I believe that the Universe supports us on our respective paths and, sometimes when I’ve not had the guts to make decisions that will help steer me back on my path, the Universe makes the decision for me…which leads me to a little story. After a wonderful life in New York City, I moved to Salt Lake City where I worked for four years helping run three startup biotech companies. These were some of the happiest years of my life, when I finally had a chance to slow down from my fast-paced New York world and enjoy the mountains and nature in a way I had only previously dreamed.

Well, after about three years I started to get itchy feet. I had been feeling spiritually drawn to Boulder for a long time, though kept stalling to make the move. At the end of my fourth year in Salt Lake I commented to a close friend that it was time for me to move on…that I no longer belonged in Salt Lake…and that it was time for a change. In my heart I knew this…and yet my feet were stuck in place. Not so ironically, the Universe responded, and three days later and much to my utter shock, there was a layoff in my company…and I was now finally free to pursue my dream of a life in Boulder. Even though I had initially been too afraid to make the move on my own, filled with one excuse after the other, the Universe supported me on my path. Yes, change is good. Though these past four years in Colorado have been filled with many ups and downs, the truth is I’m happy. Living in Boulder and running my own public relations company in the natural health and environmental industries is exactly what I am meant to be doing at this time in my life.

Aloecorp has also just gone through some changes. As highlighted in greater detail in this month’s “Aloecorp and Industry News” column, Aloecorp has hired a new President and CEO. John Rhees, a seasoned veteran in the dietary supplement industry, joined the Aloecorp family on October 1st. He brings with him a wealth of experience, knowledge and passion, and we are honored to welcome him into the fold. Mick Anderson, who held the position of President and CEO at Aloecorp for many years, is also in the midst of some wonderful changes. He and his wife Gayle have decided to be closer to their children and new grandson, and are relocating to Florida. While I’m sure this is a bittersweet moment for Mick, I’m glad he’s following his heart’s desire. He will very much remain an active part of the Aloecorp team as Vice President of European Operations.

I look forward to continuing to work with Mick…and to reading his monthly Desideratum column in ALOE TODAY. I am also excited about getting to know John, and working with him to help publicize the wonderful world of aloe through the eyes of Aloecorp, and spreading the word about this ancient botanic’s extraordinary health benefits. John is planning to submit his first ALOE TODAY column next month.

ALOE TODAY is undergoing a change as well. I am thrilled and delighted to announce a new column addressing regulatory news and issues that will appear every month or two, thanks to Susan Brienza, Esq., a regulatory attorney with the Washington, D.C.-based law firm of Patton Boggs LLP. Susan works in their Denver office, and concentrates her practice in federal laws relating to the manufacture, labeling, marketing, promotion and use of dietary supplements, organic foods, functional foods, cosmeceuticals, OTC drugs, homeopathic drugs, and medical foods. She is especially interested in issues involving the regulation of herbal products for women, and in biotechnology issues. Susan's practice includes advising clients as to compliance with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) law and USDA regulations, as well as FDA laws and regulations. She writes a legal question and answer column for the Natural Foods Merchandiser, a major trade publication in the natural food and dietary supplement industry. Susan wrote an informative column regarding the FTC and claims in advertising that appeared in last month's ALOE TODAY, and I believe her expert legal advice will provide a tremendous service to the readers of our e-newsletter, many of whom produce natural health products.

Please join me in welcoming John Rhees to Aloecorp…in wishing Mick well in his new position and new life in Florida…and in extending a cordial welcome to Susan Brienza as a regular contributor to ALOE TODAY.

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According to the article, several years ago it was thought that bacteria was resistant to antibiotics and that, in part, antibacterial soaps were to blame. Recently, researchers at Brigham Young University published a peer-reviewed paper in the Journal of Applied Microbiology, and found that it was not the weakness of quality of antibacterial soaps that caused a resistance to antibiotics, but actually the overuse of prescription antibiotics that caused this problem. Said the leader of the research project, Eugene Cole, “It’s good to know antibacterial soaps aren’t harmful, but they may not be very helpful, either (springing for a name brand’s your best bet).”

What a poor commentary for antibacterial hand soaps, “…..aren’t harmful, but they may not be very helpful…..” But, I am afraid, very much the same is being said of the varying qualities of Aloe vera in our industry. This article does not bode well for “run-of-the-mill” quality antibacterial soaps. Consumers are going to scrutinize the quality of their purchases and, as it should be, the quality products will rise to the top. And similarly, as it should be, slowly but surely the same is happening in our “aloe world.”

In my recent travels to Russia, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Greece, quality is becoming the important criteria it should be. I am finding, more and more, that international companies are not interested in someday reading that their aloe-based products “aren’t harmful, but may not be very helpful.” Price is less of an issue on the international scene. An impressive sophistication is in the mainstream and a growing emphasis is on quality, and claim substantiation is the topic of discussion around conference tables across Europe.

