Every year our Discovery Science lab works on a number of projects in collaboration with the Standard Process Farm. The focus of these projects includes evaluating different varieties of plants, determining the effect of harvest time on plant composition, and understanding the effects of fertilization on composition. Recently, we have started to grow plants not currently cultivated on the farm and began to investigate the use of these plants for both existing and new products. These projects involve evaluation of the plant yield and the general health of the plants (not everything grows easily on an organic farm in Wisconsin). Once the plants are harvested, we measure composition (phytochemical and nutrient analysis) and follow these measurements with experiments to demonstrate the biological activity of the plants using experimental models.

This summer, the Farm and the Discovery Science lab were involved in a project focusing on collinsonia root. Collinsonia root, also known as stone root, is an ingredient in a number of Standard Process products and currently wild-harvested. We are evaluating what it will take to cultivate this plant especially since it prefers a shady environment. Plants have been growing in our test plots under a specially constructed fabric roof that provides shade. Soon we will compare the collinsonia root grown at Standard Process with wild-harvested root. We will use our strategy of identifying unique phytochemicals associated with the root (a fingerprint so to speak) and then use cell culture models to demonstrate biological activity. There is very little published research on collinsonia root, so our lab is looking forward to leading the research in this area.

We are excited about this project because it will ensure that the ingredients in our products are of the highest quality. To learn about the health benefits of collinsonia root, read the product detail sheets for Collinsonia Root, Cholacol®, Fen-Cho®, and Cholacol® II at www.standardprocess.com.