1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a soft capsule containing mastic oil therein, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a soft capsule in which oil produced by dissolving mastic into oils and fats is contained.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mastic is a kind of resin in transparent and colorless, or somewhat in light-yellow color. Mastic is originally in a form of pine-tree gum produced from an anacardiaceous plant which is native in Khios Island, Greece, and is used as the material for chewing gums, that is, as the natural base for producing the gum. Recently, it has been reported several times that mastic has effects of removal and inhibitory action against helicobacter pyloric bacteria. Consequently, mastic attracts a great deal of attention as one of the material for health food.
The helicobacter pyloric bacterium is a Gram-negative bacterium which has been supposed to cause several kinds of digestive organ disease such as the chronic gastris, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, stomach cancer, etc., and it has been said that the helicobacter pyloric bacteria live in the stomach of more than 80% of Japanese people who are 50 years old or more. Thus the removal and inhibition of multiplication of the helicobacter pyloric bacteria are believed to be one of the most practical and effective measures to prevent the occurrence of digestive organ disease.
However, since the helicobacter pyloric bacteria live deep in the epithelia of the mucous membrane cells which are positioned at the lowest part of the mucous strain (the mucous strain protects the inner wall of the stomach against the gastric juices), and since the helicobacter pyloric bacteria themselves have the defense effect against the stomach acids, the removal and inhibition thereof are quite difficult even by any pharmaceutical such as an antibiotic or an antibacterial agent. In addition, since there may often be the case that the medication of pharmaceuticals for a long period or the increase of amount of pharmaceuticals should be required;, there arises an anxiety of the side effect by these pharmaceuticals.
Therefore, since there has been awaited to be provided with the medicine which has no side effect and at. the same time has the considerable effects for removal and inhibition of the helicobacter pyloric bacteria, and since mastic may serve as a food material, the discovery of the removal and inhibitory effects of mastic as to the helicobacter pyloric bacteria is the good news for those who suffer from the digestive organ disease.
However, as mastic has the anti-soluble characteristic and the strong and unacceptable taste, the production of health food by using mastic would require several limitations. Thus, although there have been several kinds of health food using mastic, such as that in a form of chewing gum with the exceedingly sweet taste, or that containing mastic in a hard capsule after coarsely crushing mastic to be the granulated powder, they would be the limit of variation of health food containing mastic.
With regard to the health food according to the prior art as above discussed, in which mastic is used, it is insufficient to remove and inhibit the helicobacter pyloric bacteria, as will be discussed later in the experimental data of the present invention. The main reason is that, according to the prior art, since mastic has been used in an original solid form, even if the solid mastic is ingested, mastic will not sufficiently infiltrate into the epithelia of the mucous membrane cells. Consequently, the effect of mastic against the helicobacter pyloric bacteria will tend to be indirect and for the short time.
In the light of problems which have been described as above, the object of the present invention is to provide a composition containing mastic, with no side effect to human being, and with considerable effect to remove and inhibit the helicobacter pyloric bacteria.
For the object as above discussed, the inventor devoted himself to the research of composition by using mastic which has the good effect to remove and inhibit the helicobacter pyloric bacteria, and completed the present invention. According to the present invention, mastic is first dissolved in oils and fats such as a vegetable oil, animal oil, mineral oil, etc., in order to obtain mastic oil. Then, the mastic oil is filled in a soft capsule, or the mastic oil to which an amphipathic substance is added is filled in the soft capsule, or the mastic oil to which chitin or chitosan is added is filled in the soft capsule. The thus produced soft capsule has been proven to have the considerable effect to remove and inhibit the helicobacter pyloric bacteria.
According to claim 1 of the present invention, there is provided a soft capsule containing as contents oil which is produced by dissolving mastic in oils and fats.
According to claims 2 and 3, the soft capsule further comprises amphipathic substance added to the oils and fats. The amphipathic substance may be surfactant, ethanol or ethanol solution.
According to claims 4, 5 and 6, the soft capsule further comprises chitin or chitosan added to the oils and fats.
