Supplement Facts

Since 1979, Allergy Research Group® has used only the purest raw materials available, and has implemented strict quality control procedures in every stage of production, including inspection of raw materials, manufacturing, packaging, and storing. ARG is licensed by the California Department of Health Services, Food and Drug Branch, registration number 0021150.

GMP Standards
Our products are manufactured under the recognized principles of current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP), brought into final form by the FDA in June 2007. The GMP standards are applied to a wide variety of procedures associated with the manufacturing of dietary supplements, including receiving, testing, and approval of raw materials, production, and process controls, laboratory testing of labeled and packaged finished product, distribution control and accountability, and shelf life expiration testing to ensure freshness and potency.

For many years we have used the same manufacturers to produce our powder formulas, capsules, tablets, softgels, gels, and liquid products to ensure consistency. All of our certified manufacturers meet or exceed cGMP requirements established by the FDA, as well as state and local regulations. In our facility in Alameda, California, our highly trained staff bottle, label, and ship our finished products. Our newly installed automatic bottling line has multiple built-in quality checks, such as weight verification and metal detection, to ensure all finished packaged products have the pre-determined physical count and are contaminant-free.

Independent Third Party Laboratories
In addition to our in-house quality control department, we use certified independent analytical laboratories to test raw materials as well as finished products. All of our certified laboratories meet or exceed cGMP requirements. Our products are assayed for identity, purity and potency, and are confirmed to contain pre-determined amounts of the contents listed on every label. Microbial, pesticides/herbicides, aflatoxins, residual solvents, and heavy metals analysis are also conducted on all applicable products. 

Procedures of Analysis
We utilize a number of advanced methods of analysis, including high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), IR and UV-VIS spectroscopy, capillary electrophoresis (CE), inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), atomic absorption (AA), thin layer chromatography (TLC), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), along with biochemistry and wet chemistry techniques.

Unsurpassed Ingredient Quality
Allergy Research Group uses only the purest and highest quality raw materials available. For example, we use only Nattokinase NSK-SD®, the first nattokinase introduced into the US market, which has established standardization and quality levels for all other nattokinase. Our MicroChitosan contains small-size chitosan oligosaccharide, and our Prima Uña de Gato contains TOA-free Cat’s Claw.

Since 1979, Allergy Research Group, founded and lead by Stephen Levine, Ph.D., has become well known for its innovation, quality and purity. Over the last twenty-seven years, and since its inception, Allergy Research Group has set the record with consistently ground breaking products. One need only take a brief look into the scientifically adventurous life of Stephen Levine to understand why.

What is your educational background?
My undergraduate work was at Buffalo State University, after which I did a full fellowship at UC Berkeley in the genetics department, where I received a Ph.D. in 1976, with an emphasis on genetics and molecular biology.

How did you come to found Allergy Research Group?
It became obvious that I had chemical sensitivity and environmental illness when I was working as a lab director after graduation. That started my passionate entry into the field of alternative/environmental medicine. My recovery from chemical sensitivities with selenium was memorialized in numerous lay and technical articles, including Prevention magazine, and finally, the writing of a textbook, Antioxidant Adaptation (co-authored by Parris Kidd, Ph.D.). This book straddled both academic science in free radical biochemistry and alternative medicine and became the “new testament” providing an organizing principal for understanding the action of the best known and best selling supplements of the day. These were, of course, vitamins C, E, beta carotene, and selenium. These were fundamentally antioxidants, i.e. redox-active. My insight into the contribution of redox activities redefined the understandingas to the underlying energetic nature of biological processes, stress and illness for thousands of doctors. From this work, two of Allergy Research Group’s first products were developed: Sodium Selenite and Buffered Vitamin C.

Sodium Selenite, a rather simple solution, is still a favorite form of selenium for many patients. In some patients it produced immediate benefits for chemical sensitivity and in others it allowed patients to recover chemical tolerance over an extended period of weeks and months. Confirming work has been done by Dr. Michael Rosenbaum, M.D., and Alfred Zamm, M.D.

