INDIANAPOLIS, September 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Stevia Corp. (OTC: STEV) ("Stevia Corp" or the
"Company"), an international farm management company and healthcare
company focused on the commercial development of products that
support a healthy lifestyle, including stevia and hemp and their
compounds, is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary,
Real Hemp LLC, has unveiled a searchable digital library consisting
of more than 30 years of peer reviewed scientific research
publications focused on the cannabis plant. Stevia Corp and Real
Hemp Advisory Panel member, Dr. Paul
Mahlberg, is the author or co-author of each publication
included in the library.
The searchable research library contains some of the most
important research ever published on the cannabis plant, with
specific concentration on glandular trichome development. Dr
Mahlberg and his colleague's research has been referenced in
thousands of cannabis and hemp articles and publications over the
years, including industry leading publications such as High Times
Magazine. The research also resulted in some of the most important
discoveries about the cannabis plant that are still applied today
by some of the most successful cannabis grow operations and
industrial hemp farms in the world.
For over three decades, Dr. Mahlberg was known as one of the
world's leading researchers of the cannabis plant. Dr. Mahlberg
obtained one of only two Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Schedule 1 research licenses to pursue studies on cannabis in
the United States spanning a
period of 33 years from 1970-2003. During that time, he accumulated
one of the most extensive seed banks in the world with over 200
strains (including landrace varieties) of cannabis from worldwide
sources, which were cultivated in secure greenhouses.
Dr. Mahlberg is a Professor Emeritus of Indiana University and was an active professor in
the Botany department of the University until 1994 after which he
continued his research on cannabis with visiting faculty and
maintained his laboratory until 2003. Dr. Mahlberg received
his Ph.D. in Botany from the University of
California, Berkley and his M.S. and B.S. degrees in Botany
from the University of Wisconsin,
Madison.
George Blankenbaker, President of
Stevia Corp commented, "We are fortunate to have Dr. Mahlberg on
our advisory panel and it is a great honor that he chose our
company to make his valuable research available to scientists,
growers and consumers. At the time that Dr. Mahlberg was conducting
his research, he was a pioneer in a field of study that did not
have the full understanding and support of the general public,
politicians and other scientists. Now that the true value of
the cannabis plant is starting to be known and understood, there is
considerable interest by many parties to have access to such
research. We are thrilled to be able facilitate the expansion
of knowledge of this important plant in support of this important
industry."
The research library contains a total of 37 searchable
publications that can be viewed at
https://www.realhemp.com/mahlberg-cannabis-research/.
Stevia Corp and Real Hemp would like to thank the following
public companies for assisting us in publicizing this searchable
research library: Cannavest Corp. (CANV:OTCQN), Hemp Inc.
(HEMP:PK), India Globalization Capital, Inc. (IGC:NYSE), Totally
Hemp Crazy, Inc. (THCZ:PK)
About Stevia Corp. (OTC: STEV)
Stevia Corp. is a farm management company and healthcare company
focused on developing highly nutritional, high value products
through proprietary plant breeding, excellent agricultural
methodologies and innovative post-harvest techniques. Stevia Corp
invests in R&D and IP acquisition and manages its own
propagation, nursery and plantations as well as provides services
to contract growers and other industry growers. Stevia Corp was
founded on the principal of implementing socially responsible,
sustainable, quality agribusiness solutions to maximize the
long-term efficient production of nutritional crops. For additional
information please visit: http://www.steviacorp.us.
About Real Hemp LLC
Real Hemp LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Stevia Corp.
focused on commercializing the industrial hemp variety of cannabis
sativa including its seeds, fiber and cannabinoids.
About the Hemp Industry Sector
Industrial Hemp is a crop that can be grown for food and
non-food purposes. As a result of its numerous nutritional
benefits, many new food products containing hemp seed and its oil
are finding their way into the marketplace, including pasta,
tortilla chips, salad dressings, snack products and frozen
desserts. Hemp seed contains a complete protein and the seed oil is
the richest source of essential fatty acids (Omega-6 and Omega-3)
with the perfect ratio of 3:1. Hemp seed oil is also used in
nutraceuticals and health care products.
As a fiber source, hemp is undergoing rapid growth as a natural
fiber in everything from clothing and textiles to automotive
composites. The fiber is also gaining popularity as insulation and
other building materials.
The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) estimated that the 2014
retail sales value of hemp food and body care products in
the United States was $200 million. When clothing, paper, auto parts,
building materials and various other products are included, the HIA
estimates that the total retail value of hemp products sold in the
U.S. in 2014 to be at least $620
million. Total hemp retail sales in the U.S. have continued
to grow steadily and the annual percent growth is estimated by the
HIA to have progressed from 7.3% (2011), to 16.5% (2012), to 24%
(2013), to 21.2% in 2014.
