Deer doze: Japanese firm reformulates sleep aid supplement based on TCM concept
Key parts of the sika deer including the skin, horns, and placenta, have now been added to the formulation of Nemurira, the firm’s line of sleep aid supplements, based on a concept posited by Chinese physician Li Shizhen – the author of TCM classic Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu).
Li’s theory was that consuming deer skin can nourish the blood and qi (energy), while consuming deer placenta can clear the body from toxins.
About 15% of the product’s component is made up of deer ingredients and the remaining comes from gardenia jasminoide (also known as the gardenia), dried ginger, semen ziziphi spinosae (also known as Suan Zao Ren), and licorice.
According to the firm, the formula is aimed at alleviating three commonly seen sleep-related problems, namely insomnia, poor quality of sleep, and difficulty waking from sleep.
A daily intake of six to nine tablets, one hour before sleep is recommended.
“About a-third of our lifetime will be spent on sleep. A poor quality of sleep will not only affect the skin condition, it will even affect our emotional wellbeing, such as becoming easily irritated. We have already seen such examples from news reports of breastfeeding mothers developing depression or even killing their children due to the lack of sleep.
“We hope that by introducing this product, more people can also get to know the medicinal benefits of the sika deer,” managing director of the firm Tei Ken said in responses to queries from NutraIngredients-Asia.
Nemurira will be sold via pharmacies and the firm’s official website in Japan.
The firm is also selling the product via cross-border e-commerce to China.
Repurposing Sika deer
Sika deer, which are overabundant in Japan, are often in the spotlight for causing traffic accidents and damage to agriculture farmlands.
In light of the circumstances, the firm has been finding ways to repurpose sika deer, in particular making use of its skins, bones, and horns for use in health supplements.
Earlier this year, it launched a supplement made from sika deer for improving male vitality.