I certainly agree with the author, Karen Springen, when she said, “springing for a name brand’s your best bet.” As a supplier of the highest quality Aloe vera available, I believe we, at Aloecorp, offer a “name brand” in the very same sense that a quality, finished product can be considered a “name brand.” After all, the age-old adage, “you get what you pay for” continues to ring true - regardless in what country you find yourself.

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Mr. Rhees brings to Aloecorp a vast background in the dietary supplement industry. As an entrepreneur he founded two companies, one of which was a contract manufacturing business he sold in 2000, now known as Cornerstone Labs in Farmington, Utah. Prior to his divestiture of Cornerstone Labs, Mr. Rhees founded and operated Modern Packaging, a company specializing in the manufacture of equipment and packaging used in the dietary supplement industry. During his career, he received various awards for package and equipment design, and manufactured products for many major marketing companies in the U.S., including GNC, Nu Skin, and Doctor’s Preferred.

Mr. Rhees is a graduate of Weber State University where he received a Bachelors degree in business administration and political science. He is the father of six children and grandfather of five. He and his wife, Angie, presently reside in Huntsville, Utah and plan to relocate to Colorado within a few months.

We will miss Mick here at the corporate office, as he has been a backbone of Aloecorp (having been a member of the company almost from its inception). Mick has always been passionate in leading the charge for high quality, efficacious Aloe vera raw materials, and has been a positive, driving force in the Aloe Industry. Fortunately, due to modern day communications, we will continue to be able to tap into his expertise. Additionally, Mick will assume the responsibilities of president of the International Aloe Science Council (IASC) in 2004.

SupplySide West
This past week, Aloecorp once again exhibited at SupplySide West in Las Vegas. We would like to congratulate the good folks at Virgo Publishing for organizing the best trade show we have exhibited at in a long, long time. There were in excess of 5,000 attendees and many outstanding speakers, including Magic Johnson, sponsored by our sister company, UNIGEN PHARMACEUTICALS. This was a great opportunity for us too see many old friends and to make numerous new ones.

Bit of Humor
Mick has always said a trip to our aloe farm in Mexico is an adventure. Well, on my most recent trip, I took it to a new level. Through a comedy of errors, my passport, visa and plane tickets ended up in Texas. After spending a fitful night wondering where they were and finding out I couldn’t fly out of Mexico without paying a large fine, I made the decision to drive to the U.S. instead. While we generally think of most people sneaking into the U.S. from Mexico, well, I’m the first person to sneak out of Mexico. Fortunately, all documents were found, and I am legal once again.

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The wound healing effect of a 5.5 kD glycoprotein isolated from Aloe vera

Seon-won Choi, Byung-Wha Son, Young-Sook Son, Young-In Park, Seung-Ki Lee and Myung-Hee Chung; Department of Pharmacology, Seoul National University School of Medicine, Department of Chemistry, Pukyung National University, Laboratory of Cell Biology, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Graduate School of Biotechnology, Korea University, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University.

A glycoprotein involved in wound healing was isolated from Aloe vera and characterized by chromatography, electrophoresis and spectroscopy. Cell proliferation activity of the glycoprotein, G1G1M1DI2, was measured by tritiated thymidine uptake assay and on three dimensional raft-culture, a cell culture technique by which artificial epidermis is made from keratinocytes. Cell migration, an important component of wound healing, was accelerated on a monolayer of human keratinocytes. The glycoprotein fraction stimulated the formation of epidermal tissue on a raft-culture. During the study, epidermal growth factor receptor, fibronectin receptor, fibronectin and keratin 5/14 were markedly expressed. Finally, wound healing in hairless mice was enhanced by the isolated glycoprotein. The authors conclude that, “this glycoprotein fraction is involved in the wound healing effect of Aloe vera via cell proliferation and migration”.

Protective effect of prokidin on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and the mechanism

Se Youn, Choung; College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University

Cisplatin is an effective antitumor agent used for cancer therapy. However, its clinical use has been limited by severe side effects, including nephrotoxicity. Prokidin, an extract isolated from Aloe vera, was administered to rats, 72, 48 and 24 hours before cisplatin injection. Blood urea nitrogen and serum Creatinine levels, indicators of cisplatin nephrotoxicity, were significantly decreased without reduction of the antitumor action of cisplatin. Free radicals have been implicated in the toxicity of cisplatin treatment. Therefore, a neutrophil/LLC-PK1 coculture system was used to examine the protective effect of prokidin on cisplatin-treated cells. Prokidin reduced the cytotoxicity of cisplatin in a dose dependent manner and suppressed free radical production. The authors conclude that the “findings suggest the possibility of development of prokidin from aloe as a cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity protective agent”.

