What Wakunaga Wants You to Know About Aged Garlic

In the fast-growing market for alternative medicine, science sells.

That’s especially true for Wakunaga of America Co., the rapidly growing Mission Viejo outfit that sells an odorless aged garlic extract as a nutritional supplement with health benefits. The local company, a unit of Wakunaga Pharmaceutical Co., of Osaka, Japan, is sponsoring a conference in Newport Beach this month that will showcase research suggesting that garlic and the extract might help reduce risks of cancer, clogged arteries and production of harmful cholesterol.

“If everybody knew what these researchers know about garlic and aged-garlic extract, everybody in the world would be taking garlic extract,” says Bill Stirling, the company’s director of sales and marketing.

Wakunaga, having funded about $1 million worth of research at various U.S. universities in the last 10 years, is co-sponsoring the three-day conference with Penn State University, the National Cancer Institute, and other organizations. The event is set for Nov. 15-17 at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Tennis Club.

Dr. John Milner, a Penn State scientist whose research has been supported by Wakunaga, will present his findings that garlic and the extract may reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer. Other Wakunaga-supported scientists from Penn State, Cornell University and East Carolina University are scheduled to detail how garlic and the extract may help prevent formation of artery-clogging platelets, harmful cholesterol and prostate cancer.

Wakunaga’s Mission Viejo unit is expected to post sales of $35 million this year, up nearly 35% from last year, Stirling said. The company employs about 75 people and operates its main U.S. factory and headquarters in Mission Viejo and a warehouse in Mira Loma. This year, it also opened a second warehouse in Lake Forest to accommodate growth.

The privately held company makes money but doesn’t disclose figures, he said.