From calming capsules to energizing teas: Botanical product launches at Expo West

What’s new in the botanical supplements and functional foods this year? We caught up with some botanical-focused companies at the Natural Products Expo West show in Anaheim, CA, earlier this month to get the scoop.

New Chapter – Daily Workout + Recovery and Elite Performance + Recovery

Two new products launched by New Chapter at this year’s Expo West marks the company’s first foray into sports nutrition, according to Jennifer Toomey, VP Innovation Design at New Chapter.

“For both products we have an organic astaxanthin extract at a clinically studied level. We also have a clinically studied level of ginger which helps with post-exercised pain so you can stay in the gym and keep working out,” she said.

“In the elite, we have more rhodiola [than in the daily] and a grapeseed extract, which will help elite athletes gain lean muscle mass.”

Amazing Grass – Organic Protein & Kale, Green Powder Smoothie Boosters, and Green Superfood Effervescents

Amazing Grass collaborates with a family farm in Kansas to grow the crops that eventually make it into the company’s finished products. This year, the farm started growing kale, which is prominently featured in two of the new lines Amazing Grass announced this year.

Particularly, the new Organic Supergreens Powder, part of the new Green Powder Smoothie Booster line, features kale and wheat grass grown on the family farm mixed with moringa and spirulina.

“We’ve seen moringa trend for a while—it’s a very nutrient-dense adaptogenic herb,” said Ryan Therriault, VP of marketing at Amazing Grass. “So we took our wheat grass and our new kale and blended it with these trending ingredients.”

Gaia Herbs – Mood Uplift

The new capsule supplement Gaia Herbs launched at the show is part of its SystemSupport line, products marketed to help address the root cause of systemic imbalance.

“Most of the herbs in the formula were sourced from the Gaia Herbs fam in North Carolina,” said Elena Lécué, executive VP of sales and marketing.”

“This is a synergistic formula that really brings to life the qualities of herbs like St. John’s Wort, passionflower, oats, and several other herbs that are great for nourishing the nervous system and restoring an optimal emotional balance.”

Terry Naturally – Terry Naturally Animal Health, CuraMed Syrup, Hemp Oil, and Hemp Oil + Curcumin

A new line dedicated for companion pets and horses was based on “certain compounds and formulas that we have found to be very successful among our human customers that people were already using for some of their pets,” said Cheryl Myers, RN, BA, head of education and scientific affairs for EuroPharma, parent company of supplement brand Terry Naturally.

Included in the line is a curcumin and boswellia chew to support healthy joints for companion pets, or in palletized powder for horses.

In the human health space, the company launched two hemp oils (one is infused with curcumin) and a syrup format of its popular CuraMed supplement.

“The question we’ve always had is, can we open the capsule? Can we poke a hole in the soft gel? Can we squirt it into applesauce? It’s not an easy thing to do, so we’ve come out with CuraMed syrup,” Myers said.

“It delivers 250 mg of our clinically studied curcumin that already has turmeric essential oil in it, and it’s incredibly palatable.”

Organic India – Prevention Wellness Teas

Organic India teamed up with magazine and lifestyle brand Prevention to launch a line of wellness tea. The line consists of three varieties: Balance, Thrive, and Immunity.

“These are all formulated with effective doses of herbs, and each one has a signature ingredient that is trying to deliver a condition-specific benefit,” said Graham Rigby, chief innovation officer at Organic India.

All teas in the line include tulsi, or holy basil. Balance was formulated for digestive health using probiotics, peppermint, and ginger; Immunity for immune support with probiotics and peppermint; and Thrive for energy with ashwagandha and green tea.