Sleep supplement Venetron offers surprising benefits to female quality of life

29 Jan 2024 --- Venetron, a purified extract of Apocynum venetum, most frequently used to boost sleep quality and mood, was recently revealed in a study to offer relief to various menstruation struggles. Nutrition Insight discusses this new research and the unique properties of the extract with Isabel Elias-Castro, president of global nutrition at the Venetron distributor Maypro.

“This study indicates there is a high perceptual experience among women with measurable relief to common premenstrual and menstrual complaints,” Elias-Castro tells us. “Current therapies most often focus on premenstrual complaints such as pain and water retention.” 

“Because Venetron has been shown to provide natural support for a wider variety of symptoms both before and during menstruation, there is an argument to be made that Venetron can positively impact a woman’s quality of life.” 

Isabel Elias-Castro, president of global nutrition at Maypro.Research and findings
The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in Japan determined an improvement in several symptoms detrimental to women’s well-being in the group that received the supplement but not in the placebo group.

“Researchers used the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ) and the Oguri-Skirakawa-Azumi Sleep Inventory for middle-aged and aged individuals (OSA-MA) as tools for evaluating Venetron’s efficacy in relieving common menstrual-related complaints before, during and after menstruation,” Elias-Castro details. 

“The MDQ measures specific parameters like pain, water retention, control and concentration. The questionnaire also measures behavioral changes like loss of focus and productivity, autonomic reactions such as nausea and vomiting, as well as negative emotions like mood swings and irritability,” she further explains. 

 Subjects in the Venetron group received a standard 50 mg dose of Venetron containing at least 2% of hyperoside and 2% of isoquercitrin. According to Elias-Castro, those subjects reported “improved premenstrual and menstrual symptoms according to the MDQ, including pain, concentration, as well as improvements in behavioral and autonomic changes and the negative emotions experienced before and during menstruation.”

She adds: “They also reported an improvement in the initiation of sleep prior to menstruation according to the OSA-MA.” 

Properties 
According to the industry expert, Apocynum venetum, also known as rafuma, possesses the capacity to improve well-being during menstruation by targeting specific systems in the body. 

“Venetron’s mechanism of action is based on well-known and safe flavonoid phytocompounds, hyperoside and isoquercitrin. Venetron is believed to exert its effects by reducing the secretion of stress marker chromogranin A — without affecting the CYP3A pathway.” The human gene locus CYP3A is responsible for drug metabolism by humans. 

Elias-Castro says that rafuma works in synergy with the Gamma-aminobutyric amino acid (GABA), the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. According to the expert, its “main function is to calm brain excitation by allowing GABA to be better received by receptors.”

“By reducing the secretion of chromogranin A and supporting GABA reception, Venetron promotes the production of serotonin, thereby boosting mood during the day, resulting in the natural production of melatonin at night for better sleep.”

Rafuma has been known in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries, with the natural ingredient being used to treat sleep disorders in Northwestern China in particular. 

“Venetron is derived from rafuma which has been harvested from a traceable wild source in China, but product-developer Tokiwa Phytochemical has a cultivation plan in place to provide a sustainable and stable supply for years to come,” underscores Elias-Castro. “More than 90% of the power used by Tokiwa is provided by either solar power or a carbon-neutral source.”

She adds that Venetron is a registered New Dietary Ingredient and the only available extract of rafuma in the US.

Speaking on the need for further research into the extract to improve understanding of its properties, she comments: “There are indications in this study that Venetron can support (or affect) concentration and mood even after the menstrual cycle. Previous studies have shown Venetron has a positive impact on sleep and mood.”

“We would like to see further studies focused on female subjects to reinforce Venetron’s long-term benefits at any phase of the menstrual cycle,” she concludes. 

By Milana Nikolova