SEATTLE, Aug. 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plandai Biotechnology, Inc. (OTCBB:PLPL), a producer of highly bioavailable plant extracts, today announced that research has demonstrated the potential use of its proprietary green tea gallate catechin extract, Phytofare™, for treating a broad spectrum of infectious parasitic and bacterial infections. Multiple studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the green tea catechins, EGCG and ECG, on blood stages with research published in the US National Library of Medicine pointing to use of glucose in establishing a foothold in parasitic infected humans. Simply put, glucose is the food that parasites need to survive and multiply. A new field of research has opened up focusing on developing glucose and hexose inhibitors—agents that essentially cut off the food supply by preventing the infection from up taking the glucose.
A November 2009 in vitro study demonstrated that gallate catechins, such as those found in green tea, are effective glucose and hexose inhibitors. The catechins bind themselves to the adhesion molecules, preventing mobility of the parasite or bacteria and also inhibiting glucose absorption. Unable to move or feed, the infection is unable to replicate itself and, effectively, dies.
Plandai Chief Executive Officer, Roger Duffield, commented, "While the anti-parasitical properties of green tea have been known for years, only recently has science begun understanding the specific mechanism at work. The effectiveness of green tea catechins as a glucose inhibitor opens up an entire new field of research to us. Phytofare™ is potentially the long sought-for key to unlocking an effective, inexpensive treatment for the hundreds of millions of people suffering from parasitic infections throughout the world. Many of these infections have become increasingly drug resistant, forcing medicine to explore new methods for eradicating these diseases."
About Plandai Biotechnology, Inc.
Plandai Biotechnology, Inc., through its recent acquisition of Global Energy Solutions, Ltd. and its subsidiaries, focuses on the farming of whole fruits, vegetables and live plant material and the production of proprietary functional foods and botanical extracts for the health and wellness industry. Its principle holdings consist of land, farms and infrastructure in South Africa.
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