A phytosome is a complex formed by a natural active ingredient and a
phospholipid
Phospholipids are a class of lipids whose molecule has a hydrophilic "head" containing a phosphate group and two hydrophobic "tails" derived from fatty acids, joined by an alcohol residue (usually a glycerol molecule). Marine phospholipids typ ...
. The most common example of a phytosome is
Lecithin
Lecithin ( ; from the Ancient Greek "yolk") is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues which are amphiphilic – they attract both water and fatty substances (and so ar ...
.
Phytosomes are claimed to enhance the absorption of "conventional herbal extracts" or isolated active principles, both topically
and orally.
Complexation with phospholipids has been applied to a number of popular herbal extracts and active molecules including
Ginkgo biloba
''Ginkgo biloba'', commonly known as ginkgo or gingko ( ), also known as the maidenhair tree, is a species of gymnosperm tree native to East Asia. It is the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million year ...
extract,
isolated from
Ginkgo biloba
''Ginkgo biloba'', commonly known as ginkgo or gingko ( ), also known as the maidenhair tree, is a species of gymnosperm tree native to East Asia. It is the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million year ...
,
isolated from milk thistle (
Silybum marianum
''Silybum marianum'' is a species of thistle. It has various common names including milk thistle, blessed milkthistle, Marian thistle, Mary thistle, Saint Mary's thistle, Mediterranean milk thistle, variegated thistle and Scotch thistle (not ...
),
curcumin
Curcumin is a bright yellow chemical produced by plants of the ''Curcuma longa'' species. It is the principal curcuminoid of turmeric (''Curcuma longa''), a member of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is sold as a herbal supplement, cosmetic ...
isolated from
turmeric
Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...
,
and green tea extract (
Camellia sinensis
''Camellia sinensis'' is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree in the flowering plant family Theaceae. Its leaves, leaf buds, and stems can be used to produce tea. Common names include tea plant, tea shrub, and tea tree (unrelated to ''Me ...
).
An attempt to trademark the term in the USA failed on appeal. Legal analysis in the USA concluded, "Applicant's fatal error, according to the Board, was in using the term as the sole designation for its new product."
[,]
At least one dictionary defined it as "a new term cosmetologists are using for the combination of liposomes ... and plant extracts."
Nevertheless, Phytosome - along with Meriva - is a registered trademark of Indena S.p.A. in major countries.
Footnotes
Phospholipids
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