Industrial Hemp is distinct from marijuana and is defined as the
plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of such plant, whether
growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration
of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.
Although it is legal to import and sell industrial hemp products
in the U.S., it is not yet legal to commercially grow industrial
hemp in the U.S. The 2013 farm bill was signed into law in
February 2014 and contained a hemp
amendment, Sec. 7606 Legitimacy of Industrial Hemp Research,
which allows states that have already legalized the crop to
cultivate hemp within the parameters of state agriculture
departments and research institutions.
In January of 2015, The Industrial Hemp Farming Act was
introduced in the House and Senate, H.R. 525 and S. 134
respectively. If passed, the bill would remove all federal
restrictions on the cultivation of industrial hemp, and remove its
classification as a Schedule 1 controlled substance.
About Cannabinoids
There are at least 85 different cannabinoids that have been
identified in the cannabis plant. The most notable cannabinoid is
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the primary psychoactive
compound in marijuana (a variety of cannabis containing high levels
of THC). Cannabidiol (CBD) is another major constituent of the
plant and is a primary compound in Industrial Hemp (a variety of
cannabis containing less than 0.3% THC on a dry weight basis).
Cannabinoids are a class of diverse chemical compounds that act
on cannabinoid receptors. At present there are two known types of
cannabinoid receptors, termed CB1 and CB2,
with mounting evidence of more. The human brain has more
cannabinoid receptors than any other G protein-coupled receptor
type. CB1 receptors are found primarily in the brain and
CB2 receptors are predominantly found in the immune
system or immune-derived cells. Ligands for these receptor proteins
include the endocannabinoids (produced naturally in the body by
humans and animals), the phytocannabinoids (found in cannabis and
some other plants), and synthetic cannabinoids (manufactured
artificially).
In October 2003, U.S. Patent
6,630,507 entitled "Cannabinoids as antioxidants and
neuroprotectants" was assigned to "The United States Of America As
Represented By The Department Of Health And Human Services." The
patent was filed in April 1999 and
listed as the inventors: Aidan J.
Hampson, Julius Axelrod, and
Maurizio Grimaldi, who all held
positions at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in
Bethesda, MD, which is part of the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The patent mentions
cannabidiol's ability as an antiepileptic, to lower intraocular
pressure in the treatment of glaucoma, lack of toxicity or serious
side effects in large acute doses, its neuroprotectant properties,
its ability to prevent neurotoxicity mediated by NMDA, AMPA, or
kainate receptors; its ability to attenuate glutamate toxicity, its
ability to protect against cellular damage, its ability to protect
brains from ischemic damage, its anxiolytic effect, and its
superior antioxidant activity which can be used in the prophylaxis
and treatment of oxidation associated diseases.
Oxidative associated diseases include, without limitation, free
radical associated diseases, such as ischemia, ischemic reperfusion
injury, inflammatory diseases, systemic lupus erythematosus,
myocardial ischemia or infarction, cerebrovascular accidents (such
as a thromboembolic or hemorrhagic stroke) that can lead to
ischemia or an infarct in the brain, operative ischemia, traumatic
hemorrhage (for example a hypovolemic stroke that can lead to CNS
hypoxia or anoxia), spinal cord trauma, Down's syndrome, Crohn's
disease, autoimmune diseases (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis or
diabetes), cataract formation, uveitis, emphysema, gastric ulcers,
oxygen toxicity, neoplasia, undesired cellular apoptosis, radiation
sickness, and others. Cannabinoids are believed to be particularly
beneficial in the treatment of oxidative associated diseases of the
CNS, because of the ability of the cannabinoids to cross the blood
brain barrier and exert their antioxidant effects in the brain. It
is believed that the pharmaceutical composition of cannabinoids can
be used for preventing, arresting, or treating neurological damage
in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and HIV dementia;
autoimmune neurodegeneration of the type that can occur in
encephalitis, and hypoxic or anoxic neuronal damage that can result
from apnea, respiratory arrest or cardiac arrest, and anoxia caused
by drowning, brain surgery or trauma (such as concussion or spinal
cord shock).
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as that
term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act
of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release, which are
not purely historical, are forward-looking statements and include
any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions
regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include,
among other things, the potential benefits of the cannabis plant,
the commercialization of the cannabis plant, annual retail value of
hemp products sold in the U.S., growth of industrial hemp product
industry, potential uses of cannabinoids for treatment of various
illnesses and diseases, product development and business strategy.
Actual results could differ from those projected in any
forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors
include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with
new projects and development stage companies. These forward-looking
statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we
assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or
to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those
projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe
that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in
this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that
any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to
be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set
forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure
outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent
fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic
reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
Contact:
Stevia Corp. Investor Relations
Email: ir@steviacorp.com
Tel: +1-888-250-2566
Web: http://www.steviacorp.com
SOURCE Stevia Corp.