Buffered Vitamin C was developed from some of the initial research in the early 50’s of Theon Randolph, M.D., who was the founder and leader of the environmental medicine movement.

Both products were widely embraced by the environmental medicine community, and used by leaders, Drs. Randolph and Rea, as well as hundreds of doctors from the Clinical Ecology Society. They were also used by many patients and lead to relief and hope for thousands. So it was these first two products, Buffered Vitamin C and Sodium Selenite Solution, from which Allergy Research Group was born.

Buffered Vitamin C Study at Haight Ashbury Free Clinic
Buffered Vitamin C (BVC) was so effective for food allergies, I was convinced it would work for addictive cravings. So in 1985, an informal study was conducted at the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic in San Francisco, in which BVC was used by outpatients recovering from addictions. The results were remarkable and BVC reduced withdrawal symptoms and cravings in 90% of the participants.

Why are you able to introduce leading products and see leading trends consistently before others?
It partially comes down to looking at underlying principles. You can’t get more fundamental than electrons and protons and I knew that the energetic principles would have an impact on clinical manifestation of illness. Recently, my theory on free radical and chemical hypersensitivities received considerable support by the monumental research of Dr. Martin Pall, Ph.D., Professor at Washington State University. Also, I have had the tremendous good fortune of being involved with a large and dynamic group of friends and colleagues - a network of leading doctors and scientists with whom I am always exchanging ideas. These personal connections have led to the birth of many groundbreaking products, and will continue to do so for years to come.

What makes the formulas different?
They are different from the start - they don’t generally follow the pack. They work with leading doctors in their industry as a brain trust to bring in what is most interesting and most needed at that time. A small list of the prestigious, or accomplished doctors that they have worked with include: Leo Galland, M.D. (twice awarded with Practitioner of the Year), Jonathan Wright, M.D., Dana Flavin, M.D., Dr. Ba Hoang, M.D., Ph.D., and many others...

You are considered a pioneer in the field of nutritional supplements. What are some of the products you introduced to the marketplace and how did you discover them?
They were the first to introduce many nutritional supplements to the market, two of which I have already discussed, Sodium Selenium Solution and Buffered Vitamin C, but here I will list some of the other key products and the stories behind their inception:

Melatonin
By the mid 80’s, a large body of literature existed on melatonin. I was also attracted to it because of some of the esoteric associations with this sleep hormone, which affected dreams, was inhibited by light, and was associated with the third eye (intuition). I tried it in '87 or '88, with a friend of mine, and it had sleep-inducing and hypnotic effects. Subsequently, at Dr. Rae’s meeting in Texas I met melatonin researchers Russel Reiter, George Maestroni, and others who where thrilled that I had melatonin available commercially. Reiter read my text and then began testing melatonin for its antioxidant activities. His subsequent research has been responsible for the mass acceptance of melatonin and the very important scientific understanding of its role as an antioxidant. It also appears to be intimately involved in cell protection. Reiter’s book on melatonin and his findings of its profound antioxidant capacity came out just as JAMA and NEJM had seriously embraced antioxidants as key cellprotectors. Reiter has commented, “melatonin is such a potent antioxidant that its gradual loss could explain why aging accelerates over time. My colleagues and I have suggested that melatonin replacement could result in a significant increase in human lifespan.” I initially put out two potencies: 1.6 mg and 20 mg. Since then, 25 mg has been studied and found to profoundly affect cell growth and to be life-supporting for some patients, with numerous studies to support this.*

Lactoferrin
In 1998, a close friend of mine, Earl Etienne, Ph.D., the youngest professor to ever teach at Harvard, was intrigued by the pregnancy phenomena - how lactoferrin was so low during pregnancy to protect the fetus from immune system attack, and how high the levels of lactoferrin would become in breast milk after pregnancy in order to further the development of the newborn’s immune system.* They introduced the first lactoferrin product to the market in the late 80’s. Soon after, the popular press picked up interest in the lactoferrin story, further spreading the word.

