The Science Behind One Hour Pain Relief
Safety and Purity
Hops extract safety has been confirmed in both human and animal trials. Large dosages were found to be non-toxic and non-mutagenic. Vinoprin One Hour Pain Relief is made from hops grown in the USA at USDA inspected farms. The extract is tested to ensure the absence of heavy metals and 73 different pesticides. Vinoprin One Hour Pain Relief softgels are manufactured in the USA at ISO-c and cGMP-certified facilities. Each Vinoprin One Hour Pain Relief softgel is standardized to contain at least 150mg of humulones (alpha acids), the active ingredient. In addition, small amounts of peppermint and ginger oils are added to counteract any possible GI upset. Vinoprin One Hour Pain Relief is non-GMO, free of milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat/gluten and soy. Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) is GRAS (generally recognized as safe) as a food ingredient (21 CFR 182.20).
The Cox Problem
NSAIDs Inhibit COX
NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen are inhibitors of the Cyclooxygenase or COX enzymes, which cause pain and inflammation. Unfortunately, NSAIDS aren't selective; they inhibit both the COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes with varying intensity. So, while pain may be reduced by blocking the COX-2 enzyme, non-selective inhibition of COX-1, whose job is to protect the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract lining, can lead to dangerous side effects. Several newer drugs were developed that were more selective. But these drugs turned out to have even more severe side effects, potentially increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. The problem was too much selectivity. By completely shutting down COX-2, these drugs may have shut down the production of blood-clotting hormones and other cardio-protective enzymes.
Whole Blood Assay Reveals Suprising Results
The William Harvey Whole Blood Assay is considered the "gold standard" for evaluating a compounds COX activity and selectivity. The goal was to find a botanical extract that could moderately inhibit the pain causing COX-2, while only mildly inhibiting the protective COX-1. The humulones extracted from hops fit this model perfectly. The extract inhibited COX-2 strongly enough to alleviate pain, without shutting down the enzyme altogether. And it only mildly inhibited COX-1 to avoid GI problems.
The Quest to Find a Plant-Derived Anti-Inflammatory Agent
Vinoprin One Hour Pain Relief contains a proprietary hops extract that is standardized to contain 150mg of humulones (alpha acids) - the active anti-inflammatory components - and designed to be free of phytoestrogenic and sleep inducing compounds. The extraction process utilizes high temperature, high pressure, liquid C02, to perform the extraction with NO toxic chemicals. During the late 1990s, several research companies began looking for natural ways to ease the pain of arthritis and other conditions. Hundreds of different botanicals were examined, and thousands of pages of scientific studies were reviewed. At the end of this painstaking process, about 20 candidates were identified for further study. All of the prospects, including higly regarded botanical agents such as curcumin and boswellia were subjected to in vitro testing to determine their anti-inflammatory potential. Of those, the hops extract was identified as having the highest chance of success.
Human Clinical Trials Confirm the Finding
These COX inhibition properties were confirmed on a group of healthy volunteers, with blood levels of COX enzymes measured over a 9 hour period. A double-blind efficacy study showed that hops extract provided significant pain relief vs. placebo to subjects suffering from pain. During the 14 day trial period, subjects were measured to have significant improvements in comfort while walking, standing, climbing stairs, and sleeping.
Bioavailability
In-vitro testing, utilizing the standard CACO-2 cell monolayer assay indicates that there is high permeability of the hops extract, which correlates with good human oral bioavailability.
