market. One is passionflower, which Mr. Lytle of Peak Botanical Lab described as an up and coming herb. "This is selling better than valerian in some areas. It has interesting potential and a good name, scent and flavor. I think you'll hear more about this herb in the future."

Another herb described as "tried and true" in the relaxation market is chamomile. According to RFI's Mr. Wuagneux, "It's also the easiest to market for the food industry."

"Nootropics are up and coming in the anti stress area," said Cyvex's Mr. Gluck. "Vinpocetine provides a clear mind. It's a modern stress reliever; it helps you deal with life. These are not traditional stress relievers, but help increase mental effects like cognition. There is the possibility of creating a formula with ingredients like kava and vinpocetine for a synergistic effect."

Dr. Ramazanov of Pharmline discussed a new Russian extract. "'Rosavin' rhodiola rosea extract, developed in Russia, has been a secret for 30 years. Rosavin enhances serotonin and dopamine; it is a positive mood enhancer, optimizing levels of neurotransmitters," he said, adding, "Dopamine levels are associated with Parkinson's disease; Rosavin may help in the early stages." In a test of 130 patients, given 150 mg three times a day, said Dr. Ramazanov, 65% of them improved.

Peter Jimolka, herbalist at Nature's Answer, which is owned by BioBotanica, Hauppauge, NY, offered a different perspective on the anti-stress market. "I predict an herb that you're going to see up and coming in the next six months is green oats (avena sativa)," he said, adding that it had to be green fresh milky oats, not dried oats. "This product has more than 100 years of empirical and clinical research and was an official medicine until the 20's or 30's," he said. "It has been used for nervous exhaustion and should be used for complete body stress. Green oats nourish and restore the central nervous system over time. This is a long term tonic herb for dealing with daily stress. There are a lot of studies now on its effect on the male libido and we're beginning to see it used more in 'herbal Viagra' formulas and other formulas for invigorating health and stamina."

Griffonia is an up and coming stress reducer, according to Triarco's Mr. Rohde. "It won't have the incredible spike of St. John's Wort but we're looking to build off the back of science, slowly." Griffonia is standardized to a 20% marker of 5-HTP, which is a precursor to serotonin.

Other ingredients mentioned were magnesium and calcium, which have a relaxing effect on the body, and B vitamins, which Mr. Advani described as "the forgotten ingredients. You cannot ignore B vitamins when it comes to stress," he said. Another ingredient worth mentioning-simply because of its current status as 'hot topic' in the mainstream media-is "SamE," introduced earlier this year for combating depression as well as joint pain. It remains to be seen whether this product has staying power on the market, but early indications report strong sales.

Analyzing the stress market from the Chinese outlook was Matt Humphrey, Marketing Director at Draco Natural Products, San Jose, CA. Draco offers two Chinese based formulas, "Herbal Calm" and "Stress Recovery," for two very different purposes. According to Mr. Humphrey, the Herbal Calm formula works by attacking the cause of the stress and helping the body to better handle it. The formula includes Siberian and Panax ginseng, white atractylodes, which "enhances vital energy" and schizandra. "These are synergistic herbs that work well on the energy of the body," said Mr. Humphrey.

Stress Recovery targets the more acute market; according to Mr. Humphrey, it works to help a person who has been stressed out for a long period get "back on track. Stress Recovery works synergistically to strengthen the body's ability to recover from stress and also to treat the secondary symptoms such as heart rate increases and headaches," said Mr. Humphrey. Ingredients include foti, which is a classic Chinese longevity herb and one of the highest tonics in China, Chinese privet, which handles issues like insomnia, lack of appetite or immune deficiency, rehmannia, which cools the blood and nourishes the "yin" part of the body and Chinese yam, which promotes the production of body fluids to nourish and strengthen.