Osaka Research Institute

"Ishoku-Dogen": Unveiling the Power of Nature through the Power of Science.

Ancient wisdom and long-term empirical evidence have shown that various plants, animals, minerals, and fungi in nature exert beneficial effects on the human body. These natural elements have been utilized as traditional medicine all over the world.

Even today, new discoveries continue to emerge, with numerous reports of beneficial effects from natural products on human health. We constantly ask ourselves how to best address our customers' concerns. Based on the traditional Chinese concept of "Ishoku-Dogen" (Medicine and Food from the same source)—the idea that natural food is the best medicine—we focus on identifying functional benefits for the body from the foods we consume daily.

Unlike pharmaceuticals, natural products do not offer immediate results and take time to work. However, we aim to develop products that gently alleviate concerns while having a clear and demonstrable effect within the body. At our institute, we strive to maximize the power of nature to solve our customers' problems. We continue to search for food materials with new functionalities, evaluating them through scientific indicators and methods rather than relying solely on tradition, and accumulating solid evidence.

Japan Pharma Co.,Ltd.
Director of Osaka Research Institute
Yosuke Inagaki, Ph.D. (Medicine) 

We conduct research focused on lifestyle-related diseases and age-related concerns to maximize the natural power inherent in food. With "Bench to Bedside" as our motto, we aim to deliver the results of our fundamental research directly to our customers.

Research Activities

We conduct independent research and joint research with universities to identify materials with beneficial functions from foods and crude medicines. Our findings are shared globally through patent applications, paper submissions, and academic presentations, while we also focus on commercialization to make this knowledge accessible to everyone.

<Research on Testosterone Secretion Promoting Materials>
Menopause-related concerns are not limited to women. In recent years, "male menopause" has become an increasing issue among middle-aged men. The cause is a deficiency in testosterone, which also relates to declining sexual function and male fertility. We have discovered that "superfoods" such as Blackcurrant, Red Shiso, and Tien-cha promote testosterone secretion. These materials have different mechanisms, and when combined, they produce a synergistic effect. This discovery is patented (Patent No. 7014483).

<Research on New Functionalities of Panax Notoginseng (Tienchi Ginseng)>
While Panax Ginseng is well-known, Panax Notoginseng contains more than four times the active saponins (ginsenosides). It is a key material for "vascular anti-aging." Our extract is standardized to contain over 10% of ginsenosides Rg1+Rb1. Our original research has revealed that it activates "Tie-2," known for its role in preventing "ghost vessels" (loss of capillaries), and we have filed a patent for its active ingredients.

Intellectual Property (As of January 2026)

1.　Fermented Soybean Extract Powder

・Manufacturing method of α-glucosidase inhibitor　Japan：3676637

・α-glucosidase inhibitor　Japan：3911366

・Anti-hyperlipids Medicine　Japan：4429588

・α-glucosidase inhibitor　USA：US 6299911B1

・α-glucosidase inhibitor　China：CN 1170550C

2.　Bonito Oligopeptide

・Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor Japan：3592593

・Purification Method of Peptide Japan：4295886

・Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor　USA : US 7034002B1

・Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor 　Canada：CA 2318494C

3.　Black Tea Extract

・Method for compositions fermented tea　Japan：3827090

・Method for producing fermented tea　Japan：4278566/

・Method for producing fermented tea　Japan：4583417

・Method for producing fermented tea and compositions 　USA : US 8663720B2

・Method for producing fermented tea and compositions　China：CN 100518530C 

4.　Steron Power Mix®

・Testosterone Booster　Japan：7014483

・Testosterone Booster　China：CN115697087B

・Testosterone Booster　 Korea：2911628

Publication List (Since 2015)

Efficacy of Black Currant, Red Perilla, and Myo‒inositol in the Prevention of Late‒onset Hypogonadism in Healthy Men Non‒randomized Clinical Trial

Yosuke Inagaki, Eisuke Kato, Akifumi Nagatomo, Natsumi Ueta, Yasuyuki Oi, Mamiko Kohno, Hirosato Kawakami

Therapeutic Research, 2026, 47(1), 27-37.

Bioactive components in black currant fruit, red perilla (shiso) leaf, and Chinese sweet tea that enhance testosterone production in Leydig cells and their combined effect in male mice.