According to claims 7 through 12, the soft capsule serves the reduction effect of smell of feces.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be, described in detail.
Oils and fats used in the present invention would mean oily substances contained in vegetable, animal, mineral, etc., and would also mean their products, such as the oils and fats themselves, or compound lipid such as phospholipid, or was, fatty acid, tryglyceride, etc.
The oily substances contained in vegetables, and their products, would mean vegetable oils and their products, such as the oils and fats, wax, phospholipid, etc., contained in the leaf, the seed or the fruit of vegetable. These would cover, for example, safflower oil, corn oil, olive oil, rape seed oil, rice oil, soybean oil, soybean lecithin, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, oleic acid, middle-chain fatty acid, coconut hardened oil, rape seed hardened oil, tocopherol, Beta-carotene, retinol, etc.
The oily substances contained in animals, and their products, would mean animal oils and their products, such as the oils and fats, was, phospholipid, etc., contained in the subcutaneous tissue, the abdominal cavity, the liver, the secretion of animal. These would cover, for example, fish oil such as sardine oil, tuna oil, cod-liver oil, squalene, and whale oil, beef lard, pork lard, egg yolk lecithin, arachidonic acid, bees wax, lanolin, beef hardened oil, pork hardened oil,etc. The mineral oil would cover paraffin, fluid paraffin, etc.
The oils and fats of which polarity are higher may have better solubility of mastic, thus may be a good solvent. Therefore, as compared with the oils and fats containing much amount of long-chain fatty acid, those containing much amount of middle- or short-chain fatty acid may have better solubility of mastic. As compared with the oils and fats containing much amount of triglyceride, those having much amount of monoglyceride or diglyceride may have better solubility of mastic.
The anphipathic substance would mean the substance which is soluble both in water soluble ingredient and in oil soluble ingredient. This would cover, for example, surfactant, lower alcohol such as ethanol, and its aqueous solution.
The surfactant would mean those having the effects of emulsification, solubilization or dispersion between the water soluble substance and the oil soluble substance. This would cover, for example, soybean lecithin, egg yolk lecithin, soybean saponin, bile acid, glycerin fatty acid ester, polyglycerin fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, cane sugar fatty acid ester, propylene glycol fatty acid ester.
Chitin, which is contained in large quantities in crustaceous animals such as crab, shrimp, krill, etc., would mean a natural polymer substance, as well as the hydrolysate thereof, consisting the bond of N-acetyl glucosamine in a form of normal chain.
Chitosan would mean a polymer substance, as well as the hydrolysate thereof, which is obtained by deacetylation. of chitin.
The oils and fats, the amphipathic substance, chitin and chitosan used in the present invention, are of course not limited to the examples discussed above. The oils and fats, amphipathic substance, chitin and chitosan may be used independently or by any combination thereof.
The concentration of mastic in the soft capsule, that is the concentration of the oil produced by dissolving mastic in the oils and fats, is not especially limited. However, the higher the concentration becomes, the higher the viscosity of the contents of the soft capsule would become, which might result in the inappropriate and exceeding viscosity of the. contents for producing the soft capsule. Further, under such an exceeding concentration, there may be a case that the mastic which has once been dissolved would crystallized again at a lower temperature. Thus, it may be concluded that the preferable concentration of mastic in the contents of the soft capsule is not more than 90 wt %, and the preferable concentration of the oils and fats in the contents of the soft capsule is not less than 10 wt %.
The concentration of the amphipathic substance is also not especially limited. However, when the amphipathic substance should be added, considering the effect of the amphipathic substance as an additive, the preferable concentration in the contents of the soft capsule is between 0.1 wt % and 50 wt %.
The concentration of chitin or chitosan is also not especially limited, However, when chitin or chitosan should be added, considering the appropriate concentration thereof for producing the soft capsule likewise the case of mastic, the preferable concentration in the contents of the soft capsule is between 0.1 wt % and 50 wt % in total.
With regard to the exploitation of the present invention, the method and apparatus for producing ordinary soft capsules in the prior art may be utilized without any modification, and no advanced manufacturing technology is required.
