Our Science
We are disrupting the global pain market, having developed the world’s first natural plant-based pain reliever specifically designed for menstrual challenges.
True disruption occurs when multiple disciplines collide, creating something new and outstanding. It’s no accident that the majority of our scientific team over the years has been female. That gender influence to seek out innovation led to the successful breakthrough in treating severe period pain*.
Hey Sister! has been developed from the ground up. After 10 years of scientific research in plant science, medicines and process engineering, we’ve gone beyond the laboratory, beyond regulatory approvals and beyond clinical testing to now having hundreds of women experiencing the natural benefits of Hey Sister!
We grow the medicinal trees and have been fortunate to collaborate with some of the finest scientific minds, and after years of research, we started with exploring plant genetics and groundwater interaction with the CSIRO.
Sustainability is always at the forefront of our thinking. We invented harvest technology to allow the trees to thrive post-harvest. This gives us a unique and renewable natural resource. We continue to store carbon on a daily basis for the benefit of our planet.
In parallel, our team of bio-chemists discovered medicinal properties and active compounds in collaboration with some of the world’s preeminent scientists. Understanding the bio-medicinal characteristics of the plant combined with documented traditional medicine evidence, our process engineers created advanced technology that would ensure a pure ‘whole’ natural medicine was created (not an extract).
The breakthrough occurred in gaining regulatory approval and clinical testing with our comprehensive observational trials strongly confirming regulatory claims*.
The Hey Sister! story continues with hundreds of women experiencing natural benefits every minute of every day.
Hey Sister! Transform your life!
Our Hero Active Ingredient
KHAPREGESIC®
Developed by Hey Sister! scientists and first to market, Khapregesic® is made from the traditional medicine plant Khaya senegalensis, using advanced processing technology.
Our single active ingredient packs a punch with 3 powerful actions:
<1> Strong plant-based anti-inflammatories [1]
<2> High antioxidant levels [1] and
<3> Naturally occurring prebiotics [2].
Each tablet contains:
Khapregesic® 500 mg
(Khaya Senegalensis Dry Stem Bark)
100% plant-based and Certified-Organic. No added artificial flavouring, colouring or preservatives. Free from diary, gluten, eggs, nuts, soy and yeast. Suitable for vegan and vegetarian diets.
Manufactured in Australia from Australian-grown Khaya Senegalensis.
A member of the Meliaceae family, the Hey Sister! Khaya senegalensis is grown in Australia’s tropical north, the cleanest and most pristine agricultural region on earth.
Hey Sister! Australia manages the largest plantation of medicinal-grade USDA/AU Certified-Organic Khaya senegalensis in the world.
Traditional Medicine
Used for millennia by traditional medicine practitioners in Europe and Africa for a wide variety of mostly women’s health and GI-related conditions. It comes with a growing body of scientific literature detailing its uses, efficacy and safety profile, with its use being traced back over 1000 years[3].
Botanical Characteristics
The khaya tree is a medium-sized, evergreen savanna tree that typically grows 15 to 30m in height and 1m in diameter. It is characterised by its dark, shiny pinnate leaves, round fruit capsules up to 10cm in diameter, dark grey, scaly bark and deep red coloured timber. Ethnopharmacological studies have recognised the use of Khaya for its anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive/analgesic, antipyretic, antimicrobial, anthelmintic, depurative, antioxidant and antiplasmodial activities.
World Conservation
It is now extremely rare, largely due to land-clearing practices. It was listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species over 20 years ago [4]. Since then, land clearing in Africa has intensified, almost wiping out the species completely in the wild.
Thanks to the initial research efforts of the Australian Federal Government research agency CSIRO and state governments’ departments of agriculture since the 1970s, Hey Sister! Australia is now the largest grower of pristine medicinal-grade Certified-Organic Khaya senegalensis in the world.
[1] Anticancer Research (2006) 26(3 B) 2397-2405 Chemopreventive effects of Khaya senegalensis bark extract on human colorectal cancer; Androulakis X, Muga S, Chen F, et al; https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/f7090483-0e6d-300e-8a4e-8ba7ac808564/. Journal of the Australian Traditional Medicine Society Vol25 No3 2019 pp146-149. Journal of the Australian Natural Therapists Association Vol34 No3 2020 pp63-65
[2] CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOACTIVE PHYTOCHEMICALS FROM THE STEM BARK OF AFRICAN MAHOGANY Khaya senegalensis (MELIACEAE) Huaping Zhang 12-2008; https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/305/. Journal of the Australian Traditional Medicine Society Vol25 No3 2019 pp146-149. Journal of the Australian Natural Therapists Association Vol34 No3 2020 pp63-65
[3] Neumann K, Kahlheber S, Uebel D. (1998). Remains of woody plants from Saouga, a medieval West African village. Veget Hist Archaeobot 7(2):57-77.
[4] World Conservation Monitoring Centre. (1998). Khaya senegalensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 1998: e. T32171A9684583. https://dx.doi.org/10.2035/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T32171A9684583