Artemisinin
I was working with my colleagues Leo Galland, M.D. and Herman Bueno, M.D. who were the prominent researchers in the area of GI immunity and parasites. Galland and Bueno introduced me to the idea of working with Artemisia annua as a broad spectrum microbial balancer. The use of pure artemisinin was being studied at NYU Medical Center. At the time, artemisinin was only made in Vietnam so they connected with a missionary who was able to get some for us. Shortly after this, in 1986 or '87, artemisinin finally became available. They introduced it in two products: as pure artemisinin, and as part of their Tricycline product, which contained other herbs for GI support. These products have functioned well for many doctors and patients for many years.*

Full Spectrum Antioxidants
Creating a full spectrum antioxidant formula was simply a logical extension of my work on my textbook Antioxidant Adaptation. Antiox, Improved Antiox and Ocudyne are combination antioxidants, the first of their kind, with biological activities in areas of immunity, and cellular protection at a very profound level. As predicted, these had a major impact on patients and then on the marketplace, then and now. They still represent some of the most sophisticated products of this category.*

Nattokinase
They summarized all the research that was available from Japan - mostly from Dr. Hiroyuki Sumi, M.D., the discoverer of nattokinase. They also connected with Dr. Martin Milner, N.D., a cardiovascular specialist, and Dr. Ralph Holsworth, D.O., who later became the leading nattokinase researcher in the U.S. Jonathan Wright, M.D. noted that patients were responding very quickly and powerfully to the product.* Once again, this was perfect timing for the needs and awareness level of the doctors and their clinical practice. They were the first to introduce nattokinase to the U.S. market in 2002. They use only the NSK-SD form of nattokinase, which is the only form of nattokinase approved by Dr. Sumi and Dr. Holsworth.

Organic Germanium (Germanium Sesquioxide)
In 1985, while I was working on my antioxidant book, the importance of oxygen became clear to me. I came to understand the importance of the role of hypoxia, so I sought to find an effective agent for cellular oxygenation. I found the work of Dr. Kazuhiko Asai, the original Japanese developer of germanium sesquioxide. They then worked with a Berkeley chemist to develop a testing protocol to confirm the purity of germanium sesquioxide. The past twenty years have only deepened my conviction that germanium is a nutrient of enormous value. Presently, they are working with an oncology group in Arizona on a double-blind study of germanium’s impact on energy status in cancer patients.*

The past 30+ years have been an incredibly rewarding scientific and personal adventure. I look forward to many more years of investigation of science and healing as tools to support, enhance and inspire as many people as possible through new, innovative Allergy Research Group products.

We’ve got some really exciting new products coming, many of which are equally, if not more exciting than what we’ve done in the past. They will be gradually introducing these products over the next few months.

Below is an interview with Dr. Levine as he discusses why he founded Allergy Research Group, how he came to pioneer so many key nutritional supplements over the last 30 years, and how he continues to do so.

Since 1979, Allergy Research Group, founded and lead by Stephen Levine, Ph.D., has become well known for its innovation, quality and purity. Over the last twenty-seven years, and since its inception, Allergy Research Group has set the record with consistently ground breaking products. One need only take a brief look into the scientifically adventurous life of Stephen Levine to understand why.

What is your educational background?
My undergraduate work was at Buffalo State University, after which I did a full fellowship at UC Berkeley in the genetics department, where I received a Ph.D. in 1976, with an emphasis on genetics and molecular biology.

