The knot heartwood of spruce has been found to contain large amounts of natural, functional (i.e. having an effect on health) protective agents that can be used in pharmaceuticals, functional foods and chemicals. The first spruce knot derivative product is already on the market.

HMR lignan, which is separated from spruce knot wood, has been shown to slow down considerably the advance of various hormonal cancers such as those of the breast, prostate and bowel.

HMR is a strong antioxidant and mild oestrogen so the substance may also have a favourable effect on heart and cardiovascular diseases and other oestrogen-dependent health problems such as menopause-related conditions and osteoporosis.

Sources found

The lignans in trees have been have been studied at Åbo Akademi since the 1970s. A significant change occurred at the beginning of the 90s when Åbo Akademi and the University of Turku began studying the possible hormonal effects of lignans.

The effects were slight, but when a few years later the lignans were tested in new cancer tests, the results were positive. The biopharmaceutical company Hormos Medical Oy joined in the research work and a patent application was submitted in 1998.

The development work picked up pace when an unusually large number of HMR lignans was found in the knot hardwood of spruce, which in turn was found in the wood yards of the forest industry. In 1999 a method was invented that could separate the knot heartwood from the wood chips through a relatively simple process on a large scale.

Many applications

HMR lignan came onto the market in the USA in the spring as a food additive. The marketing required a permit from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which Hormos Medical obtained after a demanding application process in the spring of 2004. In 2005 Hormos sold the producer rights to the Swiss producer of natural products Linnea SA.

Now studies are going on into whether HMR lignan can be added to foods such as cereals or bread. The cosmetics industry, too, is interested in lignans as an active ingredient in sun and skin creams.

Natural materials are also being sought with great enthusiasm as replacements for synthetic substances. The polyphenols in wood can be used as technical antioxidants in, for example, oils and plastics.

The knot heartwood of trees is a source of naturally rich lignans. There are extremely large amounts of lignans in the spruce in northern Finland.