Eisuke Kato, Yosuke Inagaki, Hiromi Kayooka, Yusuke Adachi, Tomoaki Nagase, Naofumi Terada, Ai Tsuruma

ACS Food Science & Technology, 2024, 4 (5), 1209-1215.

Astilbe thunbergii reduces postprandial hyperglycemia in a type 2 diabetes rat model via pancreatic alpha-amylase inhibition by highly condensed procyanidins.

Eisuke Kato, Natsuka Kushibiki, Yosuke Inagaki, Mihoko Kurokawa, Jun Kawabata

Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 2017, 81(9), 1699-1705.

Isolation of rugosin A, B and related compounds as dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitors from rose bud extract powder.

Eisuke Kato, Yuta Uenishi, Yosuke Inagaki, Mihoko Kurokawa & Jun Kawabata

Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 2016, 80, 2087-2092.

Higenamine 4'-O-β-D-glucoside in the lotus plumule induces glucose uptake of L6 cells through β2-adrenergic receptor.

Kato, Eisuke; Inagaki, Yosuke; Kawabata, Jun

Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 2015, 23, 3317-3321

Reviews (Since 2015)

Testosterone-increasing effects of "Steron Power Mix," a material for men's care. Yosuke Inagaki, Eisuke Kato. FOOD STYLE 21, 2024, Vol.28 No. 7, Page 39-42.

Functionality and new possibilities of Panax Notoginseng (Tienchi Ginseng). Yosuke Inagaki. Food Processing and Ingredients, 2022, 57(10), 71-74.

Conference Presentations (Since 2015)

• Aug 9, 2025 The 1st Academic Lecture Meeting, Hokkaido Branch of JSBBA (Hokkaido University) Effects of food intake that increases testosterone levels on sex hormone levels in female mice. Yusuke Adachi, Eisuke Kato, Yosuke Inagaki.
• Nov 30 - Dec 1, 2024 The 2nd Academic Lecture Meeting, Hokkaido Branch of JSBBA (Hokkaido University) Verification of the effects of Blackcurrant, Red Shiso, and Myo-inositol on sex hormone secretion in female mice. Yusuke Adachi, Eisuke Kato, Yosuke Inagaki.
• Sep 21-22, 2024 The 24th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Men's Health (Daisetsu Crystal Hall, Asahikawa) Search for food ingredients that prevent LOH syndrome and verification of effects using animal models. Eisuke Kato, Yosuke Inagaki, Yusuke Adachi, Hiromi Kayooka, Tomoaki Nagase, Naofumi Terada, Ai Tsuruma.
• Mar 26, 2024 JSBBA Annual Meeting 2024 (Tokyo University of Agriculture) Functional analysis and in vivo verification of testosterone secretion-promoting active ingredients in Blackcurrant, Red Shiso, and Tien-cha. Yusuke Adachi, Hiromi Kayooka, Ai Tsuruma, Naofumi Terada, Tomoaki Nagase, Eisuke Kato, Yosuke Inagaki.
• Sep 20-21, 2022 Joint Branch Meeting of Hokkaido and Tohoku Branches, JSBBA (Hakodate Campus, Hokkaido University) Search for steroid hormone secretion-promoting active ingredients from Tien-cha and analysis of their action mechanisms. Hiromi Kayooka, Tomoaki Nagase, Naoshi Terada, Yosuke Inagaki, Eisuke Kato.
• Sep 10-11, 2021 The 14th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Polyphenols (Gifu University, Online) Analysis of testosterone secretion promotion mechanism by Rosmarinic acid and Delphinidin-3-rutinoside. Tomoaki Nagase, Eisuke Kato, Yosuke Inagaki.
• Aug 30 - Sep 2, 2015 Inaugural Symposium of the Phytochemical Society of Asia 2015
• Glucose Uptake Enhancement Activity of Higenamine Glucoside Isolated from the Lotus Plumule. Eisuke Kato, Shunsuke Kimura, Takayuki Iihoshi, Yosuke Inagaki, Jun Kawabata.
• Search for Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV inhibitors from Rose buds extract powder. Yuta Uenishi, Eisuke Kato, Yosuke Inagaki, Mihoko Kurokawa, Jun Kawabata.
• Mar 26-29, 2015 JSBBA Annual Meeting 2015 (Okayama University) Search for Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV inhibitors from Rose Buds extract powder. Yuta Uenishi, Eisuke Kato, Yosuke Inagaki, Mihoko Kurokawa, Jun Kawabata.