Scientists unlock mass-produced herbal medicine with precision fermentation

Bioengineers in Japan have successfully manipulated yeast cells to produce a molecule used in herbal medicine, meaning it can be made at scale in a fermenter. The compound, artepillin C, is linked to antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties but is available from natural sources in smaller amounts of inconsistent quality. It is commercially available as a bee culture product and can be produced by some plants. 

It is challenging to produce herbal medicine on an industrial scale. For example, a Japanese plant source for artepillin C, Artemisia capillaris or capillary wormwood, makes the compound in small and inconsistent amounts and a mixture with other compounds.