How did you come to found Allergy Research Group?
It became obvious that I had chemical sensitivity and environmental illness when I was working as a lab director after graduation. That started my passionate entry into the field of alternative/environmental medicine. My recovery from chemical sensitivities with selenium was memorialized in numerous lay and technical articles, including Prevention magazine, and finally, the writing of a textbook, Antioxidant Adaptation (co-authored by Parris Kidd, Ph.D.). This book straddled both academic science in free radical biochemistry and alternative medicine and became the “new testament” providing an organizing principal for understanding the action of the best known and best selling supplements of the day. These were, of course, vitamins C, E, beta carotene, and selenium. These were fundamentally antioxidants, i.e. redox-active. My insight into the contribution of redox activities redefined the understandingas to the underlying energetic nature of biological processes, stress and illness for thousands of doctors. From this work, two of Allergy Research Group’s first products were developed: Sodium Selenite and Buffered Vitamin C.

Sodium Selenite, a rather simple solution, is still a favorite form of selenium for many patients. In some patients it produced immediate benefits for chemical sensitivity and in others it allowed patients to recover chemical tolerance over an extended period of weeks and months. Confirming work has been done by Dr. Michael Rosenbaum, M.D., and Alfred Zamm, M.D.

Buffered Vitamin C was developed from some of the initial research in the early 50’s of Theon Randolph, M.D., who was the founder and leader of the environmental medicine movement.

Both products were widely embraced by the environmental medicine community, and used by leaders, Drs. Randolph and Rea, as well as hundreds of doctors from the Clinical Ecology Society. They were also used by many patients and lead to relief and hope for thousands. So it was these first two products, Buffered Vitamin C and Sodium Selenite Solution, from which Allergy Research Group was born.

Buffered Vitamin C Study at Haight Ashbury Free Clinic
Buffered Vitamin C (BVC) was so effective for food allergies, I was convinced it would work for addictive cravings. So in 1985, an informal study was conducted at the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic in San Francisco, in which BVC was used by outpatients recovering from addictions. The results were remarkable and BVC reduced withdrawal symptoms and cravings in 90% of the participants.

Why are you able to introduce leading products and see leading trends consistently before others?
It partially comes down to looking at underlying principles. You can’t get more fundamental than electrons and protons and I knew that the energetic principles would have an impact on clinical manifestation of illness. Recently, my theory on free radical and chemical hypersensitivities received considerable support by the monumental research of Dr. Martin Pall, Ph.D., Professor at Washington State University. Also, I have had the tremendous good fortune of being involved with a large and dynamic group of friends and colleagues - a network of leading doctors and scientists with whom I am always exchanging ideas. These personal connections have led to the birth of many groundbreaking products, and will continue to do so for years to come.

What makes the formulas different?
They are different from the start - they don’t generally follow the pack. They work with leading doctors in their industry as a brain trust to bring in what is most interesting and most needed at that time. A small list of the prestigious, or accomplished doctors that they have worked with include: Leo Galland, M.D. (twice awarded with Practitioner of the Year), Jonathan Wright, M.D., Dana Flavin, M.D., Dr. Ba Hoang, M.D., Ph.D., and many others...

You are considered a pioneer in the field of nutritional supplements. What are some of the products you introduced to the marketplace and how did you discover them?
They were the first to introduce many nutritional supplements to the market, two of which I have already discussed, Sodium Selenium Solution and Buffered Vitamin C, but here I will list some of the other key products and the stories behind their inception:

Melatonin
By the mid 80’s, a large body of literature existed on melatonin. I was also attracted to it because of some of the esoteric associations with this sleep hormone, which affected dreams, was inhibited by light, and was associated with the third eye (intuition). I tried it in '87 or '88, with a friend of mine, and it had sleep-inducing and hypnotic effects. Subsequently, at Dr. Rae’s meeting in Texas I met melatonin researchers Russel Reiter, George Maestroni, and others who where thrilled that I had melatonin available commercially. Reiter read my text and then began testing melatonin for its antioxidant activities. His subsequent research has been responsible for the mass acceptance of melatonin and the very important scientific understanding of its role as an antioxidant. It also appears to be intimatelyinvolved in cell protection. Reiter’s book on melatonin and his findings of its profound antioxidant capacity came out just as JAMA and NEJM had seriously embraced antioxidants as key cell protectors. Reiter has commented, “melatonin is such a potent antioxidant that its gradual loss could explain why aging accelerates over time. My colleagues and I have suggested that melatonin replacement could result in a significant increase in human lifespan.” I initially put out two potencies: 1.6 mg and 20 mg. Since then, 25 mg has been studied and found to profoundly affect cell growth and to be life-supporting for some patients, with numerous studies to support this.*

