Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) supplement brand Eu Yan Sang has recently launched in Australia, with plans for Japan, Vietnam, and US entry further down the road, says parent company Rohto, which also revealed new findings on microbiome and TCM.

Osaka-headquartered Rohto Pharmaceutical announced its outlook and initiatives for the TCM brand during its financial results presentation for Q1 FY26 on August 6.

During the quarter, Rohto’s internal medicine / food portfolio, in which Eu Yan Sang is a part of, saw an increase of 150.7% in sales to 15.9bn yen (US$107.6m).

Kirin Holdings says it has found a relationship between reduced plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC) activity and frailty, which it claims is the first time that a link between the two has been established.

As compared to healthy elderly, frail elderly were found to have a lower percentage of pDCs that produce interferon-alpha (IFN-α) — a protein that regulates the immune response to viral infections. The finding holds significance as it shows the need to support pDC activity in elderly at risk of frailty.

Watch the video to find out more.

Drinking tea made from the leaves of mulberry and husk of water chestnut could significantly suppress post-meal blood sugar spike, according to a new study from Japan.

The reported benefits could be linked to the 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) content of mulberry leaves, explained researchers from Japan’s Saga University and Nishikyushu University.

DNJ is a compound that plays a role in suppressing post-meal blood glucose elevation.

The husk of water chestnut is also rich in polyphenols, which has been shown to inhibit carbohydrate-digesting enzymes and reduce postprandial glycemic response in both mice and humans, the researchers wrote in Nutrients.

Japanese snack and cereal company Calbee believes that prebiotics could be used for a personalized approach to gut support, which studies have shown to also link to sleep quality.

The company believes that personalized nutrition would become more common in the future.

It plans to hone its existing gut microbiome testing services and leverage prebiotics as an essential part of nutrition.

Japan’s Foods with Function Claims (FFC) can now be formulated with methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) and make joint health claims.

MSM is widely used in dietary supplements brands in Japan.

However, this is the first time that MSM – specifically specialty ingredient manufacturer Balchem’s ingredient branded OptiMSM – has been allowed for use in FFC.