#EUzaTebe
The power of plants in the innovative HerbELICO® capsule
Surely you know someone who once had a problem with bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)? Do you know how long and exhausting the process of treatment of H. pylori infection with several types of antibiotics is? If we look at the statistics, according to the data of the World Health Organization (WHO), 50% of the population has a H. pylori in their stomach, while 20% of infected individuals feel side effects and discomfort. The WHO puts H. pylori in a group of bacteria for which new alternative methods of treatment are urgently needed because it is an increasingly common that the bacterium becomes resistant to standard antibiotic therapy that doctors prescribe.
Our three prosperous scientists from Novi Sad, with a strong research enthusiasm, Nataša Simin, PhD, Marija Lesjak, PhD and Ivana Beara, PhD, have been engaged in research in the field of biochemistry of medicinal plants for more than 15 years and have been working on solving this health problem for 7 years. By studying medicinal herbs and all the benefits that their application brings, three female scientists in the field of biochemistry founded the company HerbElixa, and with the financial support of the European Union, they developed a completely new revolutionary herbal preparation HerbELICO® that suppresses infection caused by H. pylori.
HerbELICO® consists of essential oils of oregano, savory and thyme, which are produced from 100% organic plants. Unlike antibiotics, which are one-component system and to which the bacterium can develop resistance, essential oils have dozens of different components that act on H. pylori together and therefore the bacterium cannot become resistant to these essential oils.
The production process of HerbELICO® is very complex. After selection of suitable plant raw material and isolation of essential oils from them, a mixture of three essential oils of precise chemical composition is prepared, then encapsulated and packaged. After oral consumption, the capsule dissolves in contact with gastric acid and the essential oils "disperses" all over the stomach and acts directly on H. pylori. After that, the essential oils are absorbed and metabolized which is why they does not have a harmful effect on the intestinal flora like antibiotics. In addition, the essential oils have a healing effect on the stomach lining, which is damaged by H. pylori and can restore it.
HerbElixa team plans to patent and protect the product, but also to position itself on the European market, and then on the market of Asian countries where over 90% of people are infected with H. pylori.
"All previous collaborations with prestigious research institutes across our country and abroad are of great importance to us for success on domestic market but also because of entering world markets, since we have proven that HerbELICO® equally affects all strains of H. pylori from different continents." pointed out the HerbElixa expert team.
Direct Grant Agreement - Development of new products and services by SMEs through the commercialization of research, signed between the Innovation Fund and the Ministry of Finance (Sector for Contracting and Financing Programs from European Union Funds), provides funds for continued implementation of the Early Development Program and the Co-financing Innovation Program. The total value of the Direct Grant Agreement is 4.5 million euros, of which 2.5 million euros are financed from the European Union Pre-Accession Funds for 2014, while 2 million euros are provided from the budget of the Republic of Serbia, from the Ministry of education, science and technological development. You can find out more about the project at: www.inovacionifond.rs