Originally posted on healthing.com By Johanne Carner – https://www.healthing.ca/partners/sponsored/pharmaceutical-scientist-says-patented-formula-sets-this-respiratory-supplement-apart
As a child growing up in Hong Kong, Dr. Yun K. Tam was accustomed to his mother’s various healing preparations. To ensure her children’s ongoing good health, his mom regularly relied on ingredients used for centuries in Eastern cultures.
“I’ve been taking Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) since I was a kid,” says Dr. Tam, co-founder of Sinoveda Canada, an Edmonton-based company that develops pharmaceutical-grade natural health products. “I hated it because it can taste terrible, but it works. So, I was always curious about what was in these ingredients that made them so effective.”
Dr. Tam’s curiosity about medicines led him to study pharmaceutical sciences, focusing on pharmacokinetics — how drugs move through the body and how the body processes them. “Researchers often focus on how a drug works, but it’s equally important to understand how the body handles it,” says Dr. Tam, who previously worked as a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Alberta. “This helps us figure out the right dosage.”
Pharmacokinetics is like tracking a drug’s path: how it’s absorbed, reaches the target and is removed by the body. Studying this process ensures medications are safe, effective and work well for different people.
Dr. Tam’s lifelong interest in the active ingredients within TCM and his background in pharmacology coincided in 2006 when he co-founded Sinoveda. The name is derived from Chinese and Bangladeshi words, the two cultures of the company’s founders: Dr. Tam and his wife, Dr. Nuzhat Tam-Zaman. “The name references Ayurvedic medicine from ancient India, and the wisdom of natural medicine,” says Dr. Tam.
Tam describes Sinoveda’s strategy as simple: “We examine the active ingredients from traditional formulas that have been used for thousands of years, ones we know are safe and effective,” he explains. “If we know what the active ingredients are, we can standardize them.”
Among the traditional ingredients Sinoveda has explored is Cordyceps militaris, a type of mushroom known for its potential health benefits, including supporting immunity and improving endurance. It has been used in TCM for centuries, often in supplements, teas and extracts. “To Western ears, the name Cordyceps militaris might be unfamiliar,” says Dr. Tam, “but it is one of the most precious mushrooms in the East.”
Dr. Tam’s lifelong interest in the active ingredients within TCM and his background in pharmacology coincided in 2006 when he co-founded Sinoveda. SUPPLIED
Dr. Tam describes the mushroom as medicinal food. “The Chinese use the Cordyceps fungus to prepare soup,” Dr. Tam says. “So, if you’re an important guest, you might be served this dish.”
According to Dr. Tam, Cordyceps is known for its effectiveness in helping tonify and replenish the lungs and kidneys. “In TCM, the lungs are related to the body’s defence mechanisms, and the kidneys relate to the vitality of the body,” he says, adding, “It’s all related to qi.”
Dr. Tam notes that Cordyceps has been closely studied for decades, with clinical trials examining its active ingredients. Studies suggest Cordyceps helps protect the lungs, primarily through its anti-inflammatory effects. “This information is known,” he says, “but nobody has been able to put it together to say how much we actually need, what it should go with and how it should be delivered.”
Sinoveda set out to answer these questions. Last year, it released its patented natural health product, Cordyva. Developed from the bioactives found in Cordyceps militaris, Cordyva relieves persistent respiratory ailments, including resolving phlegm.
To arrive at the formula for Cordyva, Sinoveda used its patented AI-Pharmaceutical Platform Technology (AI-PPT), which determines how natural compounds and formulas work in the body.
Developed over the last two decades, the AI-PPT system decodes effectiveness and efficacy to understand the “why” and “how” of traditional therapies, such as Cordyceps militaris. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, Sinoveda’s AI-PPT workflow tests billions of combinations to discover the optimal effectiveness of a group of compounds, resulting in accurate, standardized formulas. “Our process is just like developing a new drug,” says Dr. Tam, “except in this case, the active ingredient isn’t manufactured and comes from nature.
“There’s a reason herbal medicines have been around for centuries,” he continues. “But they are effective only if you have the capability to unlock them and put them together in a specific combination, which we have done with our patented technology.”
Dr. Tam notes that Western cultures are increasingly embracing Eastern medicine. “People are letting go of the myth that herbal medicines are not that effective and that they take a long time to work,” he says. “This is simply not true if you blend them correctly.”
Click here to learn more about whether Cordyva is right for you.
This story was created by Healthing Content Works, Healthing.ca’s commercial content division, on behalf of Sinoveda Canada.