Lactoferrin
In 1998, a close friend of mine, Earl Etienne, Ph.D., the youngest professor to ever teach at Harvard, was intrigued by the pregnancy phenomena - how lactoferrin was so low during pregnancy to protect the fetus from immune system attack, and how high the levels of lactoferrin would become in breast milk after pregnancy in order to further the development of the newborn’s immune system.* They introduced the first lactoferrin product to the market in the late 80’s. Soon after, the popular press picked up interest in the lactoferrin story, further spreading the word.

Artemisinin
I was working with my colleagues Leo Galland, M.D. and Herman Bueno, M.D. who were the prominent researchers in the area of GI immunity and parasites. Galland and Bueno introduced me to the idea of working with Artemisia annua as a broad spectrum microbial balancer. The use of pure artemisinin was being studied at NYU Medical Center. At the time, artemisinin was only made in Vietnam so they connected with a missionary who was able to get some for us. Shortly after this, in 1986 or '87, artemisinin finally became available. They introduced it in two products: as pure artemisinin, and as part of their Tricycline product, which contained other herbs for GI support. These products have functioned well for many doctors and patients for many years.*

Full Spectrum Antioxidants
Creating a full spectrum antioxidant formula was simply a logical extension of my work on my textbook Antioxidant Adaptation. Antiox, Improved Antiox and Ocudyne are combination antioxidants, the first of their kind, with biological activities in areas of immunity, and cellular protection at a very profound level. As predicted, these had a major impact on patients and then on the marketplace, then and now. They still represent some of the most sophisticated products of this category.*

Nattokinase
They summarized all the research that was available from Japan - mostly from Dr. Hiroyuki Sumi, M.D., the discoverer of nattokinase. They also connected with Dr. Martin Milner, N.D., a cardiovascular specialist, and Dr. Ralph Holsworth, D.O., who later became the leading nattokinase researcher in the U.S. Jonathan Wright, M.D. noted that patients were responding very quickly and powerfully to the product.* Once again, this was perfect timing for the needs and awareness level of the doctors and their clinical practice. They were the first to introduce nattokinase to the U.S. market in 2002. They use only the NSK-SD form of nattokinase, which is the only form of nattokinase approved by Dr. Sumi and Dr. Holsworth.

Organic Germanium (Germanium Sesquioxide)
In 1985, while I was working on my antioxidant book, the importance of oxygen became clear to me. I came to understand the importance of the role of hypoxia, so I sought to find an effective agent for cellular oxygenation. I found the work of Dr. Kazuhiko Asai, the original Japanese developer of germanium sesquioxide. They then worked with a Berkeley chemist to develop a testing protocol to confirm the purity of germanium sesquioxide. The past twenty years have only deepened my conviction that germanium is a nutrient of enormous value. Presently, they are working with an oncology group in Arizona on a double-blind study of germanium’s impact on energy status in cancer patients.*

What does the future hold for Allergy Research Group?
The past 27 years have been an incredibly rewarding scientific and personal adventure. I look forward to many more years of investigation of science and healing as tools to support, enhance and inspire as many people as possible through new, innovative Allergy Research Group products.

We’ve got some really exciting new products coming, many of which are equally, if not more exciting than what we’ve done in the past. They will be gradually introducing these products over the next few months.