Further, when necessary, the soft capsule according to the present invention in which the oil produced by dissolving mastic in the oils and fats is contained, may further contain any additive or ingredient, such as food material, health food material, medicine, or any other substance for removal and inhibition of the helicobacter pyloric bacteria.
It is of course possible to further add any colorant, sweetener or spice, which may ordinarily be added to pharmaceuticals, medicines or foods, to the contents of the soft capsule.
The soft capsule containing the oil produced by dissolving mastic in the oils and fate according to the present invention has the merits as follows.
{circle around (1)} Since the contents of the soft capsule include the mastic fluid which is produced by dissolving mastic in the oils and fats, as compared with the health foods in the prior art which containing solid mastic, the soft capsule according to the present invention, after being ingested, may be dispersed everywhere inside the stomach more easily. Consequently, mastic may directly and easily become in contact with the helicobacter pyloric bacteria, thus the good effect for removal and inhibition of the helicobacter pyloric bacteria may be obtained.
Further, despite that mastic is dissolved in the oils and fats to be in a form of liquid, since the thus obtained. mastic fluid is contained in the soft capsule, the product according to the present invention can be treated almost as the solid product, such as a health food in a form of chewing gum, or a health food contained in a hard capsule. Thus the product according to the present invention may provide users with the convenient handling thereof, and in addition, since the outer surface of the soft capsule conceals the strong and unacceptable taste of mastic, uses may ingest the product easily.
{circle around (2)} In regard to the contents of the soft capsule which has been produced by dissolving mastic in the oils and fats, the case when the amphipathic substance is further added, will now be discussed. In this case, in addition to the effect as described in {circle around (1)} above, since the gastric juices are the water soluble liquid, the contents of the soft capsule in a form of oil may readily be dispersed in the gastric juices. Further, the direct infiltration of mastic into the, helicobacter pyloric bacteria may be facilitated, thus higher effect of the removal and inhibition of the helicobacter pyloric bacteria may be prospected. When ethanol or aqueous solution of ethanol is used as the amphipathic substance, the affinity of mastic with the gastric juices will increase, thus the removal and inhibition effects will increase as well.
{circle around (3)} In regard to the contents of the soft capsule which has been produced by dissolving mastic in the oils and fats, the case when the chitin or chitosan is further added, will now be discussed. In this case, due to acidic environment inside the stomach, chitin or chitosan will become positively charged, and since the inner wall of the stomach has generally been negatively charged, the chitin or chitosan will strongly adhere to the inner wall of the stomach. At that time, since the mastic will also adhere to the inner wall of the stomach together with the chitin or chitosan, the effective time of mastic to the helicobacter pyloric bacteria will become longer, and consequently, still higher effects of the removal and inhibition of the helicobacter pyloric bacteria may be expected.
{circle around (4)} The collection of mastic is carried out in a following method: That is, sap of mastic tree (Pistacia Lentiscus Var China). will first drop to the ground, and become solidified. Then, solid pieces of sap of mastic on the ground can be collected. Therefore, the thus collected mastic would be contaminated with impurities such as chips of wood, soil, insects, etc. In addition, since most of these impurities would be included inside the mastic resin, there has been no practical and effective method to purify the mastic. However, according to the present invention, since mastic has been dissolved in the oils and fats to be in a form of liquid during producing of the soft capsule, the impurities may easily be removed by filtration or sifting of the mastic oil, thus the purification of mastic can be accomplished without difficulty.
The purification of mastic can be carried out by any method other than to use the mastic oil. For example, mastic is first dissolved in ethanol, and then is filtrated or sifted to remove the impurities. The thus obtained fluid is then dried in order to volatilize the ethanol content, and eventually, the fine powder of mastic without impurity may be obtained. The powder of mastic may be dissolved again in oil in order to obtain the contents of the soft capsule according to the present invention. Further, the powder of mastic may also be used as the material hating no impurity, for producing chewing gum, hard capsule, tablet and other products containing mastic.