A Breakthrough Discovery in Liver Health and Agritech: The World’s First Patented Fermentation of Turmeric, in Collaboration with Her Majesty the Queen Mother of Bhutan

Expo 2025 Osaka, Japan – May 13, 2025

At Expo 2025 in Osaka, NINAPHARM announced a major breakthrough in the royal fermentation of Bhutanese turmeric—patented in France for its remarkable liver health benefits.

(French Patent: PCT/IB2023/051371)

https://patentcenter.uspto.gov/applications/18838895

This world-first innovation is the result of an unprecedented collaboration with the R&D program of the Royal Family of Bhutan and the Ministry of Agriculture. Scientists at Ninapharm's Innovation Labo identified and patented unique bacterial strains responsible for the natural fermentation of Bhutanese turmeric, enabling the amplified formation of bioactive metabolites with exceptional therapeutic properties.

Photo : Bejit Ideas, President de Ninapharm / Yeshey Penjor, Minister of Agriculture /  Hiromichi Oshima, President de Ninapharm Japon

Inspired by the pristine ecosystems of the Bhutanese mountains—known for producing some of the world’s most potent medicinal turmeric—researchers studied a rare local variety and isolated native microbial strains capable of fermenting it naturally. The result is a metabolite-rich profile full of bioactive compounds with hepatoprotective effects.

This groundbreaking technology is co-patented with the Royal Family of Bhutan.

While isolated curcumin has shown limited efficacy in vivo, research on this fermented turmeric confirms that its biological power stems from the complex synergy of the plant’s full spectrum of compounds, enabled by gut microbiome modulation—a decisive step forward in modern phytotherapy.

Photo : NINAPHARM Research team with Dr. Lotay Tshering, Prime minister of Bhutan

This technology paves the way for a new generation of scientifically validated fermented botanical formulations, delivering superior bioefficacy—especially in conditions such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Already applied with success in rice cultivation and poultry farming in Bhutan, this innovation is also showing promising results in Japanese rice agriculture.

Published results and product samples for testing are available upon request.

🔗 Read the scientific article:
https://ojs.moal.gov.bt/index.php/bjas/article/download/119/41/282

Read full Press Release: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000014.000011432.html