Anti-inflammatory and Radical Scavenging Effects of Aloesin Derivatives and Glycoprotein in Aloe vera

Akira Yagi, Amal Kabbash; Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, Fukuyama University, Fukuyama Hiroshima, Japan

A glycoprotein fraction was isolated from Aloe vera gel by precipitation followed by gel permeation and characterized by electrophoresis as a 14kD protein corresponding to a subunit of verectin. The glycoprotein was shown to be a potent oxygen radical scavenger, a COX-2 inhibitor and modulate thromboxane A2 synthase. These results suggest that the 14kD glycoprotein fraction plays an important role in the anti-inflammatory activity of Aloe vera.

The Mechanistic Role of Aloe barbadensis for Cancer Prevention

Byung Mu Lee; College of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University

The potential cancer preventive effects of Aloe vera have been previously reported by Kim and Lee, Carcinogenesis, 1997. In the current report, the mechanistic role of aloe, Basidiomycetes, Lentinus edodes, Ganoderma lucidum and Coriolus vesicolor polysaccharides were examined using biomarkers in the initiation and promotion of chemical carcinogenesis. Aloe polysaccharides were shown to inhibit DNA adduct formation in mouse liver cells in a dose dependent manner with no cytotoxic effects. None of the other plant polysaccharides tested showed inhibition of DNA adduct formation. Aloe polysaccharides were also shown to inhibit tyrosine kinase activity, which has been associated with tumorigenesis. Aloe polysaccharides inhibited tyrosine kinase by 30% at the highest concentration. The author concludes that, “among the polysaccharides tested, aloe polysaccharides were found to be the most effective in overall anti-[tumor] initiating and anti-[tumor] promoting activities.”

The field of aloe science has benefited greatly from the research embodied by the CAP team in its first ten years. The efforts of these researchers have expanded the applications of aloe as a medicinal herb, and extracts of aloe as pharmaceutical grade therapeutics. We can see that the future of aloe research is in good hands, and we congratulate the CAP team on their contribution to our good health.

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SupplySide West was held earlier this month in Las Vegas, and the keynote speaker was Earvin “Magic” Johnson, longtime superstar of the Los Angeles Lakers. While playing for the Lakers, Magic was famous for scoring what is called a triple double. A triple double means scoring points, grabbing rebounds and making assists in double figures. Well, in my opinion, Magic scored a triple double once again—this time at SupplySide West—with his charisma, poignant message and overall generosity of his time with the audience during and after his address.

Moments after he was introduced Magic stepped off the podium and stood in the aisle with the audience. That famous smile was as bright and as broad as if he had just won another Gold Medal at the Olympics. I felt he was truly happy to be there that morning and, after being in the same room with him, you have to like the man for who and what he is. Magic is much more than a retired athlete; he is a man of vision, a businessman and most importantly, a gentleman.

Magic talked about his days as a basketball player. He gave us some insight about playing against Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, as well as being a team leader on the court and in the clubhouse. He has taken the same lessons and knowledge he learned from sports and has applied them to his personal life and his business life. Magic Johnson is a very successful businessman. His string of business successes ranges from Magic Johnson Theatres, Starbucks, the Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund and T.G.I. Fridays. The Johnson Development Corporation and the vision of Magic Johnson scrutinized many urban areas of America to learn where they could introduce viable business enterprises—allowing for the realization of urban renewal, a restored economy and a new start for thousands of people. They have had a huge impact in areas of major cities that were once considered economic wastelands by many corporations, and helped transform them into cities now experiencing an economic resurgence.

Magic is a generous philanthropist. The Magic Johnson Foundation was established in 1991 to help raise funds for community-based organizations dealing with HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs. His foundation has expanded to include supporting community-based organizations and developing programs that serve the health, educational and social needs of those residing in inner-city communities. The foundation hopes to have a positive effect on the lives of all Americans through its efforts to raise awareness, and thus prevention, of serious health ailments.

He showed us what kind of gentleman he is when asked by a young woman in the audience whom she could contact to do business with the Johnson Development Corporation. Without hesitation, he pointed to an associate and said, “see that man when we are done here and he will tell you.” Figuratively and literally, Magic Johnson is a big man.

The facts are that business travel has its advantages. The fact is that there is a lot of “magic” being worked in America and the world. And the fact is that “Magic” is now working to make America a better place. And as was the case with Patch Adams, I hope that our industry leaders are as inspired as I am by Magic’s message, and that we join hands to work together to provide consumers with innovative and high-quality natural products to facilitate health and wellness around the world.

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It must be very frustrating for marketers of dietary supplements containing Aloe vera that solid science and human clinical trials exist showing that Aloe vera has a therapeutic or preventative effect on many diseases, and yet disease claims may not appear on dietary supplement labels. click here to read the whole article

(Ms. Brienza is an attorney in the Denver office of the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Patton Boggs LLP. She practices in the area of regulatory compliance, in FDA law (including DSHEA) and FTC law. Her e-mail address is sbrienza@pattonboggs.com.)

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ACTIValoe™ is a registered trademark of Aloecorp